"Thor" Drives An Acura

Okay, perhaps we should clarify that headline - it's not the God Of Thunder himself who's going to be tooling around in a brand spanking new Acura on the streets of Valhalla, but rather, the movie "Thor" has struck a product placement deal that will see agents of fictional world-wide peace keeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D. driving them all over the Marvel universe. Yup, Marvel Entertainment and Acura today announced that they have embarked on a co-promotion centered around the sure to be blockbuster flick "Thor". S.H.I.E.L.D. has a leading role in this film portrayal of the iconic comic-book series and so throughout the movie, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents will drive various Acura vehicles, including the MDX, ZDX, RL and TL models.

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"Acura is thrilled to launch this joint venture with Marvel," said Susie Rossick, brand manager of Acura National Advertising. "Being the official vehicle of the cutting edge S.H.I.E.L.D. organization is a perfect opportunity to reinforce Acura's brand philosophy of innovation and advancement."

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"Thor", directed by Kenneth Branagh, from a screenplay by Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz and Don Payne and a story by J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich, will be released by Paramount Pictures on May 6, 2011. Acura kicked off its partnership with Marvel on March 14, 2011, at C2E2, Chicago's Comic & Entertainment Expo, with S.H.I.E.L.D. recruitment booths where recruits were able to take a picture and receive a S.H.I.E.L.D. ID badge. The booths will be on display this week at the New York Auto Show and Pier 83, including a S.H.I.E.L.D.-embellished Acura TL at both locations.

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Acura's interactive website for "Thor", http://www.joinshield.com/, will serve as the hub of the national advertising campaign and will allow fans to immerse themselves in the world of THOR as actual S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Users can receive their official ID badge, post it on Facebook and climb the ranks within the organization by completing assigned case files to earn the chance to win rewards like movie tickets, iPad® 2 tablet computers, LiveScribe "smart pens" or the grand prize of an exclusive evasive-driving experience. Fans can also build their own virtual S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle with over-the-top features to aid in their online adventure.