Street Poet As Stealth Huckster for Nissan

Source: New York Times, November 6, 2003 "Nissan Motors is planting actors in movie theaters to perform live commercials before the start of showings of 'The Matrix Revolutions' in an effort to expose jaded, skeptical consumers to advertising by masking it as something else. The brief in-person pitches feature actors scattered among the ticket-buying audience who stand and deliver lines that evoke the words spoken by poets at events known as slams or jams. Their performances are timed to accompany a commercial the audience sees on the movie screen, which begins without identifying the sponsor but concludes with the Nissan Altima logo. The campaign by the Nissan North America division of Nissan Motor, intended to pique the curiosity of younger consumers about the Nissan Altima sedan, began yesterday in theaters operated by the Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corporation in seven large markets and is scheduled to continue through tomorrow."