$200 Million in "Promotional Value" for Transformers 4

If you have seen Transformers: Age of Extinction, you probably couldn't help but notice that at times it came just short of having the actors look at the camera and spout off some product slogan. It turns out that was intentional as the promotional might practically paid for the movie to get made.

“For us, Transformers is the big daddy of partnership opportunities,” LeeAnne Stables, Paramount worldwide marketing partnerships executive vp, told The Hollywood Reporter. The exec estimated that those partnerships add up to a global promotional value of more than $200 million.

Transformers 4 "global partners" include long timer Chevrolet and newbies Mondelez International (Oreo) whose most recent board member is Nelson Peltz, father of film star Nicola Peltz. They claim that is coincidental but if believe that I have a bridge to sell you. Other "national partnerships" include Big Red, VAlero, Western Star Trucks, and Waste Management. Of course Hasbro gets included.

“The digital strategy in content creation has come to the forefront of the conversation," Stables explained. Partnering with brands like Oreo, the Transformers campaign has customized the digital marketing tools those brands had in place already — for instance, Oreo’s Twist, Lick, Dunk mobile game app includes new Transformers-themed gameplay. The partnerships have produced new digital and social initiatives, too, like Oreo’s integration of its Transformers retail displays in China with the social app WeChat.