• by John Gaffney , October 1, 2002

Looking to expand the opportunities available for in-theatre marketing, Regal CineMedia has announced new staff and an integrated media strategy.

Owned by Regal Entertainment Group, which operates 6,000 movie screens under the Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatres and Edwards Theatres brands, CineMedia has appointed former Wenner Media executive Dave Kupiec as Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales. Kupiec reports to recently appointed Regal CineMedia President, Cliff Marks, who comes from ESPN. Marks says the company’s ad revenue is tracking at a 100 percent increase over last year.

“This is an excellent supplement to a national TV buy,” Marks says. “A lot of key categories have become huge supporters. It’s not just a network of theatres. The theater experience is enhanced by our commercials, and we deliver a huge audience. It’s also filled with several consumer touch points and we plan to capitalize on them in a dignified manner.”

Those key categories include automotive, beverages and video games. Marks is counting on two innovative strategies to make CineMedia work. First those “consumer touch points” will be addressed by integrating cinema ads with grassroots marketing. For example: if a car company were to advertise its new Minivan with a pre-show commercial at a family film, Marks will encourage the account to follow that effort by handing out brochures for the car and an invitation to visit the local dealer for a test drive.

The second is “digitizing” the network of 6,000 plus screens. CineMedia has recently deployed its Digital Content Network (DCN), to enable the delivery of digital content, including on-screen and in-lobby marketing and advertising products, as well as sports, education and entertainment content. Marks expects that network to be in place nationwide by the end of next year.

“If your intent is to target a certain audience segment, we can get that done with the digital network,” Marks says. “It will enable an automotive company to schedule ads for a minivan if it’s a family movie, and a sports car if the movie will attract an older demographic.”

Marks also says he expects some “big” account announcements by the end of October.