Nintendo to launch live ad campaign in UK cinemas

Nintendo has teamed up with CommentUK to launch live interactive adverts in UK cinemas as part of a campaign which is billed by the communications agency as "an advertising first".

Over the next two weekends, five pairs of actors will be appearing at nine cinemas across the country to demonstrate Wii Sports.

An advert will play on screen as usual, with one actor - playing a teenager called Steve - sitting amongst the audience. The second actor, in the role of his mother Elsa, will enter the auditorium looking for her son.

The advert will then be paused and the house lights will come up as Elsa calls out for Steve. She will challenge him to a Wii tennis rematch in front of the audience. They will play the game live on the big screen to demonstrate "just how exciting and easy it is to play", according to CommentUK boss Dean McKain.

"We expect to reach thousands of cinema goers over the next two weeks," McKain continued.

"As we know that recall rates for this type of live communication are huge - as much as 89 per cent after 4 weeks - we feel sure that the word of mouth viral effect of the activity will have a positive impact for the brand."

The adverts are being shown as part of a deal with Carlton Screen Advertising and Picturehouse cinemas. This weekend will see them debut in venues in Clapham, Greenwich, Stratford East, Cambridge and Liverpool, while next weekend they will be shown in Edinburgh, York, Southampton and Brixton.