A Cinema Advertising Perspective: How Do People Watch Ads In The Cinemas?

Cinemas play a large part in the advertising business. Advertisers know full well that movie cinemas offer a dynamic medium to showcase their products and services. The venue provides a distraction free environment as much of the attention is focused on the big screen.In addition to this, the behavioral patterns of movie goers have been scrutinized by industry experts to come up with effective ways for cinema advertising. Based on research, the following information reveals how people watch advertisements in cinemas:· Moviegoers don’t mind advertising in the cinemas.A recent study shows that advertising in the cinema is widely accepted. Two thirds of movie watchers agree when they are asked “movie goers don’t mind advertising in the cinemas”. For teenagers between 12-17 years and young adults between 18-24 years, the agreement to the statement was even much higher at 71%. For mid adults between 25-54 years old the agree rate was 62%, and for the older people aged 54 years and above showed 59%.In spite of what is being reported by the mainstream press, the study shows that moviegoers don’t mind viewing advertisements in cinemas.· The increase of advertisements in the cinema is generally accepted.As advertisers take the opportunity to showcase their products and services in the cinemas, an increase of advertising time has been noted during film showing. To find out if this had a negative or a positive effect amongst moviegoers, determining the frequency of movie attendance would reveal the impact.Based on statistics, 80% of moviegoers in the US say that cinema advertising is not a hindrance to their favorite pastime activity. The respondents also say that the frequency of their movie watching activity is about 2-3 times a month. 77% of those who watch movies once a month say that advertising in cinemas is OK and acceptable. 54% of those who watch movies 4-5 times a year say that commercials in the movie houses are acceptable. Only about 12% who rarely watch movies say that advertising in cinemas are not acceptable. This shows that cinema ads are not a hindrance to their pastime activity and most of them say it is generally accepted.· Half of movie watchers find cinema ads more interesting than TV ads.The study that led to this conclusion is rather interesting considering that most of the commercials shown in cinemas are actually also from TV ads. Unlike TV ads where viewers tend to be passive when watching a commercial, cinema ads carry a lot of impact when viewed by moviegoers. The reason for this is because most cinema ads are shown prior to the film. This is a fairly new practice for cinemas in the US. But for some countries outside the US, this has been going on for decades.As the anticipation increases for a movie watcher to view the upcoming featured movie, showing a commercial prior to the film is a perfect time as most viewers are more alert and interested in what they see and hear. This leaves a greater impact on the minds of the moviegoer. A commercial that has been shown many times on TV will more likely be remembered when viewed in a cinema prior to the movie.Notable PointsThe behavioural pattern of moviegoers suggests that cinema advertising is an effective method to reach potential costumers. As an advertiser, it is worth noting the following points that can make an advertising campaign more effective:· More than 150 million people in several countries go to the cinemas at least once a month.· Advertisements shown in cinemas have the potential to reach 165 million consumers throughout the world.· 81% of frequent moviegoers are teens between 12-17 years. 72% are young adults aged between 18-24 years. 67% are mid adults 25-54 years and 54% for the older generation aged 54 years and above.As the growth of the movie industry brings an influx of moviegoers into the cinemas, companies throughout the world see the marketing opportunity this can bring. Understanding how people watch cinema ads can determine how best to promote your products and services through cinema advertising.