Discourse Chronicle

Both Marvel and DC, the two largest comic book publishers, have signed deals that will integrate product placement in the issues of some of their titles. DC will have a new hero called The Rush drive a Pontiac that the publisher says is just as important to that character as the Aston Martin is to James Bond. Marvel is jumping in whole hog by putting the Nike swoosh logo in a variety of places such as car doors and character t-shirts. Pontiac has also partnered wth Marvel in a deal that will have their cars appear in some titles. The product placement deals also include print ad buys. The whole thing is largely because the comics industry has been selling itself less and less as a kids thing and more and more a hobby of 20-something guys. That’s roughly the same demographic as the one constantly being sought out by advertisers so the partnership is a natural fit for both parties.

[I always believed comics are capable of being mimetic. Marvel already uses such a technique because most of its universe is set in New York City, but I wonder if product placement helps DC also achieve that connection with us as an audience, since its universe is mostly fictional cities like Metropolis and Gotham. BK]

category: Comics, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics