The Spoils of War: How Marvel Is Merchandising Secret Wars For The Mass Market

07/07/2015 12:28 pm EDT

Marvel Comics is making a big deal out of their latest publishing event, Secret Wars. After all, it's not every day that you destroy a universe and rebuild it from the ground up.

Ahat better way to celebrate the end of times than with merchandise? To mark Secret Wars' massive impact on the industry, and honor the original Secret Wars series that started it all, Marvel Comics is launching their biggest merchandising program yet. And while most comics merchandise is limited to general IP like evergreen characters, Marvel is licensing the specific Secret Wars event to major partners like the biggest of blockbuster films.

But, can the comic book market successfully reach a mass audience with a—relatively speaking—niche brand? It's no small task, but Marvel is rising to Secret Wars' standard with specific products showing up in Target, Hot Topic, and more. To help make sense of the unprecedented initiative, and explain just how a comics company merchandises outside of the insular market, Marvel's director of franchising Brian Siegel spoke with ComicBook.com about Marvel's Secret Wars plans. Below Siegel, reveals where consumers can find Secret Wars products, how Marvel is honoring the original Secret Wars with its merchandise, and how they plan to attract new readers through t-shirts, accessories, and more.

And as an extra bonus, browse the gallery below for a first-look at some of the upcoming Secret Wars merchandise, including August's Collectors Corp. Secrect Wars Box.

What makes Secret Wars the right event to merchandise for the mass market with large licensees? Why did you decide to reach a larger market with Secret Wars instead of, say, Original Sin or AvX?

We are focusing more on Secret Wars then Original Sin or AvX because it has the potential to reach a broader audience and is part of an important company-wide initiative. Secret Wars is a great combination of unique and well-known characters, great timing (Summer/Fall), compelling storytelling, and a pop culture moment, which all make it perfect to celebrate with additional products. Merchandise programs supporting film and television help to further fuel the excitement for that content, and we want to do the same with publishing to support our strategy of leveraging every Marvel content platform. Plus, we have already been selling retro items from the 1980s version of this event, so celebrating the new event seemed like a natural.

Who are some of licensees, and what are some of the products, that you think will catch on with consumers?

Key products initially will include apparel (from Mad Engine, Mighty Fine, C-Life, and Café Press), bags and accessories (from Bioworld), wall décor (from Silver Buffalo), stylized bobbleheads (from Funko), and even puzzles (from Cardinal). Our adult apparel and accessories business has been growing quickly and we know Secret Wars will be a great addition to that. We want to give existing and new fans a way to celebrate their passion for Marvel in "trend right" and innovative ways. They can be overt with a Secret Wars logo tee or subtle with a Secret Wars-inspired wallet.

Is there a plan to steer buyers into the Secret Wars comics, somehow? How do you channel merchandise buyers into comic shops (or digital storefronts)?

We are looking to make core comic book readers aware of some of these new products through ads in comics, via social media, and with displays at comic book stores. Select merchandise is expected to be in general retailers like Target, Hot Topic, and key online sites, with significant statements at comic book stores via our relationship with Diamond Comics as a distributor to this important channel. We also plan to use the Secret Wars logo and mention of the comic series in product marketing and hangtags to introduce the comics to potential new readers.

How do you market and sell merchandise for a specific comic book event? Are you looking at movies and TV shows as examples, or are you hatching a new approach entirely?
It is not so much about just film, TV or comics anymore, as Marvel has emerged as a pop culture brand with cool franchises and characters that a wide range of consumers know and love. Our product strategy is simple…look at the characters and stories and create authentic products that we know the fans are asking for and that will bring new consumers in to the Marvel brand. Secret Wars will be a little different because we do need to start with the comic reader and be true to them first. The amazing artwork from the comics will appeal to everyone, because these artists are visual storytellers who create amazing works of art that stand on their own. If we can bring new people in to Marvel/Secret Wars with these eye-catching products, and hopefully start new people reading comics, that is even better.

Are you looking to the original Secret Wars toy merchandising plan for inspiration at all? If so, how are you drawing from that?

We are certainly being true to the legacy of Secret Wars with 1980s-inspired products and as many toy and collector items as we can produce in time. For example, there may be new action figures from Hasbro (as part of Marvel Legends) and some Comic-Con exclusives, including maybe even Hot Wheels items from Mattel.

Who's your target demographic for the Secret Wars merchandise?

We are focused on teens and adults. We want to be true to the legacy of Secret Wars and the key readership of the new comics. If we start there, we know younger people will want to aspire to buy the related products too, and that is fine. One of the most important things is to develop for both men and women, since we know that the passion for the Marvel brand, our characters, and our comic stories is growing by leaps and bounds with women.

What's the difference between licensing a specific storyline and the general Marvel Universe and characters?

The main difference is the short timeline in the public consciousness. That is why, a few years ago, we supplemented our successful film licensing programs with evergreen programs leveraging the same characters. With Secret Wars, however, it is a pop culture/comic book moment mainly just for the latter half of 2015. Since the Marvel comic stories will be quite different in 2016, we want to keep our Secret Wars products focused on 2015, and then begin to celebrate the new stories through different products in 2016 and beyond. Planning merchandise for just a season or two is not easy, since you need to manage production timelines and inventories, but we feel by doing tight assortments of what fans have told us they want, we will be able to achieve something unique in the world of licensed merchandise.

Are you going to get some Secret Wars merchandise when it hits shelves? Let us know in the comments!

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