Outdoor advertising and show business have a history. From posters depicting classic movies like Gone With the Wind, to the OBIE-winning, record-breaking teaser campaign for 1999’s Godzilla, out-of-home advertising is an effective media format for announcing — in a big way — a forthcoming motion picture.
As part of an overall marketing strategy, using outdoor-advertising messages in conjunction with motion-picture campaigns allows movie studios to release teasers in desired locations on an as-needed basis. Like the launch of a new product or service, outdoor ads created for the motion-picture industry seek to involve the public in the excitement surrounding an upcoming movie release. Plus, due to the effectiveness of out-of-home messages, film viewers are aware of content and character casting prior to a show’s release date.
According to Rick Robinson, national creative director for Infinity Outdoor Advertising (Phoenix), "Outdoor works for movies because of an outdoor company’s ability to brand overnight. Movie studios seek outdoor companies for the same reason the dot-com firms did. With outdoor, advertisers not only immediately exist, but they exist everywhere."
Robinson also compares the motion-picture industry’s use of outdoor media formats to that of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey