Weekend Fun: The Avengers

The Avengers releases in India on 27 April 2012

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The comic-based Hollywood film, The Avengers, touted to be a blockbuster, brings together Marvel Comics’ superhero characters Iron Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow.

It is all set to release in India today, a week before its US release date. We took a look at some of the marketing initiatives across the world to bring Marvel fans and those who're just plain curious, into theatres.

For the promotion in India, Indian distribution partner UTV Motion Pictures decided to rope in the popular Indian rock band ‘Agnee’ to promote the film via its exclusive theme song, “Hello Andhero”, the lyrics of which have been composed by writer-filmmaker Abbas Tyrewala.

If rumours are to be believed, Hollywood star, Scarlett Johannson (who plays the character Black Widow in the film), will also be in India during the first week of May to promote the film.

In the UK, graffiti artists created what was claimed to be never-before-seen Avengers Assemble art in a global event. Votes via Twitter determined which character assembled next – while graffiti artist Alex Young from Addict brought the Avengers to life, live from London’s Old Street. Two characters came to life every day from 18-21 April.

In the US, one of the marketing tie-ups is with Walmart through a 'Super Hero Augmented Reality (AR) game' featuring the Avengers. This new "Super Hero AR" app is available for download at the iTunes App Store and Android Market. Once downloaded, customers have instant access to Hawkeye, and from the aisles of their local Walmart stores, customers can then "unlock" the superpowers of the five remaining Avengers and ultimately save the world.

Apart from the post-completion, pre-release marketing, the filmmakers have also opted for in-film product placement with several brands which include bracelet maker Colantotte, Acura cars, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Symantec anti-virus solutions and Oracle. The film has also tied-up with FMCG brands such as Hershey’s and Dr.Pepper and Food & Beverage companies Land O'Frost Lunchmeats, and Red Baron Pizza. In February, it was also announced that Marvel has partnered with Jads, a fragrance company, to promote The Avengers with character-based fragrances.

On Youtube, Disney and Marvel have created a channel on which Avengers buffs can assemble their own "action-packed" video and music remix, featuring official clips from the movie and songs from the album, Avengers Assemble.

The film has taken a step further by scheduling to ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange by executives from Marvel Studios and film actors Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg.

Earlier in February 2012, an extended trailer of the film was released during America’s most watched sporting event, the Super Bowl XLVI.