• by Colin Kirkland , June 12, 2024

A new Snapchat-commissioned report uses Fandango data collected by television technology company Samba TV and marketing research company Kantar to suggest that the social media platform encourages people to get out and see movies at the theater, offering a suitable place for film advertisers to focus their ad budgets.

The study, which measures the incremental impact of Snapchat advertising on theatrical ticket sales by comparing ad-exposed audiences with a control group, shows the app driving a 91% lift in ticket sales, with campaigns leveraging multiple Snapchat ad products like a full takeover suite or Lens auction, driving a lift of 102%.

To gain insights on the people involved in boosting ticket sales relative to other social platforms, Kantar examined Snap’s specific audience, which consists of around 800 million monthly global users, 75% of whom are between 13 and 34 years old.

Kantar found that 92% of weekly Snapchatters surveyed were theatergoers and are overall 1.5x more likely to watch a movie in theaters every 2-3 months compared to non-Snapchatters. Snap’s audience also prioritizes going to the theater with friends, with almost 75% of theater-goers on the app watching with at least one other person.

In addition, 78% of Snapchatters surveyed by Kantar claimed that their top influence when deciding whether or not to watch a movie was recommendations from friends and family.

As a longtime proponent of augmented reality (AR) features and ad products, Snapchat says AR has a significant impact on theatergoers, finding that 61% of movie-going users were more likely to see a movie in theaters after engaging with an AR ad for the film.

According to Snap’s President of Americas Patrick Harris, the platform’s US user-base carries $2.2 trillion in discretionary spending power. By capturing their attention, movie advertisers could use the platform’s redesigned ad business to drive potential sales for the summer film season.