Live Wii ads to debut at UK cinemas

UK cinemagoers may get a bit of a surprise this weekend while they're tucking into their popcorn and waiting for their movie of choice to start in the cinema. "Live communications agency" CommentUK, in conjunction with Carlton Screen UK, is running an ad for Nintendo with a difference--live actors have been placed in the audience as part of the promotion, reports Creative Match.

The ads involve two actors, the first--playing a teenager called Steve--sitting at the front of the cinema. As the advert runs on the big screen, his mother Elsa will enter the auditorium in search of her son, the lights will go up as she searches for him, and then the pair will face off by playing a Wii Sports match live on the screen.

The thinking behind the ads is of the word-of-mouth "viral" effect, which CommentUK believes will successfully promote the Nintendo brand. It is the first time live adverts of this kind have been tried in cinemas, reports Creative Match.

The ads will take place in Picturehouse cinemas this weekend and next--timed to coincide with the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in the UK. This Saturday, venues include Clapham, Greenwich, Stratford East, Cambridge, and Liverpool, and next Saturday it will be Edinburgh, York, Southampton, and Brixton.