Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Amazon Ads are combining interactive gaming, voice experiences and cross-platform media placements to promote the upcoming animated film The Cat in the Hat. The campaign, titled “Open to Fun,” uses Amazon’s advertising and consumer platforms to connect theatrical promotion with activities customers can explore on mobile devices, smart speakers and streaming services.
Developed by Amazon Ads’ Brand Innovation Lab, the activation centers on a dedicated Amazon Brand Store, an interactive mini game and two Alexa experiences featuring the voice of Bill Hader, who voices the Cat in the film. The movie is scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 6, while the campaign’s Brand Store experience is set to run through November 8.
The activation illustrates how advertisers can use a combination of retail media, streaming inventory, voice interfaces and interactive creative to extend a film campaign beyond conventional trailers and display advertisements.
Interactive Creative Connects Advertising With Play
The campaign’s Brand Store serves as a central destination for film content, trailers and ticket-purchase links across desktop and mobile. It also hosts a mobile game in which players tilt their devices to catch animated Things before a countdown expires.
The experience incorporates a three-second countdown, timed gameplay, visual feedback and a results screen where users can replay the game or share their scores. Desktop visitors can access the game through a QR code, linking the browsing experience to mobile interaction.
Bill Hader’s in-game voice lines bring the film’s character into the experience. Rather than relying solely on a passive advertising impression, the activation gives users an activity tied directly to the movie’s identity.
For advertisers, interactive formats can provide additional opportunities to engage audiences and encourage sharing. However, the announcement does not disclose game completion rates, sharing activity, ticket conversions or other performance metrics, so the campaign’s effectiveness cannot yet be assessed.
Alexa Experiences Extend the Campaign Into Homes
Amazon Ads has also introduced two Alexa Branded Moments: “Cat-ffirmations,” which delivers daily affirmations in the Cat’s voice, and “Cat in the Hat Jokes,” which offers character-led humor.
Supported by Alexa audio advertisements and home-screen placements, these experiences extend the campaign into voice-enabled devices. The approach gives Warner Bros. additional ways to build familiarity with the character before the film’s theatrical release.
The campaign also spans Prime Video advertising, IMDb placements, Twitch livestream integrations, Amazon homepage inventory and Top of Search placements. This distribution combines entertainment media, commerce-oriented discovery and interactive experiences within Amazon’s ecosystem.
What It Means for Advertising Technology
“Open to Fun” demonstrates how a large advertising platform can combine multiple formats around one entertainment property. Brand Innovation Lab coordinates the creative experience across retail, streaming, voice and gaming touchpoints, while Warner Bros. supplies film-related assets and character content.
The model is particularly relevant to entertainment marketers seeking to connect awareness campaigns with active participation and ticket discovery. It also highlights the role of custom creative development in making media placements work together rather than operating as isolated advertisements.
Still, a broad platform footprint does not automatically establish incremental reach or improved return on advertising spend. Advertisers evaluating similar campaigns will need evidence of audience overlap, engagement quality, conversion outcomes and the incremental value of interactive formats.
As advertising platforms continue to develop richer branded experiences, the distinction between media placement and interactive content is becoming less rigid. Amazon Ads’ campaign offers a concrete example of that convergence, although its commercial impact will depend on results that have not yet been disclosed.
Market Landscape
Advertising campaigns increasingly combine streaming, retail media, social distribution and interactive formats to reach consumers across different stages of the purchase journey. Amazon’s ecosystem allows brands to connect entertainment content with commerce destinations and voice-enabled experiences.
The approach can be particularly useful for film launches, where advertisers must build awareness, sustain audience interest and encourage ticket purchases within a defined release window.
Strategic Outlook
For Warner Bros., the campaign provides several ways to introduce audiences to the film’s characters before release. For Amazon Ads, it showcases Brand Innovation Lab’s ability to develop custom experiences across its advertising properties.
The longer-term question is whether these integrated activations produce measurable benefits beyond standard media campaigns. Transparent reporting on engagement, ticket sales and incremental conversions would help advertisers determine when immersive creative justifies its additional production and coordination requirements.
Top Insights
- Campaign integration: The activation spans Amazon’s retail, streaming, voice and entertainment properties.
- Interactive experience: A mobile mini game encourages participation and score sharing.
- Voice advertising: Two Alexa Branded Moments extend the film’s characters into the home.
- Commerce connection: The Amazon Brand Store links film content with ticket purchasing.
- Measurement remains open: No campaign performance or conversion results have been disclosed.
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