In addition to ordering the film, users can also download the Happy Feet Two mobile application. The Warner Bros. mobile ads are running within Elle’s mobile site.

“Mobile is bridging the personal, one-on-one engagement gap extremely successfully and enables production companies, film studios and program makers to engage the audience straight into the experience like never before,” said James MacDonald, New York-based general manager of the United States at Adfonic.

“Advertisers that use mobile delivery are basically one click away from delivering a 10-30 second trailer, and as part of the same experience, can get the user to buy or pre-order the film for delivery on another device such as a tablet or a laptop, or even drive footfall into cinema,” he said.

“In addition, mobile advertising has been shown to enhance key, critical factors in viewers such as awareness and recall, which creates another compelling reason for advertisers to move to strategic and tactical placement and distribution via mobile advertising.”

Mr. MacDonald is not affiliated with Warner Bros. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Warner Bros. did not respond to press enquiries.

Mobile video
The mobile banner ads read, “Happy Feet Two – tap for more” and promote the upcoming DVD release of the film.

Once users tap on the banner ad, they are redirected to a mobile landing page where they can learn about the Blu-ray combo pack that includes DVD and Blu-ray disks and a digital copy.

Users are then encouraged to buy the film via the click-to-buy feature and are taken to Amazon’s mobile site where they can preorder their copy before it goes on sale on March 13.

Consumers can also download the companion app for the film, which is available for iOS devices.

The app works as a second screen to let users sync their DVD from their desktop with a mobile experience via the cloud. The app uses audio recognition to pick-up on what users are listening to and matches it with relevant content.

Users can also play themed games and create coloring pages from the movie.

Movie magic
The Warner Bros. ad is an example of how more movie studios are relying on mobile advertising and second-screen experiences to drive DVD downloads.

Nowadays consumers are streaming more films on their mobile devices and tablets thanks to Apple’s iTunes and Amazon’s Video on Demand.

Warnes Bros. is not the only film production company tapping mobile advertising.

Sony Pictures has made mobile a primary channel for upcoming films with ad campaigns that let users buy tickets from their handsets.

Most recently, Sony promoted the “Jack and Jill” film with an ad that let users download the movie from Apple’s App Store (see story).

“As the production and film or content industry continues to target mobile audiences, it is possible that these channels, which are competing with television and starting to take significant bites into their traditional audiences, will become much smarter and offer consumers a range of added value options as part of the viewing experience, things that currently can only be delivered in a mobile environment,” Mr. MacDonald said.

“Additionally, once 4G kicks in as well as other fast data-access mechanisms, we will definitely spend more time consuming entertainment on mobile devices,” he said.

“Finally, mobile ad units will also develop and provide a much higher level of audience engagement utilizing touch screen technology on smarter devices, pulling the audience into a truly compelling, engaging advertising.”

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York