Cinema Pre-Show Ads Have Gotten Longer—Here's Why

During the opening weekend of Jordan Peele's new thriller Nope, 100 movie theaters across the country aired short films sponsored by the job search site Indeed. The brand bought out the entire 16-minute long movie pre-show—the period before the movie starts, when 30- to 60-second ads typically air for anyone who arrives early to the theater. A 16-minute cinema buy was not only uncommon before Nope's opening weekend, but unheard of. Even airing long form content during the pre-show is a unique—and expensive—marketing decision. But Indeed is not the only brand producing ads that are more cinematic in nature and, as a result, harder to place. There are few channels brands can air longer content and actually guarantee viewer engagement. That's why brands like Indeed, Chik-fil-A, Heineken and Amazon air these ad formats at the movies. Choose to feature a longer ad on a platform like YouTube instead, and viewers might opt out of watching it. "The entire point of being in that auditorium is to be entertained," said Christine Martino, Screenvision's chief revenue officer. "That's where we see more receptivity from movie goers who enjoy seeing something that's four minutes long and tells them a story, versus if they're watching on streaming, or on YouTube and digital platforms, they opt out nearly within the first 10 seconds." PepsiCo and Regal Cinemas Want to Bring Back the Joy of Going to the Movies Buying out the pre-show Clients are investing more in what Martino called "advertainment," or ads that entertain viewers versus blatantly convince them to buy something. Advertainment hasn't caught on as much as it could, according to Martino, because marketers aren't sure where to get people to watch it. "There's not a lot of places that someone will opt in to sit through a four-minute piece of content," she said. Cinemas are one of the places they will. At Screenvision's May upfront, Martino told an audience of potential advertisers that moviegoers watch the screen 84% of the time, and that 60% of pre-show viewers remember the brands they see advertised on screen. People are also coming back to the theaters ever since studios cut video-on-demand screening options and brought blockbuster films back to the cinema. The cinematic ads era Before now, pre-show ads typically ran for just 30 seconds each, and Martino considered a 60-second spot long form content. Usually if a brand aired a minute-long ad in a theater, it would also air a 30-second version of the same ad on TV. "That typically was the cycle for cinema leading into the pandemic, where long form was really thought of as 60s," Martino told Adweek. That's no longer the case, she said, with today's long form buys averaging two to four minutes. "The long form spots are able to achieve storytelling in a way that the 30-second narrative is not," said LaFawn Davis, senior vice president of environmental, social and governance at Indeed. Brands across industries are leaning into the trend. Heineken worked with Screenvision to launch a four-minute spot in the marquee position, meaning it aired after the trailers and was the last thing viewers saw before the movie started. Last year Chik-fil-A aired a three-minute ad, and this year the fast-food chain is exploring a six-minute option. Amazon Prime Video frequently airs two-and-a-half- to three-minute spots. Longer ads open up new possibilities for brands to step into filmmaking. Inside Indeed's strategy Indeed takes an especially creative approach. For the second year in a row the brand created a short film series highlighting the power of work and invested in a diverse group of film makers to do it. Last year it teamed up with Emmy Award-winning writer Lena Waithe and Hillman Grad Productions to produce ten short films written and directed by people of color. The Indeed initiative, called Rising Voices, launched Season 1 last year before announcing Season 2 this February. The combined seasons created over 1,000 jobs and this year's filmmakers received $3 million in total funding. Indeed awarded each filmmaker a $10,000 writing and direction fee to create a short film (under 15 minutes), a $100,000 production budget, a dedicated line production crew through Hillman Grad and 271 Films and granted access to an additional Covid-19 budget to ensure the safety of the cast and crew. Travis Wood is one. Indeed selected the 10-page script Wood submitted for his film—Black Santa—and Wood had the opportunity to work with Waithe and Hillman Grad Productions to make the movie. Wood said that Indeed never directed him to make the film feel more "branded" and that the team encouraged him to stick to the story he wanted to tell. "I think people are excited to consume short films. There is a market and an audience," he said. "Some of the films from last year have already gone on to Sundance and other big festivals. And I think one might be getting acquired by HBO." The films premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, but this year, the Indeed team wanted to get them in front of more people. It led Davis to execute the record-breaking Nope opening weekend buyout. "I think long form media is really powerful. And we know that it is every single filmmaker's dream to see their creativity and their storytelling come to life on the big screen," said Davis. The long-term effects of investing in cinematic ad content remain to be seen, but as brands make more intriguing content they'll be inclined to search for film industry talent. Indeed plans to offer in-house filmmaker residencies to up to three Season 2 Rising Voices directors. Last year it extended offers to Rising Voices filmmakers including Chinese American filmmaker Johnson Cheng, Haitian filmmaker Stacy Pascal Gaspard and Dominican-born filmmaker Gabriela Ortega. "Screenvision did a really cool job for my screenings in New York, talking with the theaters and making that pre-show feel like its own event," Wood told Adweek. When he arrived to view his film, he added, Black Santa film posters lined the walls. Indeed and Lena Waithe Team Up Again to Provide Opportunities for BIPOC Filmmakers