The Secret Invasion storyline had a major effect on the Marvel Universe, and it's still remembered as one of the company's best crossover events. Given its fallout and the implications that it involved, the publisher built it up as a big deal even before it began. This was best showcased in a series of house ads that surely brought fans together - if only in awkward revulsion.
The "Embrace Change" campaign was certainly unexpected from Marvel, and it furthered the uneasy sentiment of the Skrulls subtly invading Earth. This not only worked for the storyline at hand, but it also recalled a similar political ad from the publisher's past. Given Marvel's previous effectiveness with the tactic, it might be a good idea to embrace this change for modern stories.
The "Embrace Change" Campaign Made Secret Invasion Even Creepier
In 2008, Marvel Comics used a somewhat unorthodox method to advertise their newest comic book crossover. Aired during the Minor League Baseball Championships on ESPN2, a 30-second video imploring viewers to "embrace change" also exposed them to some rather unsettling imagery. Stills from the video would also be used as ads in actual Marvel comic books. The ad had a bevy of people involved in everyday circumstances. It included everything from playing baseball to embracing loved ones. These seemingly normal All-American activities were made all the stranger, however, due to who was participating in them. Along with humans, some of those seen in the ads were green-skinned, alien Skrulls.
The voice-over informs viewers of how these invaders aim to bring about a better world for humanity, and that embracing the aforementioned change already being seen on screen is the key to bringing that world about. This matches well with the storyline in Secret Invasion, wherein the Skrulls' actions were part of a holy war. They even saw the Earth as rightfully their own, thus making it imperative that humanity "embrace change" in order to survive. The idea as a whole was incredibly timely and sure to unnerve many who saw it, making it a great way to hype up the Skrulls as needing a fierce taking down.
Marvel's Best Ads Have Reflected Current Events
Many parallels can be drawn between the Secret Invasion "Embrace Change" ads and the political events of the late 2000s. From concerns over demographic changes due to immigration as well as lingering post-9/11 fears about extremist terrorism, the storyline as a whole and the ad for it were very much made to reflect these prescient topics. This is similar to the now iconic "Do you know what your children are?" ad seen in Marvel Comics throughout the 1980s. The ad was a take on the "Do you know where your children are?" PSA from the era, and it reflected the growing concerns over mutants in the Marvel Universe (as well as the increasing popularity of the X-Men in the real world). Concepts such as these helped to give Marvel and its heroes a bit more gravitas than some of their competition by touching upon reality in a subtle, allegorical manner.
Beyond that, it's just a great way to get even casual audiences hyped up and thinking about Marvel's newest events. While crossover events have become almost annoyingly ubiquitous at this point, using the narrative elements showcased in "Embrace Change" can immediately draw the attention of the most jaded readers. Likewise, it positions one group (the Skrulls) as the obvious villains, all the while questioning if what they're doing is truly wrong. It's this type of duality that can make even invasions seem more nuanced than mere slugfests between good and evil, and it certainly worked for the storyline in question.