In an innovative promotional move for new movie “Snakes on a Plane,” Samuel L. Jackson is making (kind of) personal phone calls urging viewers to see the flick.

The campaign was launched by “Snakes” studio New Line Cinema and VariTalk, a company specializing in cell phone marketing.

Those wanting to check out the nifty technology can log-on to snakesonaplane.varitalk.com. After entering a friend’s cell phone number, their name, and a few details about their personality and life, a custom phone message is generated in Jackson’s voice. The message can then be sent by phone or e-mail.

“This is what we have done throughout the entire ‘Snakes’ campaign — allow people to take ownership of the film and its marketing messages,” said New Line marketing chief Russell Schwartz. “However, the fact that there have been over 1.5 million calls placed within the first week is astounding to us.”

The film itself — which seems to have become a secondary entity to the hype, jokes and ad campaigns — opens on Friday, August 18.






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