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Newsstand: November 27, 2009
Last night at the launch of SCENE, Cineplex and Scotiabank's new reward point program, most buzz overheard by Torontoist was about the marquee outside. What was once The Paramount is now the Scotiabank Theatre.
Following the lead of our new opera house and almost every arena in professional sports, Cineplex Entertainment has entered into a five-year deal with Scotiabank to rebrand theatres in Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. Some attendees at last night's soirée buzzed with concern at a corporate branding trend that continues to encroach upon significant and historic sites, while others pointed out that the former Paramount has always been tied to a brand.
Gone are the familiar Paramount script and bold exterior signage, replaced with temporary signage more appropriate for the boards at a hockey arena. Even the antique bronze railing transplanted from New York's historic Paramount Theater (shuttered in 1964) has been removed from the area above the escalators. Cineplex currently has a 3-D marquee in the works that is somewhat similar to the recently dismantled one.
Cineplex Entertainment is now the largest motion picture exhibitor in the country, involved with 1,296 screens across Canada under six major brands: Cineplex Odeon, Famous Players and Galaxy Cinemas, with sub-brands Silver City, Coliseum and Colossus. Sixty million movie tickets are sold at their facilities annually. Scotiabank boasts about twelve million customers and $379 billion in assets. Jeez.
The Cineplex-Scotiabank joint venture aims to be more than a simple branding strategy. Customers sign up online for the free SCENE card, which allows 10% discounts at the concession stand and points toward free movies or food combos (about every tenth movie when flashing the card). Scotiabank is also promoting a SCENE debit card that earns points for general everyday banking.
With the projected-2008 arrival of the 24-screen flagship AMC Theatre in the Metropolis complex at Dundas Square, Cineplex is positioning itself to have some serious downtown competition. The chain recently launched event programming like high-definition hockey games and a live opera event from the Met in New York projected onto some of their screens. Accroding to CEO Ellis Jacob, they also aren't ruling-out future DVD retail via their website.
When constructed, the former Paramount was the first movie house to be built downtown in fourteen years. It has thirteen screens, an IMAX auditorium, seats 3,370 moviegoers and remains one of North America's largest-grossing theatres. Its most iconic feature is also one of its most reviled: the multicoloured "Rubik's Cube" that looms almost twenty metres above John and Richmond.
Toronto has a strong history with Cineplex, which first opened at the Eaton Centre in 1979. At the time, the 18-screen complex was the most ambitious and largest movie complex in the world, by screen count; a bold move considering that Cineplex was originally locked-out of first-run flicks by the major distributors of the time. Located where clothing retailer H&M stands now, the facility's tiny screens, aging sound systems and decrepit interior couldn't compete with the newly-opened megaplexes, and it was closed for good in March of 2001.
Though Cineplex lost the rights to the Paramount name (owned by Viacom) following the acquisition of Famous Players, it will undoubtedly still be known as the Paramount for some time, just as "SkyDome" remains in the popular vernacular. "Let's see what's playing at the Scotiabank," just doesn't have quite the same ring to it.
Photos by Marc Lostracco. Rendering of new sign from Cineplex Entertainment.
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I can't believe that this doesn't bother people more. I once saw a commercial for the "Bowl" football games (not that I care about football)...but EVERY game was preceeded with a corporate sponsor (ie. The Tostitos Rose Bowl Game 2006). "Hey, Honey, seeing as how they've brought us this football game, from now on, when we buy tortilla chips, let's make sure they're Tostitos". So, basically it comes down to this...everybody else is broke and no one can afford to do anything now without some corporate backing. The PROBLEM is...there is a fricken huge price...you are now at the whim and mercy of the corporation and what they deem as "art" or "entertainment". You are in the embrace of an entity that could care less about who YOU are. It's not enough they try to tell us what to watch or hear. They will NOT be happy until they infiltrate every unused space in our lives. There is a meeting, somewhere RIGHT NOW where people are trying to figure out how to get your' attention, your' brand loyalty and your' money. It just sucks.
The worst are the corporate sponsorships that just sound bizarre, like 3Com Park and U.S. Cellular Field. The funniest is the Gaylord Entertainment Centre in Nashville. Har har.
It would be really interesting and almost awesome if the sponsorships actually were totally way out there. My admittedly lowbrow suggestions: Tampax Professional Boxing, the Metamucil Bowl, the Tylenol Opera House, Xbox 360º restaurant at the CN Tower, 1-800-FLOWERS Tournament of Roses, the Trojan Peener Arena, and the Preparation-H Tour de France (pronounced "preparaseeone-ashe").
Don't forget the Save On Foods Memorial Centre.
The logo for the Brit Awards has the Mastercard logo built right in. It's gross.
Whaaaa? Why did they have to dismantle the bronze railing? It was gorgeous, even if ridiculously out of place.
The bronze railing was removed some months ago. I was there when they were taking it apart and had no idea why at the time, but I assume it's gone off to some Viacom corporate office building lobby or something. This is the beautiful building it came from. Here's a photo of the railing in the original theatre, and each section apparently weighs about 700 pounds.
The illuminated glass globe topping the building was the inspiration for the spinning Daily Planet sign in Superman.
Marc, funny post. (kneeling in a muslim prayer position speaking the universal, "I am not worthy" mantra)
This whole corporate takeover thing. I'm not sure what it would take. Other than an all out, good old-fashioned, pitchfork-and-torches, Madame DeFarge, Frankenstein style march in the streets. But then they would come out with nachos and a t-shirt cannon and win over the enraged masses.
I was there for the event last night.. Free food and a free movie.... Reminds me why I don't buy theater food.... Man... Was sooo full...
Carly: The Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre is home of the Victoria Salmon Kings. Everything about that is bizarre.
The SCENE event at the Scotiabank Theatre also included free New York Fries, Taco Bell and Burger King, an iPod giveaway, and displays from Xbox, Puma cologne, Coca-Cola, Virgin Mobile, Lush and Flow 93.5. The general mood was, "So what do you think of the corporate rebr...oh, look! Free stuff! Whoohoo!"
Nuthin' people love more than free stuff.
I'm not sure I get the 'naming' (branding) of an already branded venue.
I bet all this sponsorship doesn't do anything to reduce ticket prices or the amount of commercials that play before the feature.
The funniest branding I've seen is the TD Banknorth Garden arena where the Boston Bruins play. I always get a laugh when the Leafs play them there.
Yeah, corporations trying to break into a community are like us fugly dudes trying to get a girl to like us. We have to dress ourselves up to look like something we're really not, say things we don't really mean, pretend to care about people and throw in a bunch of freebies, ("he gave me a t-shirt with HIS name on it!!")
but I ask you...is that Love?! : - )
Back in 1999, when HSBC bought Marine Midland Bank in New York, they also acquired the naming rights to what was then Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo. However, the Arena owners, the Buffalo Sabres, were so inexplicably attached to their corporate identity that they refused to change the name to HSBC Arena. HSBC eventually had to go to court to force the change.
Now that's some good branding.
Corporations obviously need to protect their trademarks, but one of the best examples of Brands Gone Wild is when Adobe goes after people for improperly attributing their brands. From their permissions and trademark guidelines:
INCORRECT: The image was Photoshopped.
CORRECT: The image was enhanced with Adobe® Photoshop® Elements software.
I can see how Adobe® is trying to avoid becoming a Kleenex/Escalator/Scotch Tape/Cellophane when people refer to their Adobe® Photoshop® software, but it's a case where I'd look like a tool when writing about Adobe® Photoshop® software if I had to use the proper format. I mean, I love my Adobe® Photoshop® software and I love "enhancing images" with my Adobe® Photoshop® software, but come on.
Break into a community? The Bank of Nova Scotia has had branches (and indeed its head office) in Toronto since the late 19th/early 20th century. They've been in "the community" for a while. Longer than you or I have been alive.
And you are not at the whim of anyone's tastes in art, food or entertainment. If you don't like what they're serving, no one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to buy it. I'm certain Toronto is a big enough city for each of us to find something that suits our own preferences and tastes. The Paramount is not the only cinema in town.
It is not as if anyone is desecrating centenarian landmarks like St. James Cathedral or St. Lawrence Hall. Ease up on the anti-corporate angst and keep some perspective here. The Paramount was a fugly, garish multiplex when it was built, and it remains a fugly, garish multiplex today -- with a slightly different sign out front.
okay, I don't care that much that the "paramount" was rebranded as something else, but "Scotiabank Theatre?" It is just meaningless. Scotiabank, let's remember, was once the Bank of Nova Scotia, but that has been rendered pretty meaningless too. What is a Scotiabank, exactly? And what, then, is a Scotiabank theatre? Why does a theatre have the word bank in it? Why do corporations think having their name on something when it sounds ridiculous is still good advertising?
In one word: confusing.
It's just weird (maybe bad) branding. What is Scotiabank thinking? What do movie theatres have to do with their brand? If anything it works counter to their brand. I don't want a bank that is "hip and cool" I want a bank that is stodgy and cautious with my money.
If you think this bank-cinema synergy is stupid, then you have the entirely sensible option of selling your stock or moving your accounts to a bank that does not own any cinemas. I am sure they would be happy to receive your business.
The Scotiabank sign is nothing compared to the branding inside the venue: Taco Bell, Wetzel's Pretzels, Burger King, Pizza Hut, New York Fries, TCBY, Steam Whistle Brewery, Pepsi...and that's just the concessions. There's so much that you just go numb after a while (which is why I so very love the Varsity cinemas and their minimal, classier design).
Cineplex doesn't make much money on ticket sales anyway, but gets its significant revenue from the concession stands, corporate rentals and video game arcades. You can't get much higher margins than on selling popcorn and pop, which pretty much cost next to nothing.
I'm also not convinced that theatres really need those extremely expensive sweeping Intellibeam lights and such a huge amount of custom interior design work, but whatever...the screens and sound at the big multiplexes are awesome. The Scotiabank theatre may be gaudy, but the actual auditoriums are great.
Kind of off topic. The theatre is more like suburban style in a downtown area and it should have been like the Varsity instead. In my opinion anyways. I never seen much disapproval of a new theatre name. I know its lame.
I thought this news piece was timely, since we were talking about banks.
Federal NDP leader Jack Layton says our chartered banks are ripping off customers by charging ATM fees to access their own cash.
(So, I guess that t-shirt and frisbee you got at the opening day picnic, aren't free after all)
Watch the documentary "The Corporation".
These are the people we are letting take over our neighborhoods and towns.
Carolina Hurricanes play at RBC Place, owned by the US subsidiary of Royal Bank Canada.
That theater was so fugly, that I didn't even notice the railing was that nice. I thought it was just made for the Toronto Paramount and upon closer investigation, you'd find out it was made of plastic.
I don't like the over-use of branding, but if Scotiabank helped to tone down the gaudiness and got Cineplex to train their staff and get rid of the urinal smell, I'd go more often.