Unidas, one of the country's leading car rental companies, has launched a campaign in collaboration with DC Comics. This initiative gives collectible miniatures from the Batman universe to customers who choose to rent passenger cars with the Premium Protection service. The national campaign began on October 12th, celebrated as Children's Day.
The Premium Protection package represents the most comprehensive coverage offered by the rental company. According to Unidas, this plan includes additional protections for windows and tires, in addition to existing coverage against theft, robbery, collision, fire, and third-party damage.
Among the characters represented from the fictional city of Gotham City, where the hero's story takes place, are Batman, Catwoman, Robin, Joker, and Harley Quinn. Additionally, there is a special and rare edition of Golden Batman, which is being distributed in limited numbers.
The miniatures are delivered in sealed packages, and the customer only discovers which character they received upon opening them, similar to a sticker pack. Each eligible contract guarantees the right to one miniature, allowing frequent renters to build the collection throughout the season.
According to the rental company, the goal of this action is to change how consumers perceive the choice of protection, which is considered a very rational step during the rental process. Henrique Novais, Executive Marketing Manager at Unidas, commented that the customer makes this decision out of caution, not desire.
For Novais, the gift serves to give visibility to the brand at a time during the trip that the market generally treats as merely bureaucratic. The campaign was conceived in partnership with Arena, an agency specializing in collectibles and promotional marketing. Furthermore, the Brazilian Association of Brand and Character Licensing (Abral) points out that the Brazilian market for licensed products exceeds R$ 20 billion annually.
Collectible gifts have become a common tactic, extending beyond the toy sector. In the same month, Shell implemented a similar strategy, focusing on Ferrari car miniatures to attract its clientele.