Alcatel hoping ‘Iron Man 3’ product placement deal will expand its brand in the US

One of the most notable trends at this year’s CES was the huge presence of Chinese manufacturers trying to make their mark in the competitive US marketplace. One of those companies was TCL, the parent company of smartphone manufacturer Alcatel. Alcatel has been pushing its thin One Touch Idol smartphone line at both CES and MWC this year, but the company is hoping to get a lot of exposure this spring through a decidedly more mainstream outlet — Marvel’s upcoming Iron Man 3 film. Alcatel just announced that the One Touch Idol will be “featured” in the film as part of the product placement deal between TCL and the film that was announced back in January.

The deal goes beyond just Alcatel phones, with other TCL products on tap to be shown off in the film — you can get a look at some of them in this TCL-specific, product placement-filled trailer for Iron Man 3. While we’re not surprised to see Chinese manufacturers looking for more creative ways to get exposure to US audiences, we’re thinking the success of this campaign rests on whether Tony Stark himself uses the phone — Iron Man himself using Alcatel’s gear would be a much bigger endorsement than the anonymous journalist seen in the trailer below.