epic 9 illuminates La Opinión’s Racks throughout L.A.

La Opinión’s 11,000 newspaper racks throughout greater Los Angeles will have a special glow thanks to a first of its kind rack card promotion pegged to Focus Features’ nationwide release on Wednesday September 9th – 9/9/09 – of the animated fantasy epic 9. Los Angeles-based BARÚ Advertising presented the idea for a glow-in-the-dark rack card promotion to Focus as part of an overall print strategy for the film targeting Latino readers – and the film company gave the green light to the innovative campaign.

While rack card promotions are not uncommon in large markets, the solar-charged glow-in-the-dark creative utilized is an industry first in Los Angeles.

After much research and collaboration, La Opinión opted for using a material that charges when exposed to daylight, resulting in 10 hours of glow nightly. “We were thrilled to bring this breakthrough opportunity to Focus, in large part because the title treatment and stylistic elements of the movie lent themselves perfectly for a glowing effect,” says Elizabeth Barrutia, founder and president of BARÚ Advertising. The finished product is seamless, with the glow-in-the-dark material applied to the film’s title. In full daylight, it looks like a typical rack card mini-poster but come nighttime, it becomes a gleaming branding stunt.

“La Opinión prides itself in pursuing innovation and providing unique ways for advertisers to go to market. We have broken new ground in the industry with these glow-in-the-dark rack cards and are thrilled to be partnering with BARÚ Advertising and Focus Features in this promotion,” commented Monica Lozano, publisher of La Opinión.

The racks will be dressed with the eye-catching promotion until Friday, September 11th. Additionally, La Opinión readers can enter to win a $200 gift card to Best Buy, along with a collection of Focus Features DVDs.