Remember when Harry and Sally met Hellmann’s Mayonnaise at the Super Bowl?
Or maybe you saw when Jason Bateman (uh, “Bateman”) squared off with Batman again Gotham City’s biggest villains in a State Farm ad earlier this year?
Well Warner Bros. Discovery is turning that product integration into an advertising opportunity. The company announced what it is calling the “WBD Storyverse” on Wednesday, leveraging the company’s 100 years of film and TV franchises into a new brand partnership platform.
Just like the company helped Hellmann’s integrate mayo into one of its classic film scenes, or created an alternate Gotham City where Jason Bateman fights crime for the insurance giant, WBD says that franchises like Elf, Harry Potter, The Big Bang Theory, The Matrix, Family Matters, and Friends are now also up for grabs.
“Opportunities to activate around IP include licensed products and promotions, strategic sponsorships, co-branded ads, and custom content featuring program talent,” the company says, adding that WBD will also offer consultative services, production resources, and distribution options.
The company is also clear, however, that it only intends to cut deals that are a strategic fit for both parties, and where brand alignment makes sense.
“WBD Storyverse is all about creative possibilities,” said Sheereen Russell, executive vp of client partnerships at Warner Bros. Discovery. “Audiences have a deep connection to our stories, and we want to offer that connectivity in service to our partners. By blending fresh ideas with the familiarity of our beloved worlds and characters, we empower marketers to spark cultural conversations and delight consumers with meaningful moments.”
“Our partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery allowed us to bring an iconic moment from When Harry Met Sally to the Big Game in a fresh, unmissable way,” said Esi Eggleston Bracey, chief growth and marketing officer for Unilever. “When you combine WBD’s iconic cinematic roster with Unilever’s trusted brands, you create something memorable. The results were phenomenal, not just in terms of market share – but in creating genuine cultural impact. I mean, we even got a real-life Bill and Meg reunion at the Oscars!”
“Together with Warner Bros. Discovery, we coupled the fandom surrounding Batman with the alliteration in Batman and Bateman to set up a metaphor, creatively conveying our narrative that having insurance isn’t the same as having State Farm,” said Alyson Griffin, head of marketing at State Farm. “By weaving the iconic State Farm brand assets and humor into the world of Gotham City, we created a campaign that broke through into pop culture in a massive way, delighting everyone from casual to the most die-hard of Batman fans.”
link