Marvel Studios is about to launch Avengers: Endgame in theaters across the country next week. Even more so than last year’s Infinity War, the movie represents the culmination of everything the studio has built over the previous 11 years, ever since Tony Stark outed himself as Iron Man and Nick Fury opened Stark’s (and the audience’s) eyes to a larger world of heroes.
Just as with Infinity War, Endgame features characters from every corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Those who survived Thanos’ snap that wiped out half of existence at the end of the last movie are determined to find a way to bring them back. They’re aided by the arrival of Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), who may be the powerhouse needed to defeat Thanos and restore those they lost.
To promote the massive (literally, as it reportedly clocks in at an endurance-testing three hours) conclusion, Marvel Studios has run a substantial campaign that has heavily played into the history of the MCU. The stakes of the story are clearly communicated throughout the trailers, and other elements as Captain America and other characters frequently intone how the fate of the world depends on being able to reverse what Thanos has done.
The stakes are just as clear in a cross-promotional campaign between Marvel Studios and Stand Up To Cancer to raise awareness of the latter’s cancer research programs. Launched in conjunction with long-time SU2C partner MasterCard, the PSA campaign begins today with print, TV, radio, digital and out-of-home executions.
In the broadcast spots, stars Chris Evans, Brie Larson, Paul Rudd, Karen Gillan and Danai Gurira encourage the audience to join the fight against “the biggest villain of all,” cancer. Cancer survivors of all ages are also shown to represent the lives saved by the research conducted by SU2C. Evans and Larson also appear in the print ad along with Chris Hemsworth. While the broadcast spots—which come in 15-, 30- and 60-second versions—have the actors in their street clothes, the print versions seek to more explicitly connect the PSA and the movie.
All ads and spots direct viewers to the site, which features the same print image and where they can make a single or recurring donation.
The campaign, adapted from an effort by Stand Up To Cancer’s U.K. organization by L Associates, is the second time Marvel has partnered with SU2C, having run a similar philanthropic campaign along with American Airlines in the build-up to Infinity War.
