Interactive ads from Ford Canada and Canon have launched across participating Cineplex theatres in the Greater Toronto Area.

The ads, with creative from TimePlay, allow moviegoers who download the free app to interact with the content of the commercials on the big screen, says Kyle Moffat, director of communications at Cineplex Entertainment.

Ford Canada was the first brand to get on board with the new venture, says Moffat, and has created an ad which allows users to “choose their own adventure” by pressing one of two choices on the screen during the commercial. The audience’s most popular choice is tabulated in real time, with the ad being adjusted to fit their preferences.

“The 70-second spot, airing before feature presentations, is made up of two parallel films – one featuring a male and the other a female,” says  Jason Day, manager, car marketing communications at Ford Canada. “Audiences will use their mobile devices to choose who they see more of, in real-time. With two parallel films and four chances to interact, it’s likely no moviegoer will see all 16 possible outcomes this holiday season.”

Day says the interactive ads were appealing to Ford Canada because they reach both the broad movie-going audience as well as appeal to the tech-savvy set. The ads are part of Ford Canada’s launch campaign for the Ford Focus, “Start More Than a Car,” which includes TV, print, OOH, experiential and digital.

Canon went the crowd-sourcing route, creating an ad which requires the audience to work together to improve the quality of an on-screen photo by using their smartphones (or flip phones by dialling into a 1-800 number) to throw image-enhancing bulbs at the screen, says Moffat.

Andrew Blackwell, senior manager, marketing and product placement for Canon, says the brand got on board with the new ad format to target a younger audience and entertain people during the movie pre-show.

“We are always looking to expand our market share. And with iPads and camera phones, people are getting engaged with technology earlier than they have in the past. We want to get Canon technology into the hands of consumers hands earlier.”

“People are still getting settled for the 10 minutes before you watch a movie, you have a bunch of ads coming up, people are moving around,” he adds. “This is something that will keep people in their seats and get the brand messaging out subtly.”