Universal Pictures is pushing its ?American Reunion? film with a mobile ad campaign that encourages Words with Friends users to play words associated with the movie. 

The Words with Friends mobile ads are served to players depending on which words they spell in games. The American Reunion ads also heavily promote the film?s social media sites.

?If the mobile game is free and is tied to a great campaign as well as being aimed at the right demographic for the ad, then I feel it could have a large benefit,? said Marci Troutman, CEO of Siteminis, Atlanta.

?Universal Pictures adding a gaming piece to the  promotion of American Reunion reaches a demographic that will not only play the mobile game but will share it,? she said.

Ms. Troutman is not affiliated with Universal Pictures. She commented based on her expertise on the subject.

Universal Pictures did not respond to press inquiries.

NBCUniversal-owned Universal Pictures claims to be one of the six biggest movie studios.

The Universal Pictures ads are served to users who play words associated with American Reunion?s plot and characters, such as pie and flute.

The ads feature characters from the film and appear after a user has finished their turn. The ads give users examples of keywords to play that are associated with the movie.

The mobile ads then direct users to a mobile-optimized page where they can view more tips from the movie?s characters.

Consumers can also learn about the film by watching a trailer or reading quotes from the movie?s characters.

Additionally, the ads encourage users to ?like? the American Reunion Facebook page and follow the film?s Twitter handle.

The mobile ads are not commerce-enabled, which might have been a smart feature for Universal Pictures to include to boost pre-order sales for the film, which premieres on April 6. 

By incorporating the film?s brand into the Words with Friends app, it not only encourages users to play the game more but also helps Universal Pictures drum up hype for a movie release. 

Additionally, the Words with Friends app demographic of tech-savvy gamers matches the viewers who are likely to go see the movie.

Tying a strong social media aspect to a mobile campaign is also a great way for the film to build its social media presence that keeps users up to date with news about the movie.

Universal Pictures is not the only company tapping mobile advertising to lead up to a movie?s release.

For example, Sony Pictures has made mobile a core part of each movie release with campaigns that let users order tickets. Most recently, the company used mobile ads to drive sales of the movie ?21 Jump Street? (see story). 

?The entertainment industry has a very large open window ahead of them for years to come with mobile,? Ms. Troutman said.

?The college students that are now entering the work force have been using mobile since they were kids, and are not afraid of a big brother mentality ? this is proven by social media and location-based mobile solutions that are an expected addition to their world,? she said.

?With this market growing exponentially, it will only be easier for the entertainment industry to sell, promote and gain traction using mobile this year, and in the years to come if anyone in the entertainment industry decides not to use mobile, they will see their consumers dramatically shift to those in the industry that are talking with them via mobile.?