The banner ads are running inside the Pandora iPhone application. Instead of pushing users to a site such as Fandango to drive ticket sales, the film studio is directing consumers to its Facebook page.

“The Side Effects campaign is effective as it features images of the four main stars of the movie along with a very simple tagline – ‘One Pill Can Change Your Life’ and an invitation to view the trailer,” said Simon Buckingham, CEO of Appitalism, New York.

“A lot of information is communicated very efficiently through the Side Effects mobile ad campaign,” he said. “We certainly think this ad will be effective in getting consumers to watch the trailer and help build ticket sales.”

Mr. Buckingham is not affiliated with Open Road Films. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Open Road Films did not respond to press inquiries.

Mobile sneak peek
The banner ad features a campaign image from the film and highlights the movie’s release date – Feb. 8.

The film studio is encouraging click-throughs with a call-to-action to watch the trailer.

When consumers tap on the ad, they are redirected to the Side Effects Facebook page, which the brand has actively been updating leading up to the film’s premiere.

At the top of the page, consumers can click on a post to watch the film’s two-minute trailer.

After watching the trailer, consumers can see what others are saying about the film and browse through posts that include press from the film.

Mobile premiere
Mobile advertising has become a go-to for film studios and entertainment companies to drive pre-sale tickets.

However, smart marketers need to be thinking of ways to leverage mobile for more than incremental ticket sales.

In this case, encouraging Facebook “Likes” is a great way for Open Road Films to build a longer-lasting relationship with consumers.

Although some consumers might be looking to buy tickets on the spot, there are still a significant amount of consumers that are either wary of purchasing via their devices or want additional information about the film, such as its plot.

Consumers constantly have their mobile devices on-hand and are using them to not only make purchasing decisions but also consume video and content.

“Consumers are increasingly using their mobile device and advertising follows eyeballs so it makes sense for all advertisers including movie studios to go where their potential audience is,” Mr. Buckingham said.

“Mobile advertising could well soon become the main event for movies like Side Effects and certainly shouldn’t be an afterthought,” he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York