Make Your Book Cinematic

I just came back from a conference called "Marketing at the Movies." Whether or not you agree with ads running just before a movie you've paid $9.75 to see, the panelists and speakers made a pretty convincing argument that there will be more and more in-theater promotions in the years ahead. Like it or not. Ads are already online, on your mobile phone, in the airport security bins. In the theater, we're a captive audience. We're an untapped resource. And that's too tempting for most marketers to pass up.


I've never seen a theater-centric campaign in a student book. Or any book for that matter. I'm not talking about doing ads for Iron Man or Crystal Skull. But what would you do if one of your regular clients said, "We've made a deal to advertise inside all Cinemark Theaters." What would you do? (Assuming the partnership made sense.)

Sure, you'd probably do a nice 60-second trailer before the movie. But what would you have in the lobby? Would you do posters? What would the popcorn bags look like? Would there be anything in the popcorn? Would anything happen after the movie? Does it extend to the restrooms? The parking lot? Is there a web component?

A lot of your will be graduating next month. I'm not encouraging you to take a print ad and retrofit it for an AMC lobby. But if you're still working on your book, it's a definite opportunity to do something unique and maybe really smart. And if your book's getting printed and bound, it's something to keep in the back of your mind when you're actually getting paid to come up with ideas.

For a little inspiration, check out Newsbreaker, one of the more interesting pieces showcased at the conference. Crazy technology. But in a book, all you'd have to do is show a comp and a quick sentence explaining what it is and how it works.