Cinematical

With every big new release comes a slew of cross-promotional gimmicks. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull is no exception. The Terminal proved that Steven Spielberg is practically a choreographer when it comes to product placement, but the jury's still out on whether he has managed to work Dr. Pepper into his latest film. Either way, the soda's in on the game. Dr. Pepper has a ton of contests going on now tied to the upcoming release: Any given can might take you on a vacation to Egypt, India, Jordan or Peru. You might also win a t-shirt or an iPod nano (there are twenty-three of them secretly buried in Dr. Pepper cans as you read this, like carbonated golden tickets). Chances are, the prizes won't give Indy fans the same the thrill as hearing John Williams' classic score and watching Harrison Ford duke it out all over again, so consider the possibility of a free vacation as a cinematic bonus point. Or just ignore the whole thing.

The real question isn't whether or not commercial campaigns tied to blockbusters are exploitative or asinine. What you're surely wondering is: Wouldn't Indy prefer Coca-Cola? As a matter of fact, if you go back to 1982, you'll see that was probably the case. But I suppose time changes people.