Paramount brings fans behind the "Iron Man" curtain

That's not to say there isn't an impressive array of offerings, both on the official microsite and through its many high-profile brand partner efforts. The main page features the film's poster with a menu of links below. Beneath a flashing list of movie reviewers' comments on the film, site visitors can choose to view the film's social network presence – both on MySpace and on Facebook. Digging deeper into these components, you'll find that users can put their "Iron Man" pride on display with a MySpace widget, as well as ringtones and wallpapers for their mobile phones.

Site visitors are also offered links to a gallery of fan art that they can rate, a link to group ticket sales (company event, anyone?) and a list of the tied-in brands that are on hand with giveaways -- perfect for hardcore movie fans who want the "Iron Man" collector's cups from 7-Eleven, Iron Man toys from Burger King… or the chance to win a private "Iron Man" screenings from Estee Lauder. (Interesting partnership there. Perhaps a tie-in with the movie that isn't obvious if you haven't seen it?) There's also a link to a robust Audi-branded site for fans to find out more about the "Iron Man" character and its relationship to electronics and mechanics, both automotive and industrial.

There is a lot there to see, and lots to do, but does it capture the humor or the hard metal soul of "Iron Man"? And will it be enough to draw the non-comic-fans to the theater? Let's see what our panelists had to say. 
-- Nanette Marcus, cover stories editor, iMedia Connection

The overall site experience feels right for the subject -- a "James Bond meets Howard Hughes" kind of mystique that's carried out in both the site look and sound bed. I like that this site hasn't gotten caught up in trying to create an overly complex experience, instead letting fans get in and quickly access the content they want.

Back to the Fan Art section. For a comic book character, this is dead on. What comic book fan hasn't spent hours sketching out their favorite heroes and villains? So it's smart to leverage something they've been doing for years, only now putting it within the site experience, and letting them share their works with a great circle of fellow fans than they ever did with their notebook drawings. My only caveat for the Fan Art section is that there should have been more sharing options. For both the creators and the viewers of the various art pieces, being able to send at least a link to the art piece seems pretty natural.

My other question is around the "Experience" section of the site. The title certainly holds promise, but it only says 'Coming Soon'. With the launch happening May 2, there's not a lot of time for this section to have an impact, unless there's a post-launch angle to it.

Overall though, I think this site has done a good job making an attractive character out of a guy in a metal mask.
-- Doug Schumacher, president and creative director, Basement, Inc.

As with many "Iron Man" moviegoers, I admit to being part of the large pool who will see the film without first having read the comic book. This movie, with its awesome special effects, iconic hero and A-List actors, has all the markings of a summer blockbuster whether or not you grew up with "Iron Man." So the first thing I expected to see on the movie's website was a slick Flash intro, immediately drawing all users into the larger-than-life franchise.

But this is not the case. Users arriving at IronManMovie.marvel.com are greeted with a static movie-poster image and... lo and behold... a menu! So, for those of us who already saw the trailer (in the theater, TV spot, or online ad) and are not looking for deeper content, we can cut to the chase and buy tickets. So, it appears the campaign metrics won the battle for top billing -- with ticket purchase links right on top of the homepage -- and it is executed quite tastefully. Not only can the user buy tickets, but he/she can buy group tickets; view, rate or submit fan art; download ringtones and cell phone wallpaper; grab the official movie widget; register for updates; and view links to marketing partners (not bad positioning, sponsors!) all from the homepage. One can also link off to the official MySpace & Facebook "Iron Man" profiles, visit the Audi (co-branded) Iron Man microsite and more.

Upon entering the Flash site (choosing either full-screen or normal mode), all of the typical, engagement fare is present: trailers, gallery, plot and character summaries, and a disappointing "Experience" link that displays "Coming Soon" upon mouse-over. I particularly enjoyed the subtle "M1", "M2", and "M3" buttons that morph the site background through the three phases of the "Iron Man" suit. The look and feel is authentic, as are the transitions. What strikes me as interesting is that Marvel/Paramount elected to offer downloadable content within the site as well as on the homepage, but the additional content inside the site is limited to desktop wallpaper and icons. It is clear that the more viral pieces (mobile, widgets, etc.) have been positioned for the masses, alongside the ticket purchase and marketing partner links. The real geeks who want to engage further with the site do get thrown a bone, but it's not much of one. The pay-off happens early, which is what most of us in the large pool probably want anyway.
-- Robert Tucker, founder, rt interactive