Mumbai: As cinema advertising gains momentum in the media mix, Interactive TV, the cinema advertising unit of GroupM India has released a report to demystify the Urban cinema going audience. The report is called ‘At a Theatre Near You’ and is in collaboration with IMRB, a part of the Kantar Group.
‘In a Theatre Near You’ is the first of its kind report in the Indian market that studies the urban cinema consumer and correlates their lifestyle and purchase habits with their film viewing habits. The report looks at audiences across eight cities in India, and buckets them into heavy, medium and light cinema goers. The report states that 57% of the audience base watches a movie in the theatre at least once in six months, and of these 71% are between the ages of 15 and 24. The gender gap is also decreasing with the urban cinema audience, as 53% are women. Going to a movie in the theatre continues to be a social phenomenon as it ranks high as a family and social activity.
Even though cinema advertising is a small part of the advertising expenditure in India, over the last few years it has been tremendous growth of over 20%. Brands and marketers are realizing the potential of the medium and its ability to work well with other media. 76% of urban cinema goers own a smart phone and 45% have the latest apps installed. This is a huge opportunity for marketers to creatively synchronize digital and in-cinema campaigns to maximize effectiveness of the both media.
Another important point from an advertiser point of view is that 50 % of this audience is open and willing to consume advertisements before the start of the movie and during the intermission. Moreover, average consumers reach the movie hall 15 minutes before the show time, which allows enough and more branding opportunities for advertisers.
Speaking in the launch of the report, Ajay Mehta, Head, Interactive TV said, “The cinema medium had a lack of scientific data for planners and marketers. Being the leaders of cinema advertising in India, we are trying to make cinema advertising more transparent and accountable. This report is Interactive TV’s most ambitious initiative with the aim to down some measurement parameters for the medium and help brands understand and exploit the potential of this medium.”
