Ronald McDonald to star in DVD library

He’s no Jane Fonda, but Ronald McDonald is gearing up to get families off the couch, thanks to a deal between fast-food giant McDonald’s and Warner Home Video. Launching in spring 2005, the spokesclown will star in a series of live-action DVDs intended to teach kids about active lifestyles. Plans are underway to produce the disks in several different languages so that WHV can sell them into traditional retail outlets around the world. Produced by New York’s KanDoKid Films, the 30-minute DVDs will be merchandised alongside McDonald’s new McKids lifestyle brand for children, which includes footwear, clothing, games and toys and debuted this past spring in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, Australia, Korea and Taiwan.

And now, the feature presentation… after a few more commercials

Revenue derived from advertising in U.S. cinemas grew by 37% in 2003, making movie theater commercials the fastest-growing form of ad placement. The Cinema Advertising Council, a trade association representing just under 35,000 screens in the U.S., reports that cinema ads generated US$356.1 million last year, compared to US$259.3 million in 2002. The traditional categories of automotive, media and beverage still reigned as the most prolific advertisers in this space, but the CAC says new categories such as electronics, travel, home products, video games, restaurants and sporting goods came on strong with double-digit growth.