The Royal Air Force (RAF) has become the first advertiser to partner with Cineworld as the sole sponsor of the cinema chain’s 4DX format. The six-month long deal was brokered by Omnigov, Manning Gottlieb OMD’s specialist media-buying unit for the UK Government, and Digital Cinema Media (DCM).
Live in cinemas now, the campaign will run until June of this year and promote the RAF’s Hero 60 recruitment ad “The Force Protecting Space”. The ad seeks to make people aware of the wide range of professions that can be pursued as a career within the RAF. One such scene features a high-tech control room where a team monitors a potential collision of a satellite and debris in space. The spot has been adapted for the 4DX format, which is available exclusively across 34 Cineworld cinema sites. The enhanced version of the ad will run in the Gold Spot premium position across all 4DX enabled screens, while the non-4DX ad will run simultaneously across the rest of DCM’s estate.
4DX incorporates on-screen visuals and surround sound audio with synchronized motion seats and environmental effects such as water, wind, fog, scent and more to enhance the action on screen. Regularly used with films such as Top Gun: Maverick, the format creates a different cinematic experience for audiences and has been used selectively by brands in recent years on sole campaigns, but never on such a big scale. The partnership is supported by co-branding across all 4DX promotional touchpoints, including a bespoke sponsorship ident that will run ahead of relevant 16-34 adult audience focused titles across the entirety of the partnership, which started with Napoleon and Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, as well as Cineworld’s marketing collateral, including website, CRM and social media.
An immersive activation will also take place in February which will see Royal Air Force personnel invited to a 4DX screening to experience the ad and a film of their choice, with DCM’s creative arm, DCM Studios, capturing content of the uniformed RAF staff watching and reacting to the ad, interspersed with interviews and comments about the partnership and their experience. This content will run across Cineworld’s social channels to raise awareness of and drive engagement for the sponsorship.
Wing Commander Tracey Broome of RAF Recruitment said, “The dynamic, immersive experience of 4DX allows our audiences to consider and be aware of the many exciting career opportunities that are afforded within the Royal Air Force. The advert showcases numerous professions and the advantage of the 4DX experience is that we hope it is a memorable experience.“
“Since first setting eyes on the brand-new RAF creative, we knew this was a perfect fit for cinema,” said Dan Gibson, the AV Account Director of Omnigov. “We knew the cinematic nature of the creative would work perfectly in tandem with 4DX and the journey this would take you on. We are proud to be running such in such an immersive environment with the perfect creative.”
Omnigov AV Account Manager Tom Morgan said, “Utilizing 4DX was an easy option when considering the material we were working with. The fast-paced RAF Creative complimented the format and vice versa. We wanted to ensure that the addition of 4DX enhanced the creative, the team did a brilliant job doing this.”
Davina Barker, the sales director of DCM, added, “Cinema is the most engaging and immersive medium, it is home to the biggest screens, innovative technology and the highest quality sound systems, making it the ultimate place for advertisers to showcase their creative. This partnership demonstrates the versatility of cinema, with the RAF using 4DX to elevate brand interaction and targeted audience engagement through a unique and striking cinema campaign.”
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