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The Oscars come around once a year when the stars of Hollywood get together to celebrate the industry’s finest films and performances from the past 12 months on the big screen.
While the shockwaves are still being felt from arguably the most dramatic moment in the history of the awards – a mix-up backstage resulting in La La Land mistakenly being given the Best Picture award ahead of the real winner, Moonlight – the occasion still offers a great opportunity for advertisers. American broadcaster ABC announced before the coverage that it had sold all of its ad slots, which went for around $2 million for 30 seconds of airtime this year.
When it comes to investing in and aligning with the content, it doesn’t have to end with the closing remarks on the Sunday night in LA. After all, the films that win statuettes at the Dolby Theatre this year were planned and scheduled on the film calendar almost a year in advance of their releases. That’s something cinema has over other media, the film releases become cultural events throughout the year.
In contrast to previous years, where the Academy has come under fire for the lack of diversity in the nominees, this year’s films saw people from a range of backgrounds represented, with the ground-breaking Moonlight a deserving winner. Moonlight should see a healthy boost to its box office from the increased exposure too, and with La La Land about to cross the £30m mark in the UK, awards season has laid the platform for what’s set to be another great year for the cinema industry. In 2016, UK cinema admissions finished on 168m and with the great content still to come, this year the number is expected to rise as high as 177m.
While other media is consumed by political angst and the clutter of intrusive messaging, cinema offers an element of escapism from the real world for a few hours and the chance to tune into a parallel existence in a darkened room without the distraction of mobile devices, tablets and anything else that could be going on in the home.
According to new research by Millward Brown, cinema is Gen Z’s favourite medium for consuming advertising but the big screen has the power to inspire, entertain and immerse us all whether it be the film, ads or people sharing the experience with you after your visit. Audiences actually embrace the fact that the ads are part of the experience, which is why 100% of cinemagoers are in their seats for the Gold Spot, the most valuable seconds in cinema advertising.
While the Oscars is able to throw up a night when marketers can align with the great film content up for honours, the cinema slate for the rest of 2017 looks packed to the brim and there really is something for everyone on offer. On the way this year are new Alien, Blade Runner and Guardians of the Galaxy instalments, a live-action Beauty and the Beast (that will be shown for the official movie night at Advertising Week Europe in March) and Christopher Nolan’s latest masterwork Dunkirk. The year finishes with a flourish too, with Paddington set to charm audiences once again, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi following on from the record breaking The Force Awakens.
There has never been a better time to celebrate the escapism associated with the channel in a world of fake news and political fear and the blockbusters just keep coming. The Oscars really are just the start.
Click here to see the full list of winners from Sunday's 89th Academy Awards ceremony.