The city officially will change its name to POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Pa., during a proclamation ceremony on April 27 and will keep the name for a period of 60 days.
Sheetz and [image-nocss] Spurlock last night lobbied the city with a resolution that was unanimously approved by Altoona City Council. Sheetz will also host a red carpet event and screening of the film along with Altoona city officials after the proclamation. All money used to purchase the naming rights will be used to support the City of Altoona Police Department.
The movie takes a satirical look at the world of advertising and product placement in the film industry, while being entirely funded by product placement and advertising. As a top sponsor of the film, Sheetz and its executives have had tongues firmly planted in cheek the whole way through this experience, they said.
"We didn't really know quite what to expect when we first started this thing. We took a chance getting involved in this project," said Stan Sheetz, president and CEO of Sheetz Inc., "We could look like total idiots or complete geniuses when it's all said and done--so far it's working out in our favor."
The film shows that companies pay millions of dollars to have their goods strategically placed in movies. If the price is right, just about everything can be sold, including a small town in Central Pennsylvania.
"Practically everything in America is for sale these days," said Altoona mayor Bob Schirf. "Sporting events, stadium names, they all have a price tag, so we thought, 'why wouldn't we market our town the same way?' It's all in good fun."
POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is set to be released in theaters on April 22.
(Click here for previous CSP Daily News coverage, including the trailer.)
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