Warner Bros. Discovery characters appear in movies, TV shows, comic books and videogames. Now the company wants to make a new effort to book them cameos in commercials. As part of a new initiative known as "WBD Storyverse," advertisers can gain access to use some of the company's best-known characters, including those who appear in films and series such as "Elf," "Harry Potter," "The Big Bang Theory," "The Matrix," "Family Matters" and "Friends." More from Variety Disney's Upfront Went Hard on Sports - With an Off-Key Manning Brothers Musical - but Hardly Mentioned ABC Disney's Dana Walden to CNBC's James Cramer: Streaming 'Is a Growth Business for Our Company' Jimmy Kimmel Takes On Bob Iger, Netflix and Gen Z's YouTube Habits in Upfronts Monologue: 'When You Have Kids, You'll Come Crawling Back to Disney Like Dogs!" "Audiences have a deep connection to our stories, and we want to offer that connectivity in service to our partners," says Sheereen Russell, executive vice president of client partnerships at Warner Bros. Discovery, in a statement. "By blending fresh ideas with the familiarity of our beloved worlds and characters, we empower marketers to spark cultural conversations and delight consumers with meaningful moments." To be sure, advertisers have licensed popular characters and programming concepts for years. Warner's DC Comics superheroes, for example, have regularly appeared in print ads for Hostess pastries and Snickers candy bars over the years. In more recent endeavors, Comcast was able to gain permission from director Steven Spielberg to use characters from his landmark 1982 film "E.T."in a 2019 Thanksgiving Day ad for cable and broadband services(it helped that Universal Pictures, the distributor of the film, is a Comcast subsidiary). NBC lured new ad deals from Volkswagen and Allstate, among others, by allowing the use of characters fromfamous "Saturday Night Live" sketches in special commercials tied to the long-running program's 50th anniversary. Now Warner seems to hope to reduce some of the barriers to entry. The company says it will consider granting permission for use of characters and talent tied to past projects for advertiser that wish to use them when investing ad dollars in its linear, digital and social channels. The company has signed off on similar projects in recent months. It allowed Batman to be used in a widespread State Farm campaign that put the popular superhero in an action sequence alongside actor Jason Bateman, and granted consumer-products giant Unilever the ability to use characters from the 1989 film "When Harry Met Sally" in a recent Super Bowl commercialthat also tapped the stars of that movie, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. These concepts can help the commercials stand apart from the rest of the pack, suggest executives who used the Warner properties. "By weaving the iconic State Farm brand assets and humor into the world of Gotham City, we created a campaign that broke through into pop culture in a massive way, delighting everyone from casual to the most die-hard of Batman fans," says Alyson Griffin, head of marketing at State Farm, in a statement. Unilever's Esi Eggleston Bracey, the company's chief growth and marketing officer, says the use of Crystal and Ryan helped capture market share and create "genuine cultural impact." Warner Bros. Discovery says it intends to offer consultative services from in-house strategists and creative experts as well as production resources, and distribution via WBD platforms and third-party licensing. . Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.
