Use The Movies To Make Your Point

Showing is always more effective than telling, particularly if you use the movies. Here's how one speaker used the 2003 remake of the movie "The Italian Job" to show a group of technology marketers the power of branded content over a hard-sell approach.

He opened his speech by giving a brief overview of the movie's plot and by showing a few short action clips. The movie is essentially one giant commercial for BMW's MINI Cooper. After an hour and a half, the cars become co-stars in a fast-paced caper flick.

After showing the clips, he asked the audience if they thought the movie had any affect on the sale of MINI Coopers. After a short discussion, he shared the results of his research with them: Thirty-three MINI Coopers were used during the filming and sales increased at least 20 percent in every market where the movie was shown.

The movie quickly became a compelling example of branded content and served as a springboard for further discussion.