Going to the movies is sometimes a treat when you want to escape from the real world. But we all know about the downsides – expensive tickets, the lack of healthy food options, dirty theaters, and the crazy advertising, not just before the trailers start, but even inside the movies themselves. Every year, the movies are starting to feel more and more like elaborate advertisements for products. Remember the days when it felt like only a couple of trailers played before the movies started? Now the adverts and trailers can take up 30 minutes before the opening credits! (Which goes to show you don’t have to be there on time, right?)
In 2010, spending for product advertising in movie theaters (both lobby and on-screen adverts) went up almost 13% to the tune of a whopping $658.2 million. No wonder it feels like we’re being bombarded! And it’s not just advertising food in the lobby like the old days – now it’s all about gadgets, toys, and video games too, targeting a younger demographic to buy more.
And it’s not just bad movies like Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle that feel like horrible 2-hour adverts for fast food. Even Oscar-nominated movies like Up in the Air feel less like story and more like a long exposure to airlines and hotel chain logos. The next time you watch a movie, check out how the actors are holding products. We all know it’s no accident that the logos are clearly shown for the camera! Being aware of the amount of advertising the next time we treat ourselves to the movies isn’t just good for ourselves, we can remind our friends and family how much of an influence consumer culture tries to make on all of us.
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