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September 24, 2003 Issue

Movielink's Ads Lure and Lampoon
Aimed at College Students, Campaign Satirizes Parents and Points to Internet Sites

Entertainment companies are trying to sell downloadable movies to college students in novel ways, even as they target those same consumer for downloading music. Movielink, a nascent service that sells movies via the Internet, has launched an intriguing print campaign that mocks parental concerns about sexy, over-the-top movies. The satirical ads advise students to scorn a downloadable version of Universal Studios' "American Pie" and urge them to protest the film's sexual jinks.

Within a few clicks of the mouse, however, students quickly learn about interesting prizes associated with downloading the film. They then end up on Movielink's site, college.movielink.com where they can download such movies as Adam Sandler's "Billy Madison" for $2.95 to $4.99. Although the digital films are delivered via broadband, they can't be copied. Full downloads take 30 to 90 minutes, but viewing can begin within a few minutes of the download's start. The movies are available for 24 hours of play, and will delete themselves from a hard drive after 30 days.

Given all the hullabaloo about downloading fun stuff on the Web, one youth marketing consultant things Movielink has challenges ahead. "College students have been burned on the Net by downloading music, and never thinking they'd be sued. Cynicism and skepticism do exist," says David Morrison, president of Philadelphia's TWENTYSOMETHING Inc. He suggests adding elements of "legitimacy," such as press releases and comments from Movielink's studio backers, to soothe potential customers.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Time Warner's Warner Bros, Vivendi Universal's Universal Studios, Sony's Sony Pictures Entertainment and Viacom's Paramount back Movielink. Some of those studios' parent companies are members of the Recording Industry Association of America, the influential trade group taking action against the illegal file-sharing of copyrighted music via the Internet.

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