In the parallel universe known as Hollywood, there’s no such thing as excessive hype for a movie blockbuster. Whereas media bluster might be viewed as crass or grating in other arenas, over-the-top ad blitzes are expected for big-budget Tinseltown fare.
Working on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Marvel Entertainment and IMAX Corp., Media-N-Motion, a Los Angeles-based company that specializes in brokering wide-format wraps on tanker trucks to promote movies, TV shows and special events, developed the concept of a wrap to promote Iron Man 2 and its main characters, the title hero, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., and villain Whiplash, played by Mickey Rourke.
Joe Klein, Media-N-Motion’s founder, said the five-year-old company implements tankers because they offer a more novel backdrop than a garden-variety van or trailer.
“We broker 50 to 100 wraps in a year, but the business has increased dramatically recently,” he said. “They travel 16 to 24 hours per day, six or seven days a week on tanker-truck fleets. They’re very cost-effective for the advertiser.”
Icon Graphics (Providence, UT) serves as Media-N-Motion’s wrap designer and installer. George Zimmerman, Icon’s owner, said the novelty of using a tanker as a wrap platforms presented an obstacle.
“We had to create unique designs for every unit in every market that offered the wrap,” Zimmerman said. “They’re also challenging because of their cylindrical shape. Basically, the entire top half of the wrap is fighting gravity.”
After having hired MJ Tanklines to thoroughly wash the vehicle, and completing its own alcohol wash by hand, Icon Graphics formatted its 750-sq.-ft. wrap, which comprises approximately 20 panels, using Adobe Illustrator. Ferrari Color (Salt Lake City) printed graphics on its Durst Rho 160 with Caldera’s GrandRIP on 3M’s 3552C media with Comply air-release technology. To protect the wrap, the shop applied 3M’s 8519 luster-finish overlaminate with its Orca 4064 laminator.
“Working with clients from the entertainment business, there’s always a quick turnaround with a very strict deadline,” Zimmerman said. “I’m proud to say we’ve never missed one.”