The Sparkbeat
Five years, $100 million in global marketing and Samuel L. Jackson. That’s what it took for Marvel’s The Avengers to earn over $700 million its opening weekend – a box office record. For perspective, second place goes to Harry Potter and the… more
Branded Entertainment
As ad budgets contract and box office revenues shrink, brands and filmmakers are falling into each other’s arms. Film expert Warren Etheredge explores Hollywood’s addiction to product placement and speaks to Morgan Spurlock about his… more
Travel
Every now and then Spafax editorial director and airplane geek Arjun Basu fills us in on the flightgeist. In this post, he explains how flying has become an excuse to catch up on his favourite TV shows or the latest Morgan Freeman flick. more
Branded Entertainment
The new Sex and the City movie has been skewered by critics, but bad writing isn’t the only thing tarnishing the beloved television brand. Media watcher Aymar Jean Christian looks at how the film’s producers bungled what the TV show excelled at… more
Transmedia
With more and more people watching TV on the Internet, reading magazines on their e-reader and playing games on their smart phone, the terms “old media” and “new media” are becoming meaningless. Jacqueline Parker reports on how smart brands… more
Question Spark
Every now and then Spafax editorial director and pro jet-setter Arjun Basu checks in with the flightgeist. In this post he asks why airports have restaurants, spas, hotels and liquor stores but no movie theatre. Coming soon: duty-free popcorn? more
Question Spark
From social networking apps to seat-to-seat chat, our world is becoming more social and so is the inflight experience. But is this really a good thing? more
Travel
Airlines aren’t just brands; they’re national and cultural ambassadors. But the inflight entertainment experience rarely reflects the fact that air travel is an international affair. On a recent Air India flight, user-experience designer Jay… more
Question Spark
Remember when the flight attendant would put on a movie and the plane would fall silent? At any moment the cabin would fill with laughter or tears as we all fixated on the same romantic comedy or superhero flick. And when the movie was over, you’d… more