Entertainment One (EOne) and the Toronto-based agency Spoke have taken over YouTube for 24 hours with a homepage masthead videogame that connects with viewers’ smartphones to promote the feature film Ender’s Game.
After a viewer watches a 30-second video trailer for the film, a unique URL appears for the visitor to enter into a smartphone browser. The user is then able to sync that mobile device to their desktop screen and engage with the game, playing the role of Ender Wiggin flying a ship through space by turning the phone and tapping its screen.
Once complete, users are prompted to share their scores on Facebook or buy tickets for the film’s opening weekend.
The objective of the campaign is to generate mass awareness for Ender’s Game, said Jeff Greenspoon, CEO of Spoke, as well as encourage audience engagement. He said it’s the first time this type of ad has been executed in Canada, and YouTube was the perfect medium to target his agency’s demographic.
“The audience for the film is pretty broad, but this specific ad is specifically targeted to 18-24 males who are excited by gaming and sci-fi thriller action. We really want to get people excited to go see the film.”
Greenspoon said the game took about a month to complete and cost considerably more than a traditional banner ad. Instead of being solely flash-based, Google’s DoubleClick Rich Media technology using Channel Connect supports the connection between the desktop advertisement and an HTML5 mobile site, turning the smartphone into an input device.
Spoke (which is handling creative and social media for eOne) began promoting Ender’s Game six months ago. The YouTube homepage masthead placement is part of a broader social media campaign that includes a Facebook logout ad and target block as well as a YouTube TrueView and Twitter campaign that matches specific content with audience interests and broadcast shows where Ender’s Game TV spots appeared.
The masthead ad launched Thursday at midnight and will run until midnight Friday. Ender’s Game opens in theatres across Canada today.
