Encouraging Film Discovery Driving Cine

Encouraging Film Discovery

Driving Cinema Attendances

By Mark de Quervain. August 2024.

The Challenges

Understanding the challenges we face is crucial for effective solution planning and prioritising actions to address problems with limited resources. Common issues in our industry include:

Most cinemagoers visit the cinema only about twice a year.
Approximately 60% of customers fall into this infrequent visitor category.
Around 40% of our most marketable customers have not visited the cinema in over 12 months.
About 40% of people who choose a movie to watch at the cinema end up not going.
Awareness of mid-tier and smaller movies is low outside of major releases.
Low awareness leads to insufficient interest in these movies.
Mid-tier movies have become more important to our business due to fewer blockbuster releases.

Helpful Facts

Marketable customers are significantly more active, visiting the cinema about 25% more often than non-marketable customers.
The public loves watching trailers, which are a key driver for wanting to see a movie.
Cinemagoers enjoy fun promotions, such as winning free tickets.
People appreciate varied communication methods beyond just newsletters from their cinema

Film Discovery – Proven Success

Strategic Approach

Set up a survey using platforms like Typeform or Survey Monkey, or via your own provider such as Movio or Showtime Analytics.
Run a campaign asking people to rate upcoming movies by watching trailers.
Include a mix of movies, from large to small.
Offer a chance to win 2 tickets in a free draw/sweepstakes.
By rating movies through trailers, customers will discover titles they might not have heard of otherwise.
Capture their scores and email addresses when they rate a movie.
Analyse the scores to understand customer preferences and plan your bookings and marketing accordingly.
Send an email to customers who rated a movie highly when it goes on sale.
Expect high open rates (around 50%) and conversion rates.

Where to run Film Discovery Campaigns

Email to all marketable customers: Depending on your database size, you can split it in half to test more movies. Showtime Analytics can deliver a selection of 7 films randomly from a pool of 14 titles, simplifying the process.
Organic social posts: These work well but typically attract fewer respondents. They are cost-free but require multiple reposts.
Paid/Boosted posts: Effective for reaching a larger audience beyond your followers and attracting customers from competitive cinemas.

Get More Marketable Customers

Recruit new opted-in marketable customers through social media posts (both organic and paid).
Approximately 50% of respondents generally opt-in for marketing.
Import new customers into your marketable list, or let your marketing platform do this automatically.

Engage Lapsed/Lapsing Customers

This type of marketing engages lapsed, lapsing, and infrequent cinema-goers. Most respondents are not frequent cinephiles.
Regular and large-scale engagement of these segments can significantly boost your business by exciting them about films they might not otherwise know about.

Campaign Set Up

Choose the films carefully – probably 2 to 3 months out
In the survey set up, we recommend no more that 7 movies are tested in an email or social post at any one time
You will need to create an email (see example below from our client Classic Cinemas)
In the email you add some nice images of the upcoming movies you are asking people to rate
You will need to include the link to the survey
You will need a social post (see example below from our client Classic Cinemas)
In the survey set up you will need to ask for an email address and preferred site from a dropdown list if required
The survey you use for social is the same as email but with an added question covering opt-in

Integrated CRM Platforms

More sophisticated CRM marketing tools provide by companies such as Showtime Analytics, Movio and others have all the ability to do film discovery integrated into you POS and customer data base making the whole process seamless, simple, measurable & actionable
They are able to provide powerful insights of the success of these campaigns right down to individual customer tracking and mapping

Data Handling

You will likely need to import customer data into your email platform which will be new marketable people
In addition, you will need to extract lists of people who scored each movie (3,4,5 out of 5 for example) and upload them into your email client so you can email them when the film(s) go on sale

Reporting

Without a fully integrated solution, reporting can be quite time consuming along with the data importing. However it is still worthwhile as the frequency of these campaigns is probably every 6 to 8 weeks
See below examples of excel charts created manually and the integrated version from Showtime Analytics which includes real time reporting
It is possible to report scores by location enabling granular targeting

Here are some other film discovery ideas you can also try:

Curate Movie Lists:

Create themed lists (e.g., “Feel-Good Films,” “Classic Romances,” “Mind-Bending Thrillers”) and share them on your website, social media, or newsletters.
Include brief descriptions and reasons why each film is worth watching.

Host Film Discussions and Screenings:

Organize film clubs or community screenings.
After watching a movie, facilitate discussions where participants share their thoughts and interpretations.
Encourage attendees to recommend films to each other.

Collaborate with Local Libraries and Bookstores:

Set up displays of recommended films alongside related books.
Host joint events where attendees can explore both literature and cinema.

Leverage Social Media and Hashtags:

Create a dedicated hashtag (e.g., #MovieDiscoveries) and encourage users to share their favorite lesser-known films.
Feature user-generated content on your social media channels.

Interactive Fun Film Quizzes and Surveys:

Develop fun quizzes that recommend movies based on users’ preferences (e.g., favorite genres, moods, or themes).
Use surveys to gather insights on what types of films your audience enjoys.

Collaborate with Influencers and Bloggers:

Partner with film enthusiasts, critics, or bloggers.
Have them curate lists or write articles about hidden gems or underrated films.

Highlight Lesser-Known Films on Your Website:

Create a section dedicated to hidden gems or indie films.
Include trailers, synopses, and reasons why viewers should give these films a chance.

Themed Movie Nights:

Host special movie nights cantered around specific themes (e.g., foreign films, documentaries, cult classics).
Provide context and background information before screening.

Recommendation Engines and Algorithms:

Implement recommendation features on your website or app.
Use algorithms to suggest films based on users’ viewing history and preferences.

Collaborate with Local Businesses and Cafés:

Display movie posters or create mini pop-up theatres in cafés or community spaces.
Encourage patrons to discover films while enjoying their coffee or meals.
Remember, the joy of discovering a hidden gem often lies in the unexpected. By creating an environment that fosters curiosity and exploration, you can help the public find movies they’ll truly love! 🎬🍿

If you have any questions about Film Discovery, please contact markdequervain@actionmarketingworks.com