The 9 Most Random Movie Promos of All Time

A movie’s success is all about its dramatic story compelling characters ability to be marketed. After all, it’s through marketing promotions and tie-ins that current films get seared into our little movie-loving brains—which is why Hollywood sometimes spends a bigger budget promoting its favorite moneymaking projects than actually making them. (Yes, that really happens, and more often than you think.)

So it should come as no surprise that the powers-that-be have come up with some pretty unique ways to promote their films over the years. From 007 nail polish (we didn’t realize this special agent had a penchant for glittery lacquers) to a “Truffula Tree Friendly” Mazda to G.I. Joe shampoo, Tinseltown has a way of tying in just about everything imaginable to one movie or another… whether the promotion makes a lot of sense or not. In honor of this, uh, “creativity,” we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite promos over the years. Enjoy.

1. “Skyfall” OPI Collection

We already knew 007 likes his martinis shaken and his cars fast, but did you know he likes his nail polish… sparkly? Neither did we. But the makers of OPI Nail Lacquer obviously have classified information we don’t, as the brand has launched a holiday collection in honor of everyone’s favorite spy that features brilliant colors including Her Majesty’s Secret Service (a silvery blue) and Live and Let Die (a metallic-flecked forest green)—so there’s a shade for every Bond Girl on your list.

2. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Cereal

Yes, this was a real product. Back in the ’80s and ’90s, a gentleman by the name of Ralston Purina (of dog food fame) was the king of food item tie-ins for movies. One of his more creative launches was a breakfast cereal based on the teen comedy hit “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” It didn’t last long. Guess the adventure was more excellent than the breakfast kibble.

3. Ghiradelli “Twilight” Delight

First, there was Turkish Delight. Now there is Twilight Delight. Yes, the famed chocolatier has created a 72% Cacao Intense Dark chocolate bar in honor of everyone’s favorite vegetarian vamps. While we’re not sure whether little Renesmee pines for sweets, we sure do, so though it’s mighty random, we still approve.

4. “G.I. Joe” Shampoo

He’s a real American hero—both on the battlefield and in the shower, apparently. It would have been hard to tell if he really did have shiny, bouncy locks, after all, since he’s never pictured without a hat or helmet. So when these bottles hit the shelves (another ’80s marketing ploy) it’s no surprise they failed to convince young soldiers to lather, rinse and repeat any more than every other shampoo that came before.

5. “Truffula Tree Friendly” Mazda CX-5

We’ll admit, this one gave us pause. Back when “The Lorax” hit theaters, Mazda launched an ad campaign touting its new CX-5 as… well… here’s the voice-over from the ad. “Who delivers outstanding fuel efficiency without compromising the joy of driving? Mazda with sky-active technology. And who received the only certified Truffula Tree Seal of Approval? Mazda with sky-active technology.” We’re still not sure what sky-active technology is, but does that even matter? The Lorax seems happy and that’s good enough for us.

6. HP Campaign to “Print Like the Lorax”

In all our memories of Dr. Seuss, we don’t recall any stories featuring boatloads of paperwork, but maybe times are changing? In yet another far reach at a marketing partnership, HP encourages us to “print like the Lorax.” That seems a little counter-productive since this little guy’s trying to save the trees, which– last time we checked– were used to make most printing paper. The marketing powers in charge do make some reference to these products being “greener”… but it sure seems like making digital copies would be more Lorax-like.

7. “Star Trek” Waffles

Hmm. We’re not sure whether Captain Kirk and co. noshed on waffles in deep space, but (more importantly) we’re not sure whether we want to either. However, that didn’t stop Eggo from releasing an entire line of limited edition “Star Trek” waffles. The impressive series featured a whopping twenty-five different images, icons and phrases from the franchise. So grab some maple syrup and ask Scotty to beam you up. Or not.

8. Star Trek Casket

Yes. This happened. Eternal Image, a… uh… novelty casket manufacturer, designed a casket based on the Photon Torpedo coffin used in “Stark Trek II: Wrath of Khan.” Not into being buried in the ground, but a super-fan of the franchise? Not to worry, they have “Star Trek” burial urns as well. All we can say is… live well and prosper?

9. “Sherlock Holmes” for 7-11

This one just made us sad. We never really wanted to see one of the greatest crime-solving icons in history hawking coffee in paper cups at a convenience store we usually only stop at when there’s a (serious) need for the bathroom during a long drive. But back in 2009 when “Sherlock Holmes” hit the silver screen, he hit up these mini-marts as well. Why? Because nothing screams British detectives like 99-cent taquitos. Wait.

Categories: Features

Tags: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, sherlock holmes, Skyfall, star trek