The audience for the performance tonight of Stomp at the Orpheum Theater in the East Village was treated to a commercial, billed as the first before a theatrical event in the U.S.
True to the venue, it was a live pitch, and the audience clapped when told they’d be watching, in essence, a one-act ad. It was for the “Visit London” campaign and consisted of a conversation between a mother and daughter, as well as a married couple, who namedropped limey tourist attractions. This was followed by, The New York Times noted dryly, a disembodied voice chiming, “Whatever you like doing, you’ll love doing it in London.”
Whether any of this was digested is uncertain; the Times reported the audience’s pre-show chatter continued on through the commercial, just like during the 20 minutes of slides, commercials and trailers (which are commercials for movies) before the typical film shown in Manhattan.
So the video/live-action admen now have us hooked on multiple fronts. There’s still TV, of course, and they’re working overtime to make sure we can’t TiVo them out of existence. They’re making new strides online; Google announced Tuesday that it is rolling out click-to-play “video ads,” which in the olden days were called “commercials.” They’ve still got us snared in most airports, and on airplanes with TVs. Not to mention at the movies, and now at the theater.
And where should I read this Stomp story initially, but on a tiny television screen mounted in an elevator in my office’s building, which handily displays a weather forecast and breaking news items, but is also rife with conflicting pitches for online poker and money management firms.