This post was created in partnership with Screenvision Media
The cinema is one of the few places where brands can count on undivided attention—if they can earn it.
During an ADWEEK House Advertising HQ fireside chat co-hosted with Screenvision Media, Mark Stenberg, senior media reporter at ADWEEK, sat down with Geoff Schiller, CEO of Screenvision Media, and Amy Lanzi, CEO of Digitas North America, to discuss the power of in-person experiences.
Advertising in three dimensions
Movie theater advertising has evolved far beyond the 30-second spot before the trailers. As Schiller explained, Screenvision’s pre-show includes trivia, creator and podcaster clips, and even big-screen versions of New York Times games like Wordle, Spelling Bee, and Connections.
Brands also have access to a range of exciting new formats. In addition to conventional commercial spots, they can release limited-edition popcorn buckets, customized “silence your cell phone” videos, or even “scentigrations” that fill the theater with a particular fragrance.
“We’ve partnered with General Mills to make the theaters smell like cinnamon rolls,” Schiller shared. “It can really become a three-dimensional experience that plays into a lot of what Gen Z wants, which is not just a flat experience but a true immersive experience.”
Crucially, it’s also a shared experience. For a generation whose late adolescence was defined by the pandemic, moviegoing offers an affordable way to connect with other people.
“It is a true community,” Schiller observed. “The theater is one of the only places outside of live sports where you can have shared emotion, shared enthusiasm, shared thrills.”
Winning viewers’ hearts and minds
At Digitas, Lanzi works with brands to create what she calls “networked experiences,” like a recent Barbie activation at Coachella. These are often built around fandoms, which offer a natural opportunity for brands to invite their customers to engage with the content and characters they love.
“We’re very ‘choiceful’ about our investments here,” Lanzi said. “It’s not just doing everything. It’s choiceful about how you’re doing it and really thinking about your fans.”
She also cautioned brands not to forget the fans who can’t show up in person.
“You need to think about syndicating that experience to your fans out in the wild,” she said. “What kind of creators are you inviting? What’s going to happen from an earned perspective at this event? So even if a fan wasn’t there, they were able to experience it through the lens of community.”
Both speakers agreed on cinema’s unique leverage: It’s one of the only places where brands can trust that customers aren’t distracted by their phones.
“You think about putting your brands where you must be present to win,” Lanzi concluded. “And this is where you’re winning someone’s heart and mind in a moment that they’re really wanting to be entertained.”
