Universal Announces Incredible Hulk Promo Program!
Universal Pictures has just announced its promo program kicking-off for this summer's The Hulk. Here is the full press release:
Universal Pictures Announces Incredible Promotional Program for its Highly-Anticipated Summer Release 'The Hulk'
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Feb. 5 - Universal Pictures today announced an incredible line-up of promotional partners for its highly- anticipated summer release, "The Hulk," acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee's ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") bigscreen version of one of Marvel Comics' most memorable and popular superhero series. The film's domestic promotional campaign will break onto retail shelves in May 2003 with partners including Pepsi, Hershey Food Corporation, Kraft Foods, ConAgra's Grocery and Snack Foods Group brands, and The Glad Products Company.
The film, produced in association with Marvel Entertainment Group, stars Eric Bana ("Chopper," "Black Hawk Down"), Academy Award®-winner Jennifer Connolly ("A Beautiful Mind"), Nick Nolte ("The Thin Red Line"), Sam Elliot ("The Contender," "We Were Soldiers") and Josh Lucas ("Sweet Home Alabama"). The Valhalla Motion Pictures/Good Machine Production will hit theatres June 20.
"For The Summer Event Movie of 2003, we have an appropriately Hulk-sized promotional campaign with an incredible roster of promotional partners," said Beth Goss, executive vice president, The Brand Group. "And all of our Hulk partners have stepped up to the plate with the kind of unique creative campaigns that are sure to generate excitement at retail this summer."
Pepsi will offer an instant win promotion on 150 million packages of Mountain Dew, Code Red and Sierra Mist. Consumers can win grand HULK-Sized prizes including a "Hulked-Out Home Entertainment Center" that features a 56" wide screen TV, sound system, DVD player, Hulk X-box and "The Hulk" video game. Secondary prizes include a Hulk X-Box and "The Hulk" video game or a year's supply of Mountain Dew. The program will be supported with in store point-of-sale displays.
Hershey Foods is offering a comprehensive larger-than-life program to deliver added value across multiple brands and packtypes through bonus offerings, heavy merchandising, display vehicles and web activities from April through June 2003.
HULK-sized and HULK-themed packaged candy and displays will be offered for brands including Reese's®, Hershey®'s Kisses®, Miniatures®, York®, Nuggets(TM), Nuggets(TM) with Almonds and Rolo®. The program is further extended to include Hershey's most popular six-packs, King and bonus Giant bars. Hershey will also offer green colored, green apple flavored HULK Twizzlers®, Giant Green Bubble Yum® bubble gum balls, green Hershey®'s chocolate syrup and Jolly Rancher® HULK-shaped Gummies.
To generate both consumer interest and sales, Hershey will offer a HULK-ed UP Sweepstakes where consumers have the chance to win a HUMMER H-1 and thousands of other HULK-ed UP prizes. Consumers can also collect King Size HULK bar wrappers to get a Free HULK tee shirt.
As the pre-eminent packaged goods sponsor, Kraft Foods will offer 16 unique HULK products on over 30 million packages. Brands include Nilla® Wafers, Ritz® crackers, Ritz Bits® sandwiches, Oreo® cookies, Kraft Cheese Nips®, Kraft® Singles Cheese Slices, Taco Bell® green shells, Kraft Miracle Whip®, Jell-O® ready-to-eat and dry puddings and Post® Cereals. The program will be supported with point-of-service displays, green food items, a special Hulk cereal, sweepstake overlays, as well as premium lenticular cards in crackers and Taco Shells. Kraft® Singles will offer a Hulk T-Shirt on specially marked packages.
This summer, Con Agra Foods will feature "Cookout Heroes," a barbecue theme tying several brands together under one umbrella to promote "The Hulk." Nearly 40 million packages of Con Agra Food's Banquet frozen dinners, entrees and prepared chicken will carry HULK graphics and a sweepstakes opportunity with a grand prize trip to Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure theme park to ride "The Hulk" Roller Coaster. Participating brands include Banquet (Frozen Dinners, Entrees and Prepared Chicken), Manwich, Chef Boyardee, Gulden's Mustard, Butterball Fresh Chicken, Hunt's Ketchup and BBQ, VanCamp's Beans, Armour Hot Dogs, Pam non-stick cooking spray, Eckrich Smoked Sausage and Inland Valley frozen potatoes. In addition to the grand prize, daily prizes will be awarded on the on-line instant-win game ( www.cookoutheroes.com ) which includes movie tickets to see "The Hulk" and ConAgra Foods product coupons. The promotion will be supported with in-store point of sale displays and a national FSI.
In addition to the on-line promotion, ConAgra will also offer account specific programs in top retail accounts across the country. These programs will feature a variety of tactics and prizes, including trips for four to Islands of Adventure, HULK Coleman outdoor cooking grills, HULK bicycles, HULK-sized green coolers, in-store shopping sprees, "The Hulk" movie tickets, HULK hats, HULK tee shirts and Marvel comics subscriptions.
ConAgra Foods Snack Foods Group brands Slim Jim, Pemmican and David Seeds are offering three different HULK-sized promotions that will have consumers seeing green! Slim Jim will feed the hunger of consumers with a HULK-sized canister and meat stick -- the longest Slim Jim meat stick on the market! Slim Jim's sweepstakes will offer the chance to "Win a HULK 'Wreck' Room" and an additional 250 winners will take home HULK video games.
Pemmican invites health-conscious consumers to HULK up at home and "Win a Personal Gym" (grand prize), with 100 additional consumers winning HULK workout wear.
David Seeds will ask consumers to find the one green seed game piece in select packages to "Win a Revved Up HULK Power Pack" complete with a Honda motorcycle, ATV and personal watercraft. In addition, 100 winners finding the red seed game piece will receive a remote control HULK Monster Truck. The brand promotions are being supported with public relations and millions of impressions via point of sale displays and on-pack presence.
The Glad Products Company will support The Hulk with a free movie ticket offer via Hollywood Movie Magic on specially marked packages of GLAD® Sandwich Bags, GLAD® Cling Wrap, GLADWARE® containers and GLAD® trash bags. The promotion will be supported with in-store shipper displays and a link to "The Hulk" website from Glad's website ( www.glad.com ).
Acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee's concept for his film adaptation of the classic Marvel Comics series, "The Hulk," combines all the elements of a blockbuster visual effects-intensive superhero movie with the brooding romance and tragedy of Universal's classic horror films. In depicting "The Hulk" as both a superhero and a monster, a wish fulfillment and a nightmare, Lee and his team have st