The campaign focused on high impact video placements to convey the storyline, animation and vibrant characters for the film Hotel Transylvania around the DVD street date. Results include 841,000 completed video ad views, 3,504 hours of video ads watched and a 7.7 percent engagement rate for a unique feature enabling users to shake their device to clear the road to Hotel Transylvania.

Mobile video
Sony leveraged mobile video to drive purchases of the Hotel Transylvania DVD on Amazon.com as well as encourage sell-through on iTunes. The effort was also focused on driving app downloads on the Apple App Store for the Hotel Transylvania Monster Party App.

The execution included levering AdColony’s Instant-Play HD video technology – where the videos launch without ever buffering – to convey the film’s storyline. Viewers were encouraged to help the film’s characters get to Hotel Transylvania by shaking the device to clear animated boulders blocking the road. 

The Hotel Transylvania Monster Party App enables users to create their own monster, play a memory match game and explore the hotel.  

A family affair
Sony teamed up with UM and AdColony for the effort. The campaign was targeted at parents and children between 6 and 11 years old.

Sony Pictures has been active in the mobile space, using it to drive awareness and ticket sales for new films as well as sales for DVDs.

For example, the company ran a mobile advertising campaign within Fandango’s iPhone application in October to promote ticket sales for the film Here Comes the Boom (see story).

Also in October, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment drove excitement for the release of The Amazing Spider-Man movie on Blu-ray with a second-screen mobile application containing behind-the-scenes content fans can access now (see story).

In Septemeber, the company ran full page ads within Fandango’s iPhone application to drive ticket sales for Looper (see story).

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York