By Emily Tan
To promote The Batman’s recent release and Oreo’s limited-edition cookies featuring the superhero’s iconic emblem, Warner Bros. and Mondelez have teamed up once again to bring London a fully immersive cinematic experience. For three days beginning March 4, Rio Cinema was rebranded to Oreo Cinema, where moviegoers who attended opening weekend found themselves at the center of a pre-screening crime scene. Each audience member became a suspect under the investigation of Gotham City’s police department and worked with paid actors to crack the mystery.
And Warner Bros. and Mondelez made certain people knew about their partnership. The activation was promoted on numerous platforms, including email, social media, and website, Display advertisements were also created, and influencers were invited to attend these screenings.
Talk about taking moviegoing to another level. The experience allowed fans of the DC Comics superhero to get more involved in the cinematic universe. And after two years of pandemic living, when social distancing and virtual movie nights were the thing, it was a good way to reintroduce people to the concept of in-person movie watching. The activation sure drove traffic and brand awareness.
The immersive experience was not Warner Bros. and Mondelez’s first leg of promoting The Batman and Oreo. In fact, their partnership began two months ago. In January, they released a series of riddles on social media, calling on people to solve them. Those who were successful gained virtual access to the Batcave, where they could uncover the superhero’s secrets. In February, they also created an out-of-home advertisement in four U.K. cities. The billboard featured a large 3D Oreo that was split by a recognizable crime-fighting tool used by Batman.
Warner Bros. and Mondelez’s partnership set the standard for how brands should strive to level up their activations. What a way to close out a continuing partnership that drove brand awareness in a time saturated with run-of-the-mill advertising.