NYC averages 8 degrees warmer than surrounding areas in the summertime, and New Yorkers will go to great lengths to escape it. They’ll peruse the aisles of stores for stuff they don’t want. They’ll go see movies they couldn’t care less about—all for the AC. To introduce the Midea U Air Conditioner, a unit perfect for city apartments, we set out to reach New Yorkers at their most desperate.

Knowing New Yorkers will see just about any movie if it means cool air, we identified the movie theater as our primary media channel. A cinema buy seemed obvious, but we figured we’d connect more meaningfully with our audience if we used the channel for its intended purpose—showing movies. We produced a feature film with a title no New Yorker could resist, 90 MINUTES OF AIR CONDITIONING. And that’s just what it was. One shot of the Midea U Air Conditioner blowing 90 minutes. The audience loved it. They napped, chatted, and otherwise indulged in the 90 minutes of AC the movie promised.

We ensured word beyond the theater by inviting critics and press to the premiere and capturing content for social media. The story earned 440M media impressions and the indisputable distinction of “the coolest film of the summer.” By the end of the summer, Midea had completely sold out of the Midea U AC inventory.