Toronto ad shop GJP Advertising is in the movie business. Well, sort of. John Farquhar, CD/EVP of GJP, knew something way out of the box was in order for their client, San-Jose, Calif.-based communications giant Covad. Their mission: ‘To overtake the phone company.’ The product: VoIP services. Their target audience: IT managers of small- to medium-sized companies – one of the most highly penetrated U.S. broadband audiences who actively use the Web to inform purchase decisions.

Launched in May, the campaign uses movie posters in targeted print media in addition to TV ads and online banners to drive viewers to a microsite to view The Ringing, a three-minute horror flick trailer warning of the dangers of failing to subscribe to Covad’s VOIP services.

Theringingmovie.com microsite, which offers entertainment in addition to a virtual salesperson who provides the hard info about Covad’s products and services, generated 36,000 hits at the two-week mark.