Cross-Branding At Its Finest?

You can’t go anywhere without running into those “free hours of AOL” discs that aren’t really free. If nothing else, they make good coasters. Yesterday, we were visiting our local camera shop and noticed giveaway DVDs, geared towards promoting “Spiderman 3.” Content is supposed to include “the story, movie clips (including behind-the-scenes,) challenge game preview, cheat codes, and a chance to win a 2007 Mitsubishi Spyder, downloads, and product information.” Alrighty, we thought, fun freebies, but deep in our heart of hearts, we thought it might be too good to be true.

Here’s what we really got:

• A written synopsis of the movie.
• A trailer and 2:30 minute promo of cast and crew telling us how great the movie “Spiderman 3” is. 
• A Challenge Game that began April 2 and ended May 4, the premiere date. No challenge, no cheats.
• Five non-exclusive wallpaper choices and 1 screensaver.
• A blatant commercial for Sony’sVaio Series PC/Laptop, Cybershot Cameras, Alpha DSMR Camera, and Handycam Camcorders.

Thanks Sony, for the new cupholder.

(Thanks, Mike)

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