Dive Brief:
- Car-sharing marketplace Turo teamed up with Cartoon Network's Adult Swim to create a branded "Mortymobile" based on the popular character from the show "Rick and Morty," per a press release.
- The Mortymobile, which is available for rent exclusively through Turo, is a 2010 Mica Mazda 3 with a giant fiberglass Morty attached to the top. The company unveiled the car at the Adult Swim Festival in Los Angeles last week. The car will soon go on tour in other cities including San Diego, promoting the launch of the show's fourth esason.
- Fans can book the Mortymobile by signing up and getting approved for an account on Turo. Participants must be at least 30 years old and will have to pass security screenings and leave a security deposit. The rental costs $350 a day and includes 100 miles per day.
Dive Insight:
Adult Swim's partnership with up-and-comer Turo attempts to promote the new season of "Rick and Morty" by delivering a unique experience for fans of the series.
"Rick and Morty" has become a cult favorite among animation and comedy fans, and Adult Swim has frequently leveraged the popularity of the show's main characters — a drunk, nihilistic scientist and his bumbling grandson — to strike brand tie-ups. Marketers including Carl's Jr. have previously worked with Adult Swim on integrations for the series, but Turo is a fresher face in the market — it was founded in 2010 — that could attract new customers by offering to rent out the Mortymobile.
Adult Swim fans may see this limited-edition rental as a way to live out their favorite show, and in doing so, Adult Swims gets heightened visibility on the streets of big cities like Los Angeles and San Diego. Transit-heavy cities like L.A. are also crucial for growth for car-sharing and rental services like Turo.
With the Mortymobile offering, Turo and Adult Swim are catering to a demand for memorable experiences from consumers, particularly choosy young demographics like millennials. Some 74% of surveyed Americans prioritize experiences over products, according to a study from Expedia and the Center for Generational Kinetics.
Translating the desire for immersive brand experiences into the rental space has become a growing trend of late. Oscar Mayer turned its classic Weinermobile into an Airbnb listing during the Lalapalooza music festival in Chicago this summer. Last month, Mattel similarly put a recreation of its Barbie brand's signature Malibu Dreamhouse for rent on Airbnb in celebration of the doll line's 60th anniversary.
