Hasta La Creative!

With Avengers: Age of Ultron almost upon us, the Marvel cross-marketing blitz–which already includes partners like Target, Dr. Pepper and Kellogg’s–is only getting started.

Longtime partner Audi, though, is taking a different route. Tony Stark’s automaker of choice, which will see the inclusion of the 2016 Audi R8, 2015 TTS and 2015 A3 Cabriolet vehicles in Ultron, has teamed with PMK*BNC (the PR-first agency perhaps best known to us for last year’s Breaking Bad Emmy promo) to unveil a two-minute short directed by well-known comic book geek Kevin Smith.

Most importantly, the campaign allowed the guy who made Chasing Amy to work with his hero Stan Lee, (along with a few other familiar faces).

Smith, who owns real-world comic book store Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash and hosts AMC’s Comic Book Men, has found the perfect outlet to mark his first time directing an ad with “Stan Lee Cameo School.” Playing on Lee’s penchant for making cameo appearances in Marvel films (not to mention Smith’s own Mallrats), the clip also features the likes of Smith’s constant foil Jason Mewes, Sharknado 2‘s own Tara Reid, Mallrats co-star Michael Rooker and the original Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, who pays homage to his early ’80s show at the end.

In the midst of the marketing onslaught of Ultron, this one offers some B-List geek fun along with its relatively subtle branding.

Title: “Stan Lee Cameo School feat. Kevin Smith, Tara Reid, Michael Rooker, Jason Mewes and Lou Ferrigno”
Hashtags: #Avengers #AgeOfUltron
Audi Twitter Handle: @Audi
Starring: Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, Michael Rooker, Tara Reid with cameos by: Lou Ferrigno, Jason Mewes and the Audi S8
Executive Producer: Kim Dellara
Director: Kevin Smith
Producer: Adrianne McCurrach