Using Shazam at Movie Theaters Could Score You Free Tickets for 50 Years
When someone’s cellphone lights up in a dark theater, it often induces a collective groan from the other movie-goers. But now, Shazam is giving people an incentive to take out their mobile devices at screenings.
FirstLook pre-feature program ads will work with the music-identifying app starting on Friday so that moviegoers can learn more about what’s on the screen, discover new music and receive promo offers, depending on the advertisement.
Most movie theaters prohibit phone use during films, but the Shazam ads most likely won’t interfere with your experience. FirstLook runs prior to the previews, before the lights dim as people are still shuffling in from the lobby. Theaters typically include an on-screen warning to silence your phone before the movie starts, an advisory that comes after the FirstLook feature.
Shazam and National CineMedia (NCM) assembled a series of spots that will encourage moviegoers to download the app, which will run on FirstLook through Dec. 4 in the United States.
Using the app in theaters could also enter you for various chances to win prizes. If you use Shazam during any of the spots, you’ll be entered to win a free movie ticket per month for the next 50 years. Second place isn’t too shabby, either: 150 pairs of tickets. The ads will feature Maria Menounos, so the next time you get to the movies early, keep an eye out.
You’ll also be contributing to a good cause if you enter the sweepstakes. Shazam and NCM said that for each sweepstakes entry, they will make a donation to the Young Storytellers Foundation, a nonprofit that encourages children’s literacy through art. It’s not clear how generous that donation is, but the Shazam ads are coming to more than 20,000 movie theaters.
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