Why Ad Agencies Should Buy Cinema Advertising in the Post-Pandemic Media Landscape | Even though the pandemic is wrapping up and people are getting back to theatres in more significant numbers each day, it can’t be denied that Covid changed the way people watch movies forever. While this may seem like strange, uncharted territory to some, it’s actually a huge boon for advertisers. The reason for this is that it has opened up many new advertising opportunities, allowing them to reach movie watchers in a variety of new ways. Not only does this allow advertisers to expand their reach, but it also allows them to zero in on their target demographics a lot easier. Let’s take a look at several specific reasons why ad agencies should buy cinema advertising in this post-pandemic media landscape.
- Greater Reach
Buying cinema ads used to be pretty straightforward: an advertiser would figure out which movies appealed to their demographic, then run ads on them in the theatre. This still works but now advertisers can take advantage of streaming services and cinema related web properties as well. Since people have gotten used to using alternative methods to view cinema because of the pandemic, more cinema related advertising opportunities exist now than ever before.
A good example of this would be purchasing ads on a cinema review/news website that is frequented by the talent in the film industry. Such websites can even attract exhibitors and other cinema-related businesses, creating even more valuable advertising opportunities. It can’t be denied that buying ads on sites like these is one of today’s top cinema advertising options.
- Narrowing Down Your Demographic
The more you narrow down your demographic, the less money you waste on advertising efforts. Unfocused marketing efforts can draw in people that aren’t ready to spend money, and while you may capture a few, it won’t be as profitable as reaching more people who are already interested in what you have to offer.
Since the pandemic created new movie-watching habits online, it’s easier than ever to analyze and predict how certain demographics will behave. For example, when a new movie comes out, there will be data on how many people will watch it online, vs how many people will watch it in theatres. This will allow you to position your ads where your demographic will be for greater returns on your investment.
- Targeting Non-Traditional Demographics
Traditionally cinema advertising was a B2C market, and you wouldn’t see a lot of B2B for obvious reasons. However, thanks to the fact that the pandemic changed people’s viewing habits, you can now reach demographics that weren’t easy to advertise to before. Once again, this goes back to online advertising in the cinema industry through streaming platforms and related websites.
An example would be targeting film reviewers by placing ads on an outlet that they frequent online to get information relevant to their job. This would allow you to target this demographic with your message in a way that would catch their attention.
- Greater Return on Investment
Pre-pandemic, it was difficult to nail down a lot of the metrics associated with cinema advertising. However, that’s changed now thanks to streaming which produces much more concrete ad performance data that can be analyzed. This can be used to not only measure how well an ad has performed, but also whether or not it would be worth purchasing similar ads in actual real-life theatres.
With so much data available these days on the viewing habits of movie watchers, it’s a lot easier to run ads in a way that gets better results. Since these results are more measurable than before, current ad campaigns can be used to figure out how to run future campaigns for even better results.
- Not Reliant on Frequency
One of the best things about cinema advertising, both before the pandemic and after, is the fact that it doesn’t need to be “refreshed” as often as other forms of advertising. This is because moviegoers will likely go and see a particular film once, and that’s it. Since this is the case, an ad doesn’t need to be updated as often as an ad on TV or radio which will be seen or heard possibly multiple times a day.
What this means for advertisers is that their ads will remain viable for longer, allowing them to spend capital in other areas such as market research. This will allow them to plan for future campaigns while their current ads continue generating revenue.
Getting the Most Out of Cinema Advertising
To get the most out of cinema advertising these days, you need to know where it’s best to spend your advertising dollars. Options both in theatres and online that can have very high ROIs if you run a good campaign. As with any ad campaign, cinema advertising is best optimized over time according to the data you gather. The sooner you begin running ads and collecting data, the sooner you’ll have another profitable revenue stream to help grow your business.
