• by November 17, 2004

HIX NIX PIX ADS - A variety of well regarded sources are projecting that cinema advertising - ads that appear before movies in theaters, not ads for movie theaters - is poised to become one of the fastest growing forms of ad-supported media. The problem, according to some new research, is moviegoers don't like the ads all that much, and would like to see movie theaters stop running them. In other words, they pretty much feel about cinema advertising the way they feel about advertising in all the other media: they would like to avoid it.

Thank goodness they cannot. Possibly with the exception of some forms of outdoor media, there is no getting around cinema ads. Except of course for those who want to linger at the concession stands or inside the rest rooms and risk missing that hilarious trailer everyone's bound to be giggling about when you return to your seat. In cinema advertising, Madison Avenue does indeed appear to have finally found a captive audience environment that may help replace the erosion they're experiencing with television commercials. And don't think consumers aren't noticing them. According to the research released Wednesday by InsightExpress 91 percent of moviegoers said they "notice" commercials in movies. That's the good part. The bad part is that 53 percent believe movie theaters should stop showing commercial, while 27 percent said they actually plan to attend fewer movies as a result of cinema advertising.

% Of American Moviegoers Agreeing...

Notice commercials in movies:                    91%

Movie theaters should stop showing commercials:  53% 
Will decrease the number of movies they attend:  27% 

Of course, what people say they'll do and what they actually do aren't necessarily the same things. But there are some things that advertisers might want to keep in mind when planning commercials to run in movie theaters. For example, according to InsightExpress, the attribute most moviegoers do want to see in cinema spots is that they are "funny" or "humorous."

"Consumers expect to be entertained at the movies and not exposed to the same types of ads they see regularly on television," deciphered Lee Smith, president-COO of InsightExpress, adding the cautionary suggestion that, "Advertisers who take the time to understand moviegoers' wants and needs will be able to produce more compelling and well received advertisements for this captive audience."

One thing moviegoers apparently do not want - at least not to the degree of funny ads - is ads that feature music, tell a story or focus on new product introductions. Heck, they don't even want to see ads that are "produced especially for the movie screen" or ones that are "Super Bowl quality." They just want to laugh.

Attributes Moviegoers Prefer Of Cinema Ads

Funny/humorous:                                  56% 
Fresh, never seen before on
TV:                  39% 
"Super Bowl" quality:                            32%       
Produced especially for the movie screen:        32% 
New product introductions:
30% 
Tells a story:                                   24% 
Features music:                                  23% 

Source: InsightExpress. Base = online survey of 500 moviegoers.