The small-format vertical narrative is headed to the big screen, sort of.
National CineMedia (NCM), the company behind pre-screening advertising and programming in movie theaters across the country, has signed a partnership with boutique drama company aTwist to advertise studio segments and create custom content for the brand. Hollywood Reporter I’ve learned.
Starting this summer, NCM and aTwist will offer previews of the latter company’s mini-drama during movie previews, ending with a QR code that will direct viewers to the aTwist platform. Additionally, aTwist, founded by Hollywood veterans Jana Winograd, Susan Rovner and Lloyd Brown, will produce ads for brand partners that will run in theaters and on the aTwist app. As part of the partnership, NCM and aTwist will also sign sponsorship deals for the vertical studio chain.
Perhaps best known for its seemingly ubiquitous “Noovie” show hosted by Maria Menounos, National CineMedia runs pre-show programming across more than 1,650 movie theaters across the United States, totaling more than 18,500 screens. The company partners with huge chains including AMC, Cinemark and Regal.
“Movie theaters have always been the place people go to lose themselves in storytelling,” Mike Rosen, NCM’s chief revenue officer, said in a statement. “This partnership brings new and exciting content to the pre-show experience, and gives brands the opportunity to speak more authentically to audiences who are naturally drawn to engaging and innovative content.”
For aTwist, the deal will expose its brand — which is scheduled to launch late this summer — to some moviegoers; At least, those who aren’t lining up for popcorn. The company is starting in a crowded field full of established players like ReelShort and DramaBox and buzzy upstarts (like GammaTime, from fellow Hollywood veteran Bill Block). The executives at aTwist are clearly thinking about how to differentiate their company beyond its promise of bringing the value of traditional Hollywood storytelling to the existing vertical business model.
“We built Evolution around the belief that great storytelling should meet audiences where they are.” aTwist CEO Winograde, former president of Showtime, said in a statement. “There is no better partner than NCM to bring miniseries to moviegoers and deliver our storytelling in one of the most immersive entertainment environments. This partnership highlights the unique ways brands can engage audiences through the storytelling format of emerging miniseries.”
This partnership is another example of brands’ loyal embrace of small chains as a new way to promote their offerings. Advertisers are becoming excited about the possibilities of using the storytelling format to market products in entertaining ways: think of the dramatic Marc Jacobs mini-ad written by and starring Rachel Sinnott, or the Crocs segments Deja shoes and Enchanted to meet you. In addition to major brands creating their own mini-dramas, some companies, like fast fashion brand Shein, are also delving into product placement in these often soapy series.
