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The cinema release of Dumb Money, the movie that chronicles the GameStop shares story from 2021, is being targeted by Britain’s financial watchdog with a campaign that aims to warn people about high-risk investments.
The film, which features Paul Dano, Shailene Woodley, Seth Rogan and Pete Davison, tells the true story of the investors connected through a Reddit thread that turned GameStop into a surprise hot commodity, impacting the hedge funds that had bet against the failure of the company’s shares, costing them billions of dollars.
With its release in the U.K. this week, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has produced a 65-second ad campaign to run ahead of the film as part of its ongoing InvestSmart campaign.
Drawing on sensory techniques, the campaign begins with a black screen, plunging the whole theatre into darkness. A voiceover then hears a male voice pitching an investment opportunity, with his words beginning to appear on the screen as we pan backward. In the end, the audience sees that the voiceover is being read from the text within a scam social media message.
The advert, titled “Research an Investment,” ends with the call to action: “Don’t Get Played” and will be supported with messaging across digital screens in cinema foyers where the film is running. Geo and contextual targeted ads target people who have visited the cinemas, reminding them to be cautious before investing.
Emma Stranack, head of content and channels at the FCA, said, “The GameStop episode is a classic example of speculative investment driven by hype, and many investors suffered painful losses at the time. This new film gives us the perfect opportunity to encourage less experienced investors to understand the risks, avoid hype and do the necessary research before they invest. This is the first time we’ve created a cinema advert tied in with a specific film. The subject matter is directly aligned to our target audience’s interests, and the cinema provides a unique environment to capture their attention.”
The campaign was created with support from MHP Studio & MG OMD and produced by cinema media house DCM Studios. It will also sit on the FCA’s YouTube channel.
