Volvo is launching an international promotion around "Twilight: New Moon," the second installment of Summit Entertainment's "Twilight" motion picture series, premiering on Nov. 20.
In the romance film, vampire Edward Cullen drives Volvo's XC60 crossover. Volvo's C30 3-door coupe was featured in the first movie, but this is the first of the films in which Volvo is actually marketing around the car's star turn.
"It was a missed opportunity in the first film because the car had actually four minutes in the film, which is unheard of in product placement," says Linda Gangeri, Volvo's national advertising manager. "It did really well without us doing anything, so with the second film we worked with the studio to develop a global program."
Efforts include ads, social media, interactive games on a cross-promotional Web site, and sweepstakes in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
The campaign includes the site WhatDrivesEdward.com, where consumers can enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the film's premier in Los Angeles on Nov. 16, where they will also get to meet the cast.