“That’s hero plus, plus, plus.” Carmaker movie tie-in speak returns.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the movie theaters, an article in the LA Times breaks down some of the new product placement you’ll be seeing this summer. When we last left the world of movie promotions and tie-ins, GM was Transforming the industry.

Since then, Mercedes-Benz and Ford have been making a few Bold Old Moves of their own. Why, it’s S In The City: S-Class that is. Sassy! And, fresh from upstaging Will Smith in I Am Legend, Ford says let’s just do remakes from now on with the new Knight Rider, thus replacing the official car of mullet nation* and C&W music fans everywhere. (Somewhere, there has to be a mathematical equation that shows the relationship between how much a product appears on screen and how good the movie is.)

And as the quote in the title shows, there’s also no shortage of marketing-speak to describe this current perfect storm of PR, consumers and brands. It’s a win-win! Only problem is, when a brand like Audi pays a ton to have its :15 minutes of fame but then ends up being cut from the final movie, what’s a brand to do? Well, for starters, run to the producer and complain. Forget that the director probably cut the scene for the good of the movie—this is the brand’s money shot!

Artistic vision be damned, we need to move metal.

*No really, I have nothing against mullets.

Tags: Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Sex In The City