Disney milks hype over Marvel's Avengers

Los Angeles: Ever wonder what the Incredible Hulk smells like? Try Indian sandalwood, musk and sharp cedar.

"It's more of an earthy fragrance," Andrew Levine, chief executive officer of Jads International LLC, the marketer that signed on to produce a line of Avengers scents, including Smash, a cologne based on the green superhero. "You have to mimic the character."

Dozens of companies are tying in with Marvel's The Avengers, the Walt Disney Co. action film. With its Captain America character dating back to the Second World War, The Avengers has an unusually broad appeal, attracting licensing and sponsorship deals that go well beyond toys, including ones for hotels, fragrances and luxury cars.

Searching for revenue beyond the box office has been a big part of the strategy at Disney, where the Marvel division generated $6 billion (Dh22.04 billion) in retail merchandise sales last year, according to License! Global magazine.

Disney's consumer products division produced operating income of $816 million in 2011, more than the $618 million brought in by the original business, its film studio.

"The superhero transcends age, gender and ethnicity," Robin Korman, head of loyalty marketing at hotelier Wyndham Worldwide Corp., which is offering a ticket giveaway for guests, said. "It really is one of those genres that's universally embraced." Sales of movie-related toys, gadgets and apparel can exceed film receipts, Jay Rasulo, chief financial officer of Disney said last year.