Getting Emotional with Movies at the Screenvision Upfront

“The true magic of cinema,” stated John Partilla, CEO Screenvision Media, “engages audiences through emotions” and creates “moments of wonder.” Screenvision’s 2019 upfront, held at the Ziegfeld Theater, highlighted not only the unique experience of attending a movie in a theater but also the unique quality of that type of content. “The essential point is that movie theaters, whether neighborhood or epic, are the cathedrals of storytelling,” Partilla explained, saying they have the ability to, “mesmerize audiences and reach, engage, powerfully impact and move consumers.”

Part of what makes movies different is that it is a shared experience with people you don’t know. Today’s cinemas are also adding accoutrements such as bar service and recliner chairs that make the experience more of an event. “2018 was the biggest year for movies,” noted Katy Loria, Screenvision’s Chief Revenue Officer, “with the highest box office ever with The Avengers.” She added that theaters attract audiences that are young, affluent, educated and socially active decision-makers.

Screenvision’s point of differentiation is that these audiences are essentially unreachable with TV because consumers have become streamers of glass content and avoid ads by either subscribing to SVOD or multitasking by using a digital device while watching TV. Dubbed the “unreachables” by Christine Martino, EVP, National Ad Sales, she posited that they are, “not distracted at the movies. They are craving to pay attention.” She advised advertisers that reallocating GRPs from TV to cinema will, “get those eyeballs back. Cinema is a solution to audience replacement. It is incremental reach.”

The company has been collecting data on moviegoers for last four years and now has a deep understanding of viewer needs, actions, habits and media consumption at the screen level. Among the new technological innovations are pixels built into the screen and a smart network which are access points to advanced targeting. This will extend beyond the screen to social retargeting and measuring attribution. They have also recently constructed new metric – an engagement rating.

In addition to data initiatives that highlight the value of cinema audiences, Screenvision also announced a partnership with the Geena Davis institute to support films that break through stereotypes to identify those scripts and films that show balanced portrayals of women and girls. This pro-social partnership will be featured in segment in Screenvision’s preshow.

In a world where viewers have the option to view content anywhere at any time, the ability to lean back in the dark comfort of a cushy chair and share an emotional experience with a group of strangers may just break through the haze of device distractions.

This article first appeared in Cynopsis

Screenvision Media is Poised for the Future of Branding in the Cinema Experience

The demise or inextricable erosion of cinema has been predicted for years, often from those who see services like Netflix or OTT, On-Demand, SVOD or Pay-Per-View making inroads into viewers’ time and attention. But, according to recent movie trend reports, movie attendance is now on the upswing with +17% growth in A18-49 attendance and +34% among 18-34s. 

The reasons behind cinema’s healthy growth might be due in part, to industry initiatives such as the one recently announced by Screenvision Media, that, through various alliances, help weave the entire movie viewing experience for consumers from consideration to ticket purchase to attendance to remembrance, making it more holistic and engaging. 

CEO John Partilla explained, “People who come to see movies in the theaters are in the right mind set to be entertained or informed - and this is not a given in today’s media landscape. We at Screenvision Media are maintaining the power of the enormous screen and, through a series of alliances, have the ability to engage this captive audience with a great, artful, immersive core offering. We are introducing additional elements in addition to the screen that extends our ability to touch the customer during every moment of their movie-going journey.”

Screenvision Media’s initiative includes the ability to capture the time when the moviegoer first reads a review, when they enter the theater lobby, during the pre-show entertainment, through the movie and when they exit the theater via cross platform interactions. Many of these touchpoints can be branded according to Katy Loria, EVP Chief Revenue Officer, with the additional advertising dollars coming from other media. “Screenvision Media has evolved over the past several years,” she said, “There are now more platforms for brands to take advantage of by relocating TV dollars to cinema to help offset TV erosion. Cinema is a true enhancement for TV prime.”

John McCauley, CMO, EVP Strategic Alliances, showcased the actual offering. He stated, “There are larger appetites for brands to tell their story on the big screen. We at Screenvision Media have connected the cinema journey through technology alliances that connect brands organically. One such alliance is with Movietickets.com that introduces the brand in the movie ticket sales and movie search and discovery experience cycle, as well as adds the related network of Hollywood.com, the exclusive ad sales representation for Movietickets.com. Then there is TimePlay that turns the cinema experience into a smart screen using the mobile phone of the moviegoer to interact with the screen through branching video, trivia and other interactive games that can influence what they see.” This capability is currently available in Canada and Screenvision Media is bringing this technology to the United States as part of this initiative. 

“We have another alliance,” offered McCauley, “and that is with Shazam in the movie space. We are working with them on enhanced audio and visual recognition capabilities, as well as elevated branded content offerings.” He added, “We also are announcing a virtual movie gift shop through EdisonX where you can shop for movie related items from the moment of impulse with an integrated shopping platform. So we are integrating technology before, during and after the movie experience and integrating brands within that consumer journey.”

There is also a creative initiative where new hire, Sir John Hegarty will serve as Creative Chair in Residence at Screenvision Media. Hegarty’s efforts are anticipated to increase the power of the cinema screen by creating opportunities for brands to work on their stories on the big screen. That effort, along with Screenvision Media’s in-house creative studio, 40 Foot Solutions, is focused on developing branded content, as well as creating graphics and animation packages that amplify a brand’s presence in Screenvision Media’s new Front & Center preshow. “We are developing a new original pilot series,” confided McCauley, “It has five characters written in and the sixth character will be a brand, as they will be able to influence plotlines and integrate within the show. The stories will roll out into two to three minute episodes and we will weave brands into each episode.”

Even measurement is advancing. Screenvision Media now has an alliance with comScore that matches the relationship with ticket purchasing behavior with sales. They are also working with comScore (formerly Rentrak) to develop a planning and attribution tool that will provide details up to a specific movie and movie genres - a planning tool with backend analytics. They are also using comScore box office data which will connect to that platform. All this in addition to current Nielsen measurement which is now delivered via a new tool call Total Media Fusion. “This service offers a total view of all media, now including cinema,” said McCauley who added, “This enables us to see what the impact is when we reallocate other media to cinema and see the incremental reach.” 

From the start of the consumers’ cinematic journey to the end, it looks like the fusion of technology and creativity will help keep the appetite for movie going strong for both the consumer and the brands. Screenvision Media is poised to take advantage of all of these opportunities.

This article first appeared in www.MediaBizBloggers.com