Faster than a Speeding Bullet

Summer has always been a popular time for blockbuster film releases.

And studio executives have never spared expenses to promote those premieres. A relatively new trend, however, is their propensity to spend big money on sports sponsorship as a promotional vehicle.

The NBA and NHL playoff coverage has seen quite a bit of movie promotion over the past couple years, much of which has been rather inorganic (the dramatic Channing Tatum-narrated “White House Down” trailers during the Heat-Spurs series are not exactly the bestfit.)

However, Warner Brothers has arrived at a much more successful sports partnership with NASCAR’s legendary Hendrick Motorsports. For the second straight year, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 car will be branded with a paint scheme tied to an upcoming superhero movie.

In 2012, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Quicken Loans 400, his first Sprint Cup Series victory since 2008, in his “Dark Knight” Chevrolet, which was painted Batman-black. In his 2013 return to Michigan International Speedway, Earnhardt will again race in a car inspired by a Christopher Nolan-directed superhero film. This time, the car will promote that weekend’s release of “Man of Steel,” and will include the Superman “S” on the hood.

The deal, which was fashioned through a tie-in with Earnhardt Jr.’s primary car sponsor, the National Guard, makes a ton of sense for both parties. In a NASCAR world full of superstitious drivers, why wouldn’t Earnhardt Jr. attempt to repeat last year’s Dark Knight success?

From Warner Brothers perspective, the Superman tie-in is quite rational. For one, NASCAR racing is tremendous brand alignment for a superhero that is so often described as all-powerful, and more specifically “Faster than a Speeding Bullet.” Plus, anytime a brand can partner with the world’s most popular driver, it cannot hurt at the box office.