The pen is mightier than the sword, at least that’s what Cross is trying to show in its latest new product placement feature in the upcoming film Stormbreaker.
Cross is building buzz around the new Weinstein Co. film, due out in the U.S. Oct. 6, through an on-pack promotion that will send consumers to see the film for free. To support the film’s U.S. launch, Cross is distributing a free movie ticket to the film with each purchase of a Verve pen (ball-point, rolling ball or fountain pen) from Sept. 22 to Oct. 20.
In the U.S., more than 1,000 Cross packages will carry the promotion; in the U.K., less than 1,000 packages will feature the promotion.
Based on the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz, Stormbreaker details the story of Alex Rider who, after the death of his uncle, is recruited as an M16 spy. Armed with a specials set of gadgets, Rider’s mission is to save millions of lives. Stormbreaker opened last week in London.
In James Bond fashion, the Cross pen serves as one of the key gadgets in the film. In the spy flick, Rider squirts sodium pentothal from the Verve Radial Chrome fountain Cross pen to make anyone he hits do what he wants for up to six hours. The placement and level of integration in the film is the first of its kind for the brand, said Tom Peterson, director of global marketing for Cross.
Cross will further back its Stormbreaker debut offering a new golden tone Verve pen featured by the film. The golden shimmer finish features a bronze-gold shine and is scheduled to hit stores in August. The Verve fountain pen sells for $175; the Selectip rolling ball pen for $135 and the ballpoint for $95. The new pen builds off Cross’ 160th anniversary manufacturing writing instruments. Cross will promote the pen via its direct mail catalog to some 300,000 U.S. households, Peterson said.
It’s not the first time Cross has been integrated into a film. The Lincoln, RI-based brand was last featured in The DaVinci Code in which Tom’s Hanks character used a Cross pen in the film.
“Over the course of time, our pens have been in many movies,” Peterson said. “What is unusual is the extent to which it is used [in Stormbreakers].”
Studio executives approached the company to conduct a cross promotion in which the studio would prominently feature Cross in Stormbreaker. In exchange, Cross would promote the film and generate awareness around it through an on-pack promotion.
“It’s so unusual for any product to be used in this manner for a big blockbuster movie,” Peterson said. “We wanted to celebrate that. Perhaps it will bring a new audience to that category.”
Online materials, p.r., P-O-P and on-pack materials will support.
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