Given that Exhibition can no
longer rely upon the studios to deliver audiences, as had once seemed to be the case, the canvas is definitely changing amid cinema
operators’ more recent efforts to implement their own marketing strategies, as Zenergy Communications’ Linda Farha summarises.
In 1905, the
first movie theater in North America – a 96-seat storefront operation – opened
its doors in Pittsburg, PA. It was called The Nickelodeon and, in the ensuing years,
thousands more locations would open across the U.S.as the industry developed.
It was the beginning of cinematic entertainment as we would come to know it.
Fast-forward 118 some years to the present day and the basic concept of movie-going
hasn’t actually changed that much: it’s still either a classic date-night
activity or family outing, complete with snacks, much plusher seating and
amenities, and a darkened-room shared with fellow movie-goers.
What has
ITAL dramatically changed, however, is the modern,
multi-faceted manner in which cinematic content is now distributed and consumed
and – according to the latest report from Digital TV Research – the global streaming
industry will hit $100bn by 2025, doubling its value from the $50bn that Subscription
Videos on Demand (SVOD) revenues generated in 2019. This increasing trend
towards streaming has made it even more challenging for theaters to attract
audiences as these platforms have become both a convenient and cost-effective
alternative to movie-going. The studios, themselves, have also drastically cut-back
on their ad-spend, using instead their own streaming platforms to promote new
movies where their audience is already engaged, and where the cost of such advertising
is, well, free.
So, does this
all mean that the future of the theater is effectively dead? Absolutely not. What
it simply means is that exhibitors can no longer rely upon the studios to drive
audiences to theaters using full-scale advertising campaigns. Instead, they need
to become both creative and resourceful with their marketing if to entice audiences
out of their homes and back to big screen-viewing; and this starts by creating
an atmosphere that’s more interactive and immersive than indulging in mere streaming-from-the-couch.
“Exhibition can no longer rely on the studios to drive audiences using
full-scale ad-campaigns… instead, they themselves must become more marketing-savvy
by creating a more interactive and immersive theatrical atmosphere.”
STRATEGIES FOR AUDIENCE GROWTH &
MAINTENANCE
So, how to
do it? Theater operators do need to create original and engaging campaigns that
employ a variety of marketing and digital media techniques to promote movies
while showcasing their location as a true centre for entertainment, and might include:
o Continuing to offer Q&A sessions with filmmakers so that the audience has a good
opportunity to ‘meet directly’ from the people who made the movie and to learn
more about further as-yet-undiscovered aspects of the filmmaking process.
Theatres can also project a list of thought-provoking questions following a
screening and encourage conversation among audience members and make
movie-going a more interactive experience. A staff member can be present to
moderate a panel discussion. Also, if consumers know ITAL they can only access
special events at the theater – then
FOMO, the ‘fear of missing out’ – will be more likely encourage them to
make the effort to attend
o
Geo-targeted advertising aimed at specific geographic
regions made visible to users based upon their locations, either through GPS or
IP addresses. Movie theatres can use geo-targeted ads to reach people within a
certain distance of the theatre, for example, those within, say, a five-mile
radius. This allows exhibitors to reach a local audience and promote upcoming
movies, showtimes, and special events to nearby people who are most likely to
be interested. People receive geo-targeted ads through various channels
including:
-Mobile Devices: Geo-targeted ads can be delivered through apps and
websites using location-based services
-Social Media using
platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, which permit advertisers to
target users based on their location, so that a movie theatre can deliver ads
to people who have interests related to movies, entertainment or the film’s
topic itself
-Online Display Ads – geo-targeted display ads can be delivered to people
via websites and apps that they visit e.g. a cinema could target those who are
reading articles or watching videos related to movies, entertainment, the
film’s topic, again, or even the featured actors. In each instance, the ads are
delivered to people based on their current location, allowing movie theatres to
reach people who are nearby and most likely to be interested in their offerings
-Google Ads Search Campaigns also allow for the advertiser, in this case
the theatre to appear first when someone searches for movie showtimes in the
area. Google Ads campaigns are based on a pay-per-click model meaning
advertisers compete with others by bidding on a specific keyword to have their
site display prominently in Google searches.
o
Offering special promotions and discounts to further
incentivize movie-going e.g. announcing ‘early bird’ discounts to patrons who
purchase tickets in advance, while providing better cash flow management
o Promotional pricing for traditionally slower times to help drive sales e.g.
half-price Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Additionally, theatres can offer
dynamic pricing e.g. tiered-seating rates to attract those who don’t mind less
optimal seats for lower pricing
o
Regularly revisiting and sprucing existing loyalty
program offers with new and improved offers
o
Bundling movie-tickets in with other
entertainment options like bowling, arcade games, or miniature golf so as to
round-out the entertainment experience and thus leading to productive
cross-promotional offers
o
Investing in
remarketing/retargeting: that is, the practice of reaching out to
individuals who have previously interacted with your brand and prompting them
to buy tickets. An example of this would be creating a targeted Instagram (IG)
advertisement for someone who had previously searched for – or who had watched
a trailer of – a newly-released movie. The remarketed version of the ad should
use wording that assumes the IG user’s knowledge of the film, given that they
had previously searched for the movie, or watched the trailer, and delivers personalized
messaging.
As already
outlined, exhibitors can no longer rely upon that which had ‘always seemed to
work before’, meaning that it’s now become their
ITAL
own ITAL responsibility to attract audiences,
since the studios amid their proprietary platforms have developed their own
insular networks and ad-strategies leaving theater operations to devise and
take charge of their own tactics. So, while audiences are ready to get out and
into theaters, they still need an incentive even amid their high expectations. Consequently,
exhibitors must be strategic, nimble, and flexible in their marketing approaches.
So,
there we have it, even though the presence of the studios’ streaming platforms
continues to make it both complicated and challenging, there are still plenty
of ways to attract audiences to theaters. By working ever-hard to offer a great
all-round movie-going experience, also exclusive content, and by chipping away
at devising more special promotions and discounts, it is hoped that Exhibition
can continue to stand the test of time as well as for decades to come.
———————————————————————————————————————————————–
Linda Farha is President & Founder of Zenergy Communications: a
full service, multi-lingual marketing and communications agency specializing in public and media relations,
branding and creative design. www.zenergycom.com
