Are Movie Theaters The Happiest Media Places On Earth? Consumers Think So!

There39s no doubt that there are a lot of happy people in Hollywood at the moment but more importantly a record Box Office also means happy moviegoers And happy moviegoers make highly receptive consumers amp8212 something that should make all of us on Madison Avenue smile as wellMovie theaters are inherently happy places amp8212 a unique way to take a break from the stress of everyday life and fully immerse oneself in an entertainment experience In that way the very physical act of quotgoing to the moviesquot is an activity that becomes a virtual signal to our brains to get ready for a heightened emotional journey Simply put we get excited about going to the moviesThink about itamp8230 When was the last time you went to the movies feeling gloomy Or how often do you attend the movies because you39re bored or exhausted Or when was the last time you went to the movies to help you fall asleep Going to the movies is very much a quotlean forwardquot decision and mindset in spite of those luxurious Barcaloungerlike multiplex seats that let you lean back That39s because going to a movie is often the linchpin activity in an evening that is surrounded by other placebased activities like dining out shopping or meeting up with chums for a friendly libation It often provides us with the singular venue if only for a few hours for inspiring our emotional romantic or even political puissance in a way that few other mediums can The cinema39s ability to not just reach many but also touch them in a special way makes the viewing of films such as Argo Silver Linings Playbook or Slumdog Millionaire emotional catalysts that create feelings and memories which are not easily shaken or dismissed long after we leave the cinemaIn fact a recent study of US multimedia consumers Media Behavior Institute39s USA Touchpoints was able to discern that when it came to the specific emotion of quothappinessquot some 62 of 2000 respondents Persons 1864 used that adjective to describe their state of mind at the movies Equally exciting to me was the fact that 29 described themselves as quotexcitedquot while 23 claimed quotfeeling interestedquot whilst at the movies No other media came closer than 10 percentage points to the first two emotions or closer than 7 points when it came to quotfeeling interestedquotMoreover that excitement manifests itself in people wanting to share that moviegoing experience through word of mouth or social media which feeds into the excitement buildup that others bring with them to the cinema Or in a more vernacular description the audience is quotprimed pumped and ready to goquot With such summer blockbusters as Ironman 3 Man of Steel Monster University Despicable Me 2 and even The Conjuring cinema39s immersive environment allows the consumer to become absorbed in whatever informationentertainment is unfolding in front of him or her amp8212 say a commercial brand message for exampleNow one might say hold on a minute let39s not confuse going to the movies with seeing commercials in a movie theater Well actually let39samp8230 In a US National Omnibus survey by Phoenix Marketing International from May of this year nearly half 49 of over 1000 US Persons 1859 said that onscreen commercials actually added to their enjoyment of going to the movies The figure increases to slightly more than half 52 with women and to 54 with the highly coveted target demo of Persons 1834Could the answer to our industry39s ad avoidance problem lie in this rare combination of excitement and anticipation found in the movie theater auditorium Or could it be that because distractions are usually at a minimum a moviegoer39s focus naturally tends to be placed on whatever is up on the big screenAgain USA Touchpoints tells us that 85 of moviegoers described their experience as undistracted whereas the second closest media could only conjure up 70 When a media environment enables you to focus precisely on what you39re consuming you are more quotin the momentquot and automatically more engaged with whatever you39re watching According to the study this quothappyquot and quotundistractedquot environment was able to place 76 of movie goers in a positive emotional state of some kind Conversely when consumers were asked to classify what percent of the time they were quotboredquot while using various media virtually no one 01 described themselves as quotboredquot while at the cinema In fact many characterized their portion of media time spent at the movies as quotalertquotSo just picture all of those millions of happy excited undistracted alert consumers in movie theaters all across America waiting to be entertained and informed It brings cheer to your marketing hearts too doesn39t it So if movie theaters really are the happiest media places on earth I guess that could explain why DisneyABC is one of our NCM FirstLook content partners amp8212 for the metageographical synergyThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

Are Movie Theaters The Happiest Media Places On Earth? Consumers Think So!

Author

Publish date

Channel

Doug Pulick

Empowering Women in Media: Insights from Industry Leaders (Video) - By E.B. Moss

More Videos:

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

Are Movie Theaters The Happiest Media Places On Earth? Consumers Think So!

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Doug Pulick

Empowering Women in Media: Insights from Industry Leaders (Video) - By E.B. Moss

The payment was successful

Cookies