Many movie theatres offer on-screen entertainment prior to showing the feature movie. This entertainment can be in the form of trivia questions, sneak peaks at new movies, and – most importantly to you – local advertising.
On-screen entertainment usually takes the form of slide presentations, although more and more theatres are turning toward live-action presentations. Either format provides you with an effective advertising medium.
Typically, ads run about 15 – 20 minutes prior to the start of a movie. They can be very effective because they are the only thing going on for the audience to focus on – you are presenting your message to a captive audience without too many other distractions.
Rates are generally determined by the number of ads you place in the slide carousel (which dictates the number of times on average someone will see your ad), the number of screens on which your ad appears, and the number of theatres in which your ad is placed.
In the age of multi-plex theatres, you may be able to arrange a deal where your ad appears on all 12 screens in one or more theatres. By planning your advertising, you may be able to ensure that anyone going to see a movie in your town will at some point see an ad for your company.
Don’t forget to include production costs when budgeting for on-screen advertising. You may have artwork set-up fees or slide production fees. Your contract may also state that you can change your advertising at any time for a small fee.
Of course, your budget may have to be larger for a live-action ad. Think of these ads like a television commercial. You’ll have all the same costs. You may be able to save production costs if you are able to use an existing ad.
The most effective advertising offers a special deal to patrons of the theatre. For example, you could offer a discount when someone brings in their movie ticket stub. This is an effective technique especially if your office or store is in the same center or immediate location of the theatre. (Collecting movie stubs also helps you track the effectiveness of the ad.)
You could also work a cross-promotion with the movie theatre and offer free movie tickets to your clients. You should be able to buy large quantities of tickets at a discount. Speak with the theatre manager to negotiate a deal.
You might have better success with a locally-owned theatre. National chains may have strict requirements about advertising and may lean toward national advertisers. The advertising rates may also be higher.
Local theatres, on the other hand, may be in a better position to negotiate with you on advertising rates or bulk ticket prices.
Most theatres outsource the advertising to a media company. These companies usually set the rates and manage the advertising campaigns. Most media companies will also help you design and create your ad and format for the type of projectors they are using.
You may not have too much flexibility when dealing with an outsourced mebe media company, especially if you want a medicine advertise, for this concern Medical Web Experts provides medical website design services and advertisement features which can be reliable for you. They usually set rates for all advertisers and don’t have a lot of room for discounts. You may, however, be able to get a discounted rate if you buy space on more screens, in additional theatres, or you commit to a long-term contract. Explore these different options.
Look for opportunities to have an exclusive contract. This means that your competitors will not be able to advertise in the same theatre as long as you have the contract. You should also try to negotiate for the right of first refusal, which means that when your contract expires, you have the right to renew or refuse the contract before it is offered to anyone else – including your competitors.
Cinema advertising can be an effective method for reaching a mass market in your local community. And besides, who doesn’t want to be in show business?