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From Britannia to ICICI Bank, many brands seem to want a piece of Kung Fu Panda 3 , the third instalment in the animation franchise.
The upcoming 3D animation movie, which is set to release on Friday, has garnered co-promotional deals with brands worth over ₹20 crore. These include McDonald’s, ICICI Expressions Debit Cards, Britannia Cakes, Horlicks, Ching’s Secret Noodles, Huawei and Krispy Kreme.
Most of these brands are taking their association with the movie beyond their marketing campaigns by either launching new products or special thematic packaging.
So while, McDonald’s has come out with a new menu, Ching’s Secret Noodles is launching a custom-created Chinese variant.
Kedar Teny, Director of Marketing, McDonald's India (West & South), said that the brand has had a long-standing association with the Kung Fu Panda franchise and is introducing a new Chinese menu that comes in the thematic packaging.
He added that the in-store décor of McDonald’s outlets and merchandise will also see a makeover inspired by the movie including a collection of the Happy Meal Toys.
Products from brands such as Britannia and Horlicks will also be sporting a special movie-themed packaging. While Britannia is launching over 2.5 crore packs of its cakes with a packaging that is inspired by the movie, over 10 lakh packs of Horlicks’ chocolate variant will come in with the special packaging, besides running the co-promotional summer campaign.
The movie itself is set to see a much wider release than the second instalment of the franchise. Kung Fu Panda 2 , which was released in 2011, was screened across just about 150 screens. “We will be releasing Kung Fu Panda 3 in over 600 screens and it will be dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu,” said Shikha Kapur, Chief Marketing Officer, Fox Star Studios, which is distributing the movie.
“This is the first time that an animation franchise has seen such a strong response from brands for co-promotional tie-ups. The animation genre in the past has had a limited appeal with few animation franchises enjoying a strong affinity with Indian movie buffs. But the Kung Fu Panda franchise cuts across not just the kids but even adults in India. The franchise has been growing in terms of box office and reach,” she said.
Kapur added that most of the brands that have come on board have expanded their association with the movie to their outlets and products, taking it beyond just plain vanilla associations.
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