Commentary
Smartphone Vs. The Chick Flick: Males Munch Mobile Trailers
- by Steve Smith , Staff Writer @popeyesm, October 3, 2012
If your marital relationship is anything like mine, then moviegoing is an ongoing negotiation. “You dragged us to that lousy something-or-other
with Jennifer Aniston last week,” the typical conversation goes. “This week, Spiderman.” Somewhere between the credits and the parking lot walk, I usually hear, “You owe me for
that one.” And smartphones may introduce an imbalance to that timeworn system. According to new research from the IAB’s Mobile Marketing Center of
Excellence and mobile network InMobi, 40% of men surveyed use their mobile devices to watch movie trailers, compared to 27% of women.
Overall there was less of
split when it came to overall mobile lookups for film information. Seventy-one percent of males used devices to help pick a movie, vs. 69% of women. “This study clearly shows that mobile is a
crucial pathway for movie studios to reach men, whether they are promoting the latest action flick or a serious drama,” says IAB’s Anna Bager, VP and general manager of the Mobile
Marketing Center of Excellence. Interestingly, men are leaning on the social network for advice -- with 38% checking friends’ opinions of films, vs. 33% of women.
The IAB/InMobi survey also found that movie trailers are such compelling content for many mobile users that they will sit through a pre-roll ad to get to them. While less than a third of
respondents (31%) said they had watched a trailer on their devices in the last six months, 83% said they had seen an ad that preceded it. More than half of that share (61%) watched the pre-trailer ad
all the way through. So they watched an ad in order to watch an ad, points out InMobi VP of Global Marketing Shrikant Latkar.
Actually the stat I would really like to
see is how many people artfully filter the choices they convey to their partner when using their phones for movie lookups. I cop to that one. As my wife still gets up to speed on the use of apps, the
movie lookups remain my task. “Check what is playing,” she usually directs over dinner out. And as I scroll down the choices on Fandango or Flixster, I am sure I fail to mention that
latest Justin Timberlake or Jennifer Aniston romantic non-comedy.
Sure, movie marketers want to aim for the target-rich male mobile audience with their marketing. But
the longer strategic play is to engage women in the art of the mobile movie lookup. If we leave the movie driving to men, Tyler Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd and Anne Hathaway may be scrambling
over dwindling numbers of romantic comedy roles.
Steve Smith is Editorial Director of Events for MediaPost