In-Theater Advertising: A Segment-By-Segment Approach

It’s no secret that individual film genres attract very specific audiences. Chick flicks, like the “Nanny Diaries,” typically resonate strongly with women, while action films, like “3:10 to Yuma,” usually appeal strongly to men.

For advertisers trying to reach target audiences, understanding which film types attract specific consumers can make or break an advertising campaign.

In response, Nielsen PreView analyzed 400 recent movies to identify 11 key movie consumer segments.

Nielsen’s “Tent Pole” segment, for example, attracts viewers from all demographic segments. Popular family and action films, like “Spider-Man 3,” typify this segment. Advertisers trying to reach a broad audience would benefit from advertising before these films.

In contrast, Nielsen’s ”Low Profile Chick Flick” movie segment, which includes movies like “Gracie,” attracts a predominantly female audience. Advertising during these types of movies will likely reach females under age 25.

Learn more: view Nielsen PreView’s abridged report.

Purchase the complete report.

Cracking The Hispanic Market — One Segment At A Time

Savvy marketers in the U.S. have their eye on Hispanic consumers — with good reason: Hispanic Americans account for 50% of all potential new buyers entering the U.S. marketplace.

But reaching these consumers is no simple task, according to a new study released Monday by Nielsen PreView.

For one thing, America’s Hispanic population is far from homogenous.  Instead, Hispanics in the U.S. can actually be divided into three distinct segments: most acculturated, bi-cultural, and least acculturated.

“Bi-cultural” Hispanics account for 53% of the total Hispanic population in the U.S.  Members of this segment speak mostly Spanish at home and consume the most Spanish-language media. 

In contrast, Hispanics within the “most acculturated” segment (34% of the total U.S. Hispanic population) speak mostly English at home, while the “least acculturated” segment speak only Spanish at home.

According to Nielsen, marketers who dissect their Hispanic consumer base on a scale of acculturation will have the most success in reaching potential customers.

View Nielsen PreView’s abridged study.

Access the complete study.

Hollywood: Lost in Translation?

Are American moviegoers an accurate predictor of overseas box office success? 

Yes and no, according to a new study released Monday by Nielsen PreView. 

According to Nielsen, U.S. movie box office receipts do not necessarily predict how well a movie will perform in Japan — this is particularly true of American dramas.  However, movies of all genres that did well in the U.S. consistently fared well among Australian movie-going audiences.

Curious to see how other countries fared?  View Nielsen PreView’s complete study.

Finding The Avid Sports Fan In Season

When is the best time to engage with sport fans? 

It may depend on the time of the year, according to a multi-sport study from Nielsen PreView.  The research, which analyzed fan loyalty for more than a dozen sports found that while some fans are fully dedicated to one sport, many have competing loyalties that affect their engagement with each sport. 

For instance, while NCAA Basketball season begins in the fall – when baseball and football are also on the sports scene, February and March are the prime months when basketball fans are most engaged in their sport.

Sports sponsorship and licensing is at least a $17 billion business in the U.S., Nielsen PreView’s study notes.  With stakes that big, being able to gauge fan engagement across a variety of sports – in order to time ad spending – is no mere game.

View Nielsen PreView’s study.

In Praise of In-Cinema Advertising

In-cinema advertising accounted for a fraction (0.3%) of all U.S. ad spending in 2007.  But according to Nielsen PreView, advertisers may want to consider increasing the presence of cinema advertising within their media mix.

For one thing, cinema audiences are literally “captive” — changing the channel isn’t an option, and there are few distractions.

Moviegoers also tend to have more disposable income than average Americans.  They purchase consumer electronics — XBoxes, DVD players, and Blu-Ray players — at far higher rates than the rest of the population, and many are voracious consumers of other entertainment across a variety of media platforms.

Children, teens, young parents, and Hispanics — all coveted segments for marketers — also tend to be avid moviegoers.

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What’s Your City’s Entertainment “Personality”?

When it comes to entertainment consumption, all U.S. cities are not created equal.

Take Atlanta, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco – five of 21 cities that are home to some of the nation’s most voracious media consumers.  According to a study of entertainment consumption in 65 major U.S. cities, released Monday by Nielsen PreView, residents of these cities love opening weekend movie-going, rock concerts, reality TV, and newspapers.

In contrast, residents of Bakersfield (California), El Paso, Flint/Saginaw/Bay City (Michigan), Memphis, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, and San Antonio have one-track entertainment minds: they flock to movie theaters for new releases, but eschew almost all other forms of entertainment, ranking lowest nationwide in newspaper and reality TV consumption, according to Nielsen. 

Chicagoans, Pittsburghers, Bostonians, and residents of Green Bay (Wisconsin) were similarly single-minded – about sports.  Never mind the movies, these cities love heading to the stadium for a game – or perhaps a rock concert, according to Nielsen.

Read Nielsen PreView’s complete report.

Retailers Strike Gold With Multichannel Shoppers

Good news for retailers with companion websites: multichannel consumers — those who shop both on- and offline – typically spend significantly more than those who shop only online or only offline, Nielsen PreView reported Monday. 

Shoppers who browsed for products both on- and offline at Wal-Mart, for example, spent 38% more than the store’s average customers.

The online/offline consumer connection goes even further, according to Nielsen. 

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Movie Marketers, Meet Your Ideal Audience

It may come as no surprise, but now the proof has arrived: males under 25 and females over 25 have almost polar opposite tastes in movies. 

That’s one of many findings from Nielsen PreView’s new Movie Partnership Calculator, which allows marketers to match upcoming movie titles with specific demographic targets.  The calculator uses survey data profiles from Nielsen Entertainment’s MarketNavigator to identify movies that are likely to resonate with key demographic groups.

For now, mothers and their young sons may struggle to agree on movies, but there’s hope for date night.  According to Nielsen’s calculator, males and females under 25 share a taste for raunchy comedies and franchise horror flicks, like “Role Models” and “Saw V” — due in theaters later this fall.

Find out which movie audiences are likely to see future movie releases — go to Nielsen’s calculator.

Likability Trumps Star Power At The Box Office

They may not draw hordes of paparazzi or receive top-billing, but lesser-known, well-regarded actors like Philip Seymour Hoffman and Kristen Wiig have selling power.

According to research from Nielsen PreView, films featuring actors who are well-liked earned significantly higher revenues at the box office than films headlined by actors with stronger name recognition. 

In 2006 and 2007, comedy films featuring well-liked actors generated an average of $75 million in box office revenues, while those with less-liked actors earned only $44 million, on average.  In contrast, how well the actor is known made little difference at the box office.

The takeaway: films and brands that align with lesser-known, but well-regarded actors with loyal fans may see better returns than those generated by bigger celebrities.

Read Nielsen PreView’s Advertiser Handbook for more insights on entertainment media strategies.

Learn more about other recent Nielsen PreView studies on R-Ratings, 3-D films, and digital streaming video.

Nielsen PreView Forecasts 3-D Movie Payout For Theaters

With an average price tag of $100,000 per 3-D screen, movie exhibitors are searching for a magic number to help them make the best investment decision.

According to a recent study by Nielsen PreView, that magic number is twelve. If twelve 3-D movie titles are released during 2009, all theater sizes from large to small will see a payout. While this may seem like a tall order, studios are already making big bets on 3-D movie titles for 2009 and beyond.

Beyond cost of installation, another critical tipping point is consumer awareness and appetite for 3-D. While 95% of consumers are aware of 3-D technology, more than a third have never seen a 3-D movie, many citing lack of awareness that 3-D movies were available locally. More marketing around the availability and wow factor of 3-D would help drive demand.  The investments should prove worthwhile as audiences are willing to pay more for 3-D, according to another recent Nielsen survey.

Large theaters (11 screens or more) are already getting into the action by upgrading to 3-D at a much faster pace than smaller theaters. However, this payout analysis shows that even medium-size theaters (8-10 screens) would reap large rewards. Even if the industry delivers just seven 3-D films a year for each of the next four years, these mid-size theaters would see positive gains.

For more insights, read the report at Nielsen PreView. [free PreView login required]

Use Nielsen Preview’s 3-D payout tool. [free PreView login required]