People are talking about dinosaurs, Minions, Bing Bong, Pac-Man and Ant-Man…must be summertime blockbuster movie season!
Let’s face it, the dog days of summer are probably the best time of year to hole up in a dark, cool movie theater. To cinematically venture out into another world. To share a few laughs with a couple of hundred strangers. To have a cold drink. Some popcorn. Maybe some candy. More popcorn. More candy. Well, that’s how we do it, anyway.
But in those few moments of dim movie house twilight after the concession stand and before the movie, we get to watch those greatest of all things… the previews!
Now I love the previews because they’re like mini-movies themselves. All the movie stars are in there. All the greatest stunts. There’s always that ominous, unknowing moment about 3/4 of the way through where things turn sour and our stars get into trouble. But BOOM! A call to action or a snide joke means we’re right back in the loud, colorful fun of the movie again! All capped off by the hilarious one-liner before we see the future release date and the preview is over.
The previews work because I’m there, in the theater; I’m a movie-goer. In other words I’m the target audience for these ads and best of all, I’m a captive audience. So I’m processing nearly 100% of what’s being advertised. That’s good for movie marketers. And it’s good for you.
Shoppers in your store are of the same mindset. They’re already there because have an interest in what you’re providing. And unless they’re wearing noise-cancelling headphones as they shop, it’s safe to say they’re fairly captive to your overhead messaging.
All they need is a nudge to make the purchase. The nudge might be information they never knew, a price that’s too good to be true, a new item that sounds fun to try out, or any combination of factors that leads them to impulse buy!
So if you’re having a summer special on hardwood flooring, let the shoppers on your sales floor know about it — folks love learning about updating their homes! Similarly, if you’re selling hot dogs, pork shoulders, ears of corn and portobello mushrooms ready for an evening on a hot grill, let’s get the word out! That’s the kind of news that entices listeners to imagine themselves in the story, standing at the grill, flipping burgers for friends and family. And if you’re selling Ant-Man shirts at a great low price, that’s definitely something folks need to know about.
We create these overhead messages every day, so if you’re interested give us a shout.
Oh, and in the comments below, let us know what movie you’re looking forward to. Or give us a quick review of ones we should not miss (or not see). It’s up to you, enjoy your summer!
– Submitted by Jon Vaden, Voice