When Miranda Priestly, the fictitious Runway editrix in The Devil Wears Prada 2, needs to get somewhere — a meeting, a photo shoot, a Met Gala-like ball — she is chauffeured in a vehicle befitting her Wintourian status: a $300,000 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. This is no coincidence. Mercedes placed the car there as part of an extensive promotional campaign it negotiated with Disney, which produced the film.
“We knew it was the perfect fit,” says Mercedes chief marketing officer Melody Lee. Not only did the original cast return, nearly guaranteeing a box office juggernaut (it’s soared above $400 million globally), the movie would be released concurrent with the launch of the latest iteration of Mercedes’ range-topping limo. Also, the film’s demographic aligned. According to Lee, the viewers of the original movie, which came out two decades ago, “have grown up and become our target customers.”
Automakers and studios maintain branded entertainment teams that stay in close touch to seek mutually beneficial opportunities. Ideally, the process begins well before production so that the product placement doesn’t feel laughably tacked on but rather organically worked in.
“Cars aren’t just background. They tell us just as much about a character as their costume and environment,” says Ty Ervin, vp marketing partnerships, creative and product placement at Disney.
Carefully planned collaborations “allow the integration to extend far beyond the screen,” Ervin says. In the case of TDWP2, this meant extensive Mercedes ad campaigns featuring the car and its filmic connection, part of an effort to elevate the sequel’s profile and help it — and its vehicles — become what Lee hoped would be “a huge cultural moment.”
Other car manufacturers employ this same process. According to Sarah Schrode, who headed entertainment marketing for General Motors, Chevrolet worked closely with 2023’s Barbie to help introduce its 2024 Blazer SS and Hummer EVs, which were respectively driven by America Ferrera’s and Ryan Gosling’s characters. It also revived its Mattel “Dream Car” heritage by providing Margot Robbie’s titular character with a vintage pink Corvette.
But in the realm of automotive product placement, no one can compete with James Bond. According to Alessandro Usielli, head of Ford global brand entertainment, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Ford have all worked with the Bond franchise to introduce new models by providing cars for the superspy, his coterie of comely conquests and his villainous adversaries.
Not every placement you see onscreen is for sale — or even road-safe. According to Disney’s Ervin, Porsche collaborated on the starship design for the 2019 Star Wars spinoff, The Rise of Skywalker. And Lee notes that in 2025’s F1, Mercedes acted as in-film sponsor of Brad Pitt’s fictional Apex racing team and provided a fleet of onscreen vehicles. The three-pointed star brand even worked two of its cars into the recent hit cartoon GOAT.
“You wouldn’t think Mercedes-Benz would be in an animated movie, but it’s part of our strategy to reach the next generation,” says Lee.
Movie partnerships create affinity, relevancy, relatability and, eventually, sales, Lee says. “In one study, three-quarters of viewers searched for a brand after seeing a placement, and more than half went on to buy a product from that brand.”
Even, or especially, in an era of diminishing box office returns, such partnerships remain key. “Product placement is unskippable, unblockable and lives on in long-tail streaming,” says Schrode. Still, with audience fragmentation, shorter attention cycles and decreased attendance, placements need to be more iconic. “The bar is higher now. Many times, I’m looking for known IP or very innovative new IP,” she adds.
These challenges have pushed automakers and studios to think more holistically about placement. “Instead of a one-off, we build an ecosystem around it,” says Schrode. This includes social content, behind-the-scenes footage, partnerships with talent and digital experiences that connect onscreen moments to the brand’s world.
“When it’s done right, we see incredible amplification,” says Schrode. “The Barbie partnership for GM saw 10 times the engagement on social media than any other posts in the history of the company. That’s a pretty powerful stat.”
This story appeared in the May 20 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
