Construction Delay for Gladiator II Reaches 300 Million Dollars
Paramount Pictures Unveils Massive Global Advertising Campaign for 'Gladiator II'
Paramount Pictures has claimed that it orchestrated the largest advertising roadblock in media history to promote the upcoming movie 'Gladiator II', starring Denzel Washington. The 60-second trailer for the film aired on over 4,000 networks and platforms worldwide at 9pm (EST) on November 18, reaching an estimated audience of 300 million people, according to the studio.
In the United States, the trailer was featured during NFL game coverage on ABC and CBS, as well as during The Voice on NBC. Paramount also secured takeovers on various digital platforms, such as Google, Meta, TikTok, and Snap, as well as airtime on cable channels and radio stations. Globally, the trailer was broadcast on 53 channels across the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Middle East, and 11 channels in Brazil and Mexico, among others. The campaign also included 18 channels in Australia, China, Japan, and South Korea.
The roadblock was organized by media agencies, including Wavemaker, without utilizing artificial intelligence, according to a source familiar with the promotional campaign for 'Gladiator II'. The source also revealed that the roadblock resulted in the highest search lift of the entire promotional campaign.
Media roadblock advertising involves a brand purchasing all advertising spots during a specific time frame or across multiple channels simultaneously, blocking a medium to capture consumer attention. This approach contrasts with regular advertising, which is more dispersed over time, channels, or audiences.
According to a study published in the Journal of Advertising Research in 2022, roadblock advertising is more effective than traditional advertising at improving brand recall, consumer attitudes towards the brand, and purchase intent. The study also suggests that 'within pod' roadblocks, involving ads played back-to-back in a single commercial break, are more effective than 'across pod' roadblocks, where ads are shown once in each commercial break, at enhancing these metrics.
As the media landscape becomes increasingly fragmented for consumers, roadblocks provide a valuable tool for brands to stand out amid the clutter of advertising and create attention-grabbing moments for their products and services. Concurrently, the media landscape is becoming more concentrated among platform owners, networks, and publishers, making roadblock tactics easier to execute organizationally.
In the scope of the extensive advertising campaign for 'Gladiator II', Paramount Pictures utilized media roadblock advertising, purchasing all advertising spots simultaneously across various networks and platforms, to ensure maximum viewer engagement. This strategic campaign, in line with the study published in the Journal of Advertising Research in 2022, aimed to improve brand recall, foster positive consumer attitudes, and boost purchase intent through the more effective approach of 'within pod' roadblock advertising.
