After a long hiatus from the movie theaters for no good reason, I’ve returned, seeing several pre-summer blockbusters in the past few weeks. One thing, in particular, that’s stuck out in my mind has been a definitely noticable increase in ads, with a surprising number of auto makers pushing for my attention (albeit my attention is pretty much on the screen regardless).

As several articles I’ve been browsing through today point out, my perception of an increase in theater ads isn’t just my imagination. A pretty interesting AdAge article by Jean Halliday points out that movie theater ad sales are quickly rising across the board, capturing the attention of auto makers:

Screenvision’s revenue in the segment for the first half of 2008 is almost double what it was in the first half of 2007, said exec VP-sales and marketing Mike Chico, who said he expects to sell out 2008 inventory in the third quarter, which is unusual.

Which basically translates into more high profile ads showing up in theaters, and more interesting creative being done in longer formats, like the full :60 version of the Dodge Journey waterslide spot that’s been all over broadcast TV (in :30 form) of late.
So while part of me is tossin’ back the popcorn waiting impatiently for the movie to start, the other part of me is glad that big-budget advertisers (and the subsequent big-budget ads) are going to be showing up more and more in the theaters. Because while I’m a captive audience starting blankly at a mind-numbing screen, there might as well be something enjoyable for me to stare at.

In one of the coolest guerilla marketing campaigns I have seen in awhile, HP and Publicis (in Malaysia) have created giant fake black holes to give the appearance that you are walking towards a background.

Each “black hole” was placed in different urban settings (as you can see above) and they look like someone has busted through. Now, clearly this is selling the realistic look of their photopaper. I mean, from what I can tell from the photos, that must be some darn good paper if it looks that real. I guess I’ll just have to plan a trip to Malaysia and check it out for myself… but in the meantime I’ll just sit and wonder why I didn’t think of that.

Technorati Tags: HP, photo, guerilla, marketing, advertising, international, Malaysia, Publicis, urban

Has this happened to you? You’ve come up with a kick ass idea sold it to the account team and the client only to get to your production meeting and hear “and we’ve got the great set up for you” and see friggin’ lower grand. For the un-initiated it is the street in LA that has the crappy overhead florescent lighting and cut outs in the upper level. For some reason this combination is like catnip to production companies and auto advertisers alike. This is why I propose a ban on lower grand or at least a two year moratorium. Last time I checked there were over 5.5 million miles of paved road in the US.  Find a new location already.  - Buie