Dark Knight marketing shifts impact partners

Regardless of what adjustments Warner Bros. might have to make in the marketing campaign for The Dark Knight following the tragic death of Heath Ledger, its promotional partners likely won’t have to change course as well.

That’s because most of the promotional efforts being run by Hershey’s and others focused on Batman and not The Joker. Brands, both common sense and the story would tell you, prefer to align themselves with the hero of the story and not the psychopathic killer who taunts him.

Hershey’s will be producing an assortment of candy either shaped like the Bat-Symbol or with that image printed on them.

Joker toys are still expected to be part of Mattel’s display at next month’s New York Toy Fair, where companies show off their lines for the year, many of which are movie tie-ins.