This year marks the tenth anniversary of The Dark Knight, the second movie of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. It stars Christian Bale as Batman and the late Heath Ledger as the main villain Joker. Movie critics perceive The Dark Knight as one of the best movies of the 2000s and one of the best superhero movies ever. The movie received two Oscars: for Best Sound Editing and Best Supporting Actor.

Brands in The Dark Knight

One of the brands in the movie was Lamborghini Murciélago LP640. This beautiful car gets trashed in the scene where Bruce Wayne uses the car to stop an assassination attempt.

Lamborghini Murcielago in The Dark Knight (2008, Warner Bros, screen capture)

He also drives a cool motorcycle, an MV Agusta M4 1078.

MV Augusta in The Dark Knight (2008, Warner Bros, screen capture)

Another example of product placement is when Bruce puts on a sleek pair of Ray Ban’s, ones that also happen to be able to scan an area for relevant information. If you’re interested – Bruce wears Ray Ban 3324.

Ray Ban in The Dark Knight (2008, Warner Bros, screen capture)

James Gordon (Gary Oldman), a lieutenant in the Gotham City Police Department, and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), the CEO of Wayne Enterprises used Nokia phones.

Nokia in The Dark Knight (2008, Warner Bros, screen capture)
Nokia in The Dark Knight (2008, Warner Bros, screen capture)

Does these examples of product placement surprise you? They were strategically placed by the brands, and it is easy to see how this kind of marketing technique can be effective. Who doesn’t want to be like the Batman?

Product tie-in

Casinos and gambling are just one example of product tie-ins from The Dark Knight. It was an inspiration for creating casino games based on the movie. Released in 2008, only just know the Dark Knight slot has reportedly been discontinued. That doesn’t change the fact, though, that for years after the film was released people, in untold numbers, still played the game. The Dark Knight remains one of the most highly rated films ever and the casino game based on it was one of the most acclaimed of its medium too. Visit gamingcity.com if you want to play casino games.

Conclusion

Some well-executed examples of product placement occurred in The Dark Knight. A movie that became a phenomenon and cultural reference point for a long time had many different strategic product placements throughout. Some of them remain powerful after 10 years, especially the Murcielago placement. Even though it’s been a decade since I saw the movie and the car I still want to have it. Or at least drive it one day.

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