AIA sponsors ‘Iron Man Experience’ at Disneyland HK, in brave new co-branding move
AIA sees benefits of branding tie-up with Marvel Comics character Iron Man... and the social media mentions
AIA, the largest insurer in Hong Kong, will sponsor Iron Man Experience, a new attraction opening at Disneyland Hong Kong on Wednesday, reflecting the latest corporate tie-up with a comic book action character.
Iron Man is lucky to get a job in the current tough market. Snoopy was fired by Metlife in October after more than 30 years as an icon for the US insurer. The licensing agreement, estimated by Forbes at US$12 million per year, will last until 2019, but Metlife will launch a new logo from this year. The shift came as Metlife focuses more on its group life business.
As the company moves in this new direction, it will phase out its use of Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang. “We brought in Snoopy over 30 years ago to make our company more friendly and approachable during a time when insurance companies were seen as cold and distant. Snoopy helped drive our business and served an important role at the time,” said Esther Lee, global chief marketing officer of MetLife in a statement. “We have great respect for these iconic characters. However, as we focus on our future, it’s important that we associate our brand directly with the work we do and the partnership we have with our customers.”
In related development, Wonder Woman was sacked in December after serving just two months as ambassador of the United Nations. The character was initially appointed as an ambassador to promote gender equity, but the appointment led to many protests and the plan was dropped accordingly.
The sponsorship of AIA however is a much narrower scope. Snoopy was used in ads and featured in Metlife’s logo and brand identity, but the AIA-Iron Man deal is more limited in focus. AIA’s brand and logo will appear in the Iron Man attraction, Disneyland’s first Marvel-theme ride set to debut on Wednesday.
The ride will include an exhibition of Iron Man and 3D shows with motion experience where guests will be able to soar through Hong Kong’s skies alongside Iron Man.
