Kodak Helps Revive ‘Mummy’ in NASCAR Race

Eastman Kodak sought to spark interest in Universal Pictures’ latest “Mummy” release by putting that moniker and a special paint scheme on its sponsored stock car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway last Saturday.

The Kodak No. 12 Dodge driven by Ryan Newman ran with a dragon-themed paint scheme intended to evoke Universal’s “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.” It also plastered “Mummy” on the hood, rear panel and side panels of the stock car.

It’s the latest promotion in a long-standing relationship between Kodak and Universal, which will release the film on Aug. 1.

“We tend to think that the NASCAR fans and action films go hand in hand. It seemed like a natural fit to us,” Tom Page, Kodak manager of motorsports marketing said.

Trackside billboards also plugged the film and trailers ran on the SprintVision screen at the Chicagoland track. Themed merchandise, including die-cast replicas of the “Mummy” car, T-shirts and hats, were available at the race and will continue to be available online.

Brendan Fraser, star of the film series, was on hand to introduce the drivers and make the traditional “Start your engines” call.

Kodak is also running print and online ads, and screening the movie trailer at its Kodak Times Square Gallery in New York City.

Page said the campaign aimed to strengthen Kodak’s relationship with Universal.

“What we’re trying to do is to help Universal promote the movie in a non-traditional format,” he said.

The “Mummy” car will be on display at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood theme parks through July.

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