I read a column in the newest issue of Entertainment Weekly about advertising that is shown before movies at theaters. The article made some good points about how polls have shown that people have noticed the advertising, but are disgruntled that they have to sit through it after paying to see the movie. How will this affect the industry?
Advertising is becoming more and more pervasive in our society. It seems that you can't turn around without seeing an ad of some sort everywhere you look. But really, how much of it is registering with you?
My wife and I go to the movies probably once or twice every couple of months. I like to show up early because I want to get a good seat in the auditorium. This means that, often, we need to show up about twenty minutes before the start of the film. I normally don't mind this.
We chat about various things, but do pay attention to the slides that they show on the screen before the movie. Many of these slides are obvious advertisements. But some are advertisements disguised as trivia games or other "entertaining" items. For example, maybe a slide is a "Coca-Cola Cool Clip" (or something like that), which shows a frame from a movie and asks you to guess what movie it was from. A few slides later, the answer is revealed. We enjoy these because they are mindless entertainment. But, we are also aware that they are ads. In my stupid example, the trivia question is actually advertising Coca-Cola.
But, how many people are realizing that those are ads? That's the whole point, of course. That's also the point of product-placements in movies and television shows. That's the point of the season premiere of "24" on FOX being presented without commercial interruption, sponsored by Ford.
I don't mind this kind of advertising, as long as it remains subtle. But, right before the previews begin in the theater (which are ads in and of themselves), when I have to sit through a special 2-minute long, 35-mm version of the same Subaru Outback commercial I see on TV, it does irritate me. I did pay my $10 to watch the movie. I don't want to have to watch a commercial. It's like HBO showing commercials, even though it's a premium, pay-extra channel.
The column I mention above goes on to make the point that the public will eventually tire of this type of thing and refuse to see movies because of the ads, preferring to stay home and watch the shows on their TiVo and/or DVD player where, at the worst, they can fast-forward through the ads. That's a another whole bag of worms right there, but speaking about the first point, I don't know if the public has it in them to boycott the theaters for this type of thing. To much, we do act like mindless lemmings.
I guess we'll see.
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