What's amazing is that despite all of this kind of information, people in the ad biz still swear that people really like in-movie advertising. Is it any wonder that people really don't always like us folks in advertising? Thanks to Adfreaks for the pointer!
They put up good money to see a film - as much as $10.50 in New York - only to be forced to sit through 20 minutes or so of commercials and previews played at ear-bursting sound levels. The ticket may say the film starts at 5:15, but that is often not the reality. And if they want decent seats for a new movie, audiences have no choice but to arrive early and become prisoners of the advertisers.
That many people feel besieged became clear after a late-December NYC column on the rumblings of a consumer rebellion against the advertising barrages. Dozens of readers wrote or phoned, all calling the situation intolerable. Unanimity about a column is almost unheard of. Trust us. Plainly, while far from cosmic, this is one of those everyday issues that drive people crazy.
Some readers were upset that theaters ignored their letters of complaint. Loews Cineplex Entertainment, a prime offender for many, refuses even to take press questions on this matter.
But a Chicago man named William Swislow did get a response.
After protesting to Loews by e-mail a few weeks ago, he heard back from an Arthur Luiz, who cited the "astronomical" costs of making films, including the millions paid to the likes of Golden Globe winners. "I do understand your frustration," wrote Mr. Luiz, identified as the Loews guest services manager. But without the advertising blitzes, he said, the prices of tickets and popcorn would be even higher than they are.
Mr. Swislow was not thrilled with the response. To be bombarded by commercials, he said by phone, "does get ridiculous when you pay 10 bucks for a movie."
Allan Chasanoff of Manhattan blamed newspapers in part. They love the Hollywood advertising money, he said, but fall short in the truth department by not insisting that the films' real starting times be listed.
What to do?
Some readers suggested shouting back at the screen, something that is already being done on occasion in New York. Boycott the concession stands, others said, and let theater managers know about it. Better yet, a New York woman wrote, defy theater bans on bringing in your own munchies. Demand that the sound be lowered, a few people said, or that the lights be left on so you can read and tune out the unwanted intrusion.
A class-action lawsuit filed two years ago in Chicago called for an end to an advertising practice that it described as "unlawful, unfair and fraudulent." A state judge tossed out the suit, but his decision is being appealed.
THIS is about the deliberate stealing of people's time," said Mark Weinberg, a lawyer in the case. No money is being sought, Mr. Weinberg said. "We're just asking the theaters to stop suppressing the information of the length of the pre-movie experience."
In Connecticut, Representative Andrew Fleischmann offers a similar solution. A few days ago, he submitted a bill in the State House that would require theaters to post separately the starting times for the commercials and previews and for the film itself. That way, people can make an informed decision about when to show up. This is one of those universal kinds of issues," Mr. Fleischmann said. "All of us have been manipulated by the theater operators." Moviegoers' annoyance, he said, is comparable to the anger over telephone sales pitches that eventually led to government-mandated "do not call" lists.
A requirement like the one he suggests is common in countries where the tradition of pre-movie commercials is more engrained than it is here. France is a good example, although "in America in 2005," Mr. Fleischmann said, "mentioning the French doesn't get you very far."
Fair enough. Then how about following the lead of Americans who renamed French fries freedom fries? We could call the new truth-in-advertising system freedom time. Many moviegoers would certainly feel liberated.
Link: The New York Times > New York Region > NYC: No, Really, What Time Is the Movie?.
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