Screenvision Goes to College; Reaching Elusive Students

While there have been many successful films about college life (think The Paper Chase, National Lampoon's Animal House, The Social Network and Legally Blonde), this fall marks the first time that brands will be able to sponsor the on-campus moviegoing experience across the nation.  The network of hundreds of colleges covers the spectrum from small campuses like Rensselaer Polytech Institute to large universities like Michigan State University.  To ensure the opportunity is turn-key for advertisers, Screenvision's branded content studio, 40 Foot Solutions, is working with marketers to create custom content that will anchor bespoke pre-shows catered for college audiences.  For example, pre-shows for advance screenings include two to four minutes of ad time plus :60 to :90 seconds of branded content. 

These advertising opportunities will be enhanced by a 360^O relationship between their brands and area moviegoers through signage and on-campus promotion including email blasts, social media, college newspaper ads and campus radio station mentions.  This is an audience of impressionable multi-category buyers and powerful influencers which, in aggregate, has more than $203 billion in discretionary spending power* across a total universe of more than 20 million U.S. college students.

Here's a snapshot of the audience: College students ...

• Are more likely to be frequent moviegoers than others in the U.S. A18-24 demo (188 Index)**
• Spend $523 billion/year, with $203 billion in discretionary spending*
• Form brand loyalties*
• Influence friends and families*
• Arrive early at the movies (86%)***
• Actively engage in social media and consume content on an average of seven devices*

"College moviegoers, particularly those on college campuses, are a very valuable audience for brands," said John McCauley, Chief Strategic Development Officer.  "They're tastemakers; tech savvy, influential consumers, and we're excited to be working with Hogan Communications Network, which is exploring program extensions to help create even more access to this audience,"

Given this industry-first program was created to offer robust engagement, Screenvision Media is optimistic about its appeal to brands and, as McCauley describes them, the "memorable impressions" it will deliver.

Chief Revenue Officer Katy Loria explained at Screenvision's 2017 Upfront that "advertisers understand that all impressions are not created equal," and an immersive, distraction free environment drives more active and eager engagement.

Christine Martino, Senior Vice President, National Ad Sales promises advertisers "complete ownership of the on-campus movie experience" claiming "unparalleled access to the collegiate audience."  Sponsors can choose full academic year-long involvement, a semester-long agreement or go month to month.  Sponsorships can also be tailored to specific genres and/or film titles.

Source:  * 2015 College Explorer by Refuel Agency; ** Gfk Doublebase 2016 College Student; *** Movie-Going Millennial Study/Nielsen Marketing Cloud Data Management Platform =A18-24 and currently attending an institute of higher education. 

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