Cinema Returns On May 17th – Is It Still A Powerful Promotional Tool?

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The invention of television, war, video, DVD’s and streaming services have all been declared to be the “death of cinema”, but it survived and thrived…will Covid-19 finally kill off the multiplex?  Mongoose Promotions’ CEO and IPM Brand Partnerships Chair David Pearson doesn’t think so…and he’s got the insight to prove it!

It’s been a pretty horrible year for the cinema industry, forced to close its doors to the public and furlough staff.  Movie lovers turned to streaming services for their movie fix and naysayers declared that the age of the cinema was dead…and yet…

Even in the midst of the pandemic 78% of respondents to our annual survey told us that a brand using cinema as a promotional tool would make them more likely to purchase their products or services and that apart from their family and friends a trip to the cinema was the thing they had missed the most.

Their short-term movie fix has been provided via streaming services but studios have been secretive about viewing figures for the small number of “straight to stream” movies that have bypassed the cinema and rumours abound that they are disappointed with the uptake.  The fact that the very biggest titles have been delayed until cinemas reopen certainly suggests that studios need cinemas to reopen just as much as film fans.

Yet cinemas must adapt.  No longer can they depend entirely on the film itself to attract audiences through their doors…a trip to the cinema must be attractive in its own right, regardless of the films they are showing.  And they are adapting.  Showcase and ODEON are spending millions rolling out their “Cinema de Lux” and “Luxe” brands while Cineworld continue to invest in experiential cinema concepts such as 4dx.

So yes, cinema will survive and if the results of our recent consumer research into the popularity of a trip to the movies and the impact of cinema tickets as a promotional tool are to be believed it will thrive.  Take a look at what we found here.

As we start to emerge from lockdown, beer gardens are full and retailers reporting record sales, customers are hungry for a sense of normality and a release from their incarceration at home.

Arguably there’s never been a better time to engage with cinema as a promotional tool and with pent-up demand for massive releases such as Black Widow and No Time to Die, the power of the movies is not disappearing anytime soon.