The evolution of the cinema ad

From the very first cinema ad by the Lumière brothers to the emergence of the concept of videotelling, let’s take a few minutes to trace the evolution of the cinema ad from 1898 to the present day.

The early days of cinema ad

In 1898, the Lumière brothers fired the starter’s gun on cinema advertising by creating a short film advertising ‘Sunlight’ soap detergent. Projected solely at private screenings, the film showed Mrs Lumière and a maid washing the laundry in a large tub with this particular product.

In 1904, the directors struck again and advertised Moët et Chandon champagne – with the help of a short 90-second documentary split into 4 parts, taking the viewer from the grape harvest to the barrels leaving the warehouses. This cinema ad was supposedly commissioned by the manufacturers, to customize screenings at people’s homes…

The development of the cinema ad in the 20th century

The first few years of the 20th century saw a number of innovations in the cinema ad – with an audio dimension added in the 1930s and the addition of colour at the end of the ’60s… Then, celebrities started appearing in the ads, whether from the world of sport, culture or elsewhere.

When ads were confined to the cinema, there were no limits on what could be said: they often contained a world of make-believe, often exaggerated, extolling the virtues of everyday consumer goods, and bestowing on them marvellous, not to say miraculous properties! Today, the field of cinema ads is more regulated…

Storytelling becomes videotelling

For a number of years, cinema ads sought to get their message across via the technique of storytelling – the art of telling a good story. The aim was to capture the audience’s attention, make yourself stand out from the competition, generate traffic to the brand’s website, secure the loyalty of a target audience, be convincing and lay the groundwork for your sales pitch. It is a technique that was used to masterful effect by Intermarché, whose most recent cinema ads really stick in the viewer’s mind and promote a positive image of the brand…

Today, there is more of an emphasis on videotelling at the cinema – a term that refers to storytelling in video form – but the principle remains the same. With social networks and the rise of digital marketing, the video format is a powerful lever that is capable of attracting and generating viewer engagement.

On this basis, cinema ads have a fine future to look forward to, because they combine the power of video with a medium that offers the highest memorization rate!

Don’t put it off any longer, boost your sales and contact our directors so that you can devise, together with them, the broadcasting plan for your cinema ad – built on the principle of videotelling – at one of our 3 cinemas in Luxembourg (or perhaps at all 3!). We look forward to seeing you soon!