‘Space Jam’ is the hottest movie marketing event of the summer

Warner Bros.’ “Space Jam: A New Legacy” is no doubt the movie marketing event of the summer. The long-awaited sequel, released both in theaters and HBO Max on July 16, is coming out during a summer of blockbusters hitting theatres and streaming services as pandemic restrictions are lifted. It's contesting with Marvel’s “Black Widow,” Paramount’s “Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins” and Warner Bros.’ own “The Suicide Squad” remake. But nothing quite packs a marketing punch as the reimagined, family-friendly storyline ‘90s kids loved renting from their local Blockbusters. The familiar Looney Tunes/real-world mashup has been remade for a tech-savvy generation. Like Michael Jordan before him, NBA champion LeBron James is sucked into an alternative universe where he finds himself determined to win a high-stakes basketball game against cartoon characters. This time, however, James and his Looney Tunes friends battle to save James’ son in the digitized world of the Serververse where villain algorithm Al-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle) threatens their very existence. Next week the film will premiere with more than 200 brand collaborations behind it, spanning apparel, footwear, food and beverage, retail and even pet products. Brands like Nike, Spalding, Moose Toys, Gap, Crocs, Fossil, Funko, GameStop, BarkBox and more are onboard. Fans of the movie are able to find almost everything they desire from Space Jam Kraft Mac & Cheese onesies to Trolli Sour Sneaks candy. The consumer products are also built out with marketing partnerships with brands like McDonald's, Xbox and Amazon, several announced this week, meant to appeal to the millennials who grew up watching the first film as well as a new generation of kids. "This is a rare property that means a lot to different people in different ways," says Bryan Warman, SVP of worldwide digital marketing at Warner Bros. "Even within a single partnership there are several layers that are as appealing to a kid in '96 to today's kids. "It's such a cultural event. You're marrying the star power of LeBron James to Looney Tunes," says Louise Soper, SVP of global brand partnerships at Warner Bros. "There was a very strong nostalgic reaction from brands. McDonald's loved the idea of coming back and partnering again. We have family-focused but also the cool factor with digital extensions." Brands had a long time to prepare for the animated-live action film. Rumors that there would be a “Space Jam” sequel began circulating in 2016, and the official release date was set in 2019. The film itself might as well be one giant commercial for Warner Bros as its chock-full of references to other Warner Bros.' intellectual property. The trailer alone shows James passing through multiple worlds part of the Warner Bros.’ universe, including “Game of Thrones,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Matrix” (see trailer). “Space Jam” was always destined to be a marketing blowout event. The original 1996 “Space Jam” film itself was conceived out of an ad, the 1992 Super Bowl Nike commercial “Hare Jordan,” in which Michael Jordan plays basketball against Bugs Bunny. The creative force behind the ad, Jim Riswold, was also known for popular Nike campaigns “Bo Knows” and “I Am Tiger Woods.” Michael Jordan’s agent, David Falk, was the one to approach Warner Bros. with the idea for the film based off the commercial, according to the Chicago Tribune. Here are some of the major collaborations and marketing partnerships of note springing out of the film. Some craftly tie-in to the retro roots of the original film, while others simply cater to consumer demand and film anticipation. McDonald’s repeats 1996 Happy Meals For the “Space Jam” sequel, McDonald’s is reprising its 1996 Happy Meal collaboration. This week, the quick service restaurant began selling “Space Jam: A New Legacy” Happy Meals with specially designed boxes that come with one of 12 different characters from the new movie. The limited-edition Happy Meals are available as supplies last. A spot to promote the new “Space Jam” Happy meals is running across Disney channels. For a flashback, check out the 1996 McDonald’s commercial from the first collaboration with the OG “Space Jam” crew, and see just how far commercials have come: McDonald’s is also selling pricey apparel created by skateboard lifestyle brand Diamond Supply Co. featuring the universe’s characters Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny and Taz. The $160 jerseys, $140 shorts and $120 hoodies definitely cater to the older millennial crowd who look back at the original film with nostalgia. McDonald’s is gifting basketball jerseys for a select few who purchase a Happy Meal via the McDonald’s app or UberEats. Nike takes new approach There was no chance Michael Jordan wasn’t going to wear his Air Jordans in the original “Space Jam.” Those Jordan 11 Retro Jam shoes Jordan wore to take on the Goon Squad have become one of the most coveted pairs of Michael Jordan Nike shoes ever. For the sequel, Nike is hoping for similar success in its partnership with LeBron James. James signed a lifetime deal with Nike in 2015, and so naturally Nike and Converse are coming back to the Tune Squad 25 years later. But this time around, Nike is taking a new approach. It’s the first time the shoe brand is debuting a shoe in a movie. James will sport the new Nike LeBron 19 in the film before they are available for the public to buy the brand told Forbes. And instead of one shoe as part of the collaboration, this time there are multiple shoes and attire including jerseys, shorts and jackets for sale. Nike is also selling a "Space Jam"-themed Air Force 1 sneaker and LeBron 18 for kids and Converse is selling Chuck Taylor hightops with Tune Squad logos and a Pro Leather Low for Lola Bunny. LeBron James’ own partners score Several of the collaborations also benefit from James’ individual brand partners such as Nike. SpringHill Co., James’ own entertainment company that he built with Maverick Carter, is producing the film and one of the films’ collaborations is with Uninterrupted, the athlete empowerment brand under SpringHill Co. The brand is selling a gamer jersey, which James has been seen wearing, with prices ranging from $60 to $95, depending on size. Luxury finds Looney Tunes The Looney Tunes are certainly getting a more expensive boost this time around, even beyond those costly McDonald’s jerseys. The latest iteration of The Carousel @ Bloomingdale’s, the retailer’s on-site pop-up shop, as well as Bloomingdales.com will is sell a variety of accessories and apparel, everything from $145 Lola Bunny sweats to an Ooni gas-powered outdoor pizza oven for $349. Upscale U.K. swimwear brand Vilebrequin is also selling themed Looney Tunes swimwear, T-shirts and towels. Consumers can expect to spend up to 215 euros ($253) for a pair of swim trunks. Among a bevy of Fossil gear, a limited edition Tune Squad Box Set, only 75 sets available, that come with a watch, straps, bag, collector coins and figurines is being sold for $500. But Swiss brand Kross Studio wins the game for most expensive collaboration. A 10-piece limited-edition watch set presented in a basketball sculpture is being sold for $100,000. On the other end of the price spectrum, Warner Bros. has created products with the Gap, The Cotton On Group, Forever 21 and Torrid, among others. The company also partnered with Amazon to roll out bright orange boxes featuring the film's characters to anyone purchasing any Amazon products. The boxes show how they can be folded up to form basketball hoops. Amazon is very selective about which brands to work with for promotional packaging like this. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The SpringHill Company (@thespringhillco) Video game collabs for a new generation of fully digital consumers When the original “Space Jam” came out in 1996, many households were just beginning to experiment with the internet and video games were mostly still played through consoles. Video game tie-ins fit so well with the digital themes of the new film that Warner Bros. partnered with several gaming companies for the sequel. Xbox, King and Fortnite are all collaborating. On July 15, fans of the movie will be able to play Xbox’s new free “Space Jam: A New Legacy—the Game,” which recalls the retro roots of the franchise through popular arcade games of the ‘90s featuring the movie’s major characters. The game, which players will be able to find through the Microsoft Store on Xbox, first launched exclusively on July 1 as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks program. Ideas for the game were fan-sourced starting in December. Xbox also worked with nonprofit Cxmmunity which aims to get more minorities working in gaming to host an esports tournament where 50 HBCU schools received Xbox gaming kits to build labs on campus. Xbox is also selling three controllers with designs inspired by the new film and game, selling on July 8 for $69.99 at the Microsoft Store and Amazon while supplies last. Xbox also launched a "Space Jam"-themed coding workshop for kids. King teamed up with Warner Bros. to bring LeBron James and the cartoony characters of “Space Jam: A New Legacy” to the wildly popular Candy Crush Saga from July 6 to 19. In Candy Crush Saga, the “Space Jam: Tune Squad Takeover” starts off at level 25 where LeBron and the game’s Tiffi character help players through levels to free Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny and Daffy Duck from gum trapping them in the map. Orange candies in the game have also been replaced with basketballs. Candy Crush Soda Saga will also feature "Space Jam"-themed elements. A LeBron James Fortnite skin leaked over 4th of July weekend. LeBron James and the Tune Squad have landed in Candy Crush 👑🐰🥕🏀 Let the games begin 🏀 #CrushItSpaceJam Play now: https://t.co/Q56lTWl66s@spacejammovie #SpaceJamMovie pic.twitter.com/OWvm6vCDCS— Candy Crush Saga (@CandyCrushSaga) July 6, 2021

‘Space Jam’ is the hottest movie marketing event of the summer

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