ChallengeDespite 20+ years of respectable sales, Transformers toys hadn’t enjoyed blockbuster success since 1986.

Hasbro believed the next generation of Transformers had blockbuster potential, but Hasbro didn’t have blockbuster marketing money.Solution Leverage Transformers’ history and fan base to sell the property to a movie studio who would pay to produce and market a Transformers movie.Transformers toys would benefit from $300MM+ in production, marketing and media value without Hasbro spending one penny.ResultsSpending $0, Hasbro achieved blockbuster numbers before film release with 20million+ online trailer views, "400MM+ impressions, record toy pre-orders, and projected 15% increase in revenues/earnings.

STAGE 1: THE DEALToy companies usually pay to make toys based on movies, not the other way around. Hasbro leveraged Transformers’ 20-year history to convince Paramount to pay to produce and market the film.

STAGE 2: EMBRACE THE FANSHasbro invited fans into the creative process:- Posted the movie script online- Created forums for fans to comment- Hosted chats with the film’s creatorsSTAGE 3: MARKET A BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE TO SELL BLOCKBUSTER TOYSHasbro’s online-only trailer gained record viewership.Next came TV and theatrical trailers, outdoor, and promotional partnerships with MySpace, Yahoo!, eBay and GM.