Screenvision Media Attention Study Proves The Value of Cinema

The holy grail of advertising effectiveness is capturing viewer attention and by doing so, facilitating the consumer journey outcome. For Screenvision Media, attention measurement in cinema has resulted in a recently released Media Attention study that offers fascinating insights. Jen Friedlander, Screenvision’s Senior Vice President of Insights and Measurement, explained that, “We've been laser focused on proving out attention in the cinema space. Since 2023 attention became a buzzword and an emerging metric to measure the quality of an impression.”

The Media Attention study had two goals, according to Friedlander.  “One was to conduct and prove out attention in the in the cinema space. And two was to make sure that the cinema data was available.” It is vital to capturing data in such a way that there is not only the ability to compare to other datasets but also to make it digestible for industry usage. As such, “we wanted to make sure that we had that cinema data available both for ourselves for comparison and also for agencies that are starting to actually plan and optimize against attention,” she shared.

To that end, Screenvision partnered with Amplified Intelligence on two out of the three study phases, capturing movie goers in the natural cinema environment rather than in a lab. “We recruited movie goers to come to our theaters, pick their films, bring their friends and get their concessions,” she explained. Amplified Intelligence then brought DSLR cameras into the venues and placed them on either side of the screen to map facial expressions for over 500 data points that measure attention level at the eye level.

This seamless approach proved, “Undisruptive to the movie going experience. Movie goers, of course, had to give their consent to be filmed. But most movie goers thought they were being filmed for the duration of the movie and not just the pre-show so everyone was doing their normal movie going behaviors,” she noted. Moviegoers were tested twice in New York, in April and December, and in Milwaukee in partnership with Magna Global.

The biggest takeaway from the study, according to Friedlander, was that cinema delivers the highest active attention of any media platform and twice that of TV. They compared the three market cinema data to TVision data, which, she explained, “is the gold standard of attention measurement on the TV side.” This comparison showed that cinema averages an, “84 active attention to ads versus TV, or even CTV, where that number is about 30. That's a difference of 25 seconds of a 30 second ad being viewed in the cinema environment versus only about 9 or 10 seconds of a 30 second ad being viewed on linear or CTV.”

And this deep attention is consistent across advertising categories, implying no need for special creative for cinema. “Sometimes people think they need something special to really stand out on screen. We tested a variety of creative that were made for TV, we tested across categories and we did not see significant differences between ads,” she shared. The big takeaway here is that it is the cinema environment is less about the creative and more about the environment.

Capturing attention for ads from any age cohort is impressive but especially so for younger viewers. A surprising takeaway from the study was that the youngest demographic group had the highest attention scores. “The 18-24 and 18-34 active attention to the ads were even higher than the over 35. That's a demographic that's highly distracted with an attention span of 8 seconds as they double and triple screen all the time. But I think they really value that time away to check out and immerse themselves in the cinema experience,” she marveled. She added that the study showed that younger cinema attendees in the study actually put their phone away during the pre-show. “Is there any other time you can find an 18-24 year old that wants to put their phone away?” she posited. “In the cinema environment I think they value that time to really immerse themselves and engage in the experience that they've planned and paid for.”

The biggest challenge in measuring attention is standardization of measurement. “There's a variety of companies measuring attention. It could be via camera, via eyeglasses, some are using neuro-technology and so there are nuances how each company is collecting and interpreting the data,” she noted. But she added that the ARF and IAB are focused on providing best practices on advancing measurement beyond legacy metrics and reaching an Omni Channel attention metric. For Screenvision, comparing their results to TVision attention and viewability data at home for TV viewing makes the most sense at this time because, “it's a very similar methodology.”

When it comes to engagement compared to attention, Friedlander stated that, “Engagement is the mindset of the consumer in the moment that you're reaching them. How leaned in are they? What is their mental availability in that moment?” Within the cinema world, she sees that, since moviegoers have planned and paid to be there, “they've opted into the shared experience with friends and other fans for this completely undistracted experience.” To her, that's the height of engagement, “that ideal mix of social passion, emotion, content, anticipation, all of those factors culminate and driving attention. So to me, engagement drives attention, and engagement is really about sort of the mindset and that moment that you're reaching them.”

The next steps in this journey focus on educating the industry. “Not only getting in front of agencies and brands, but also being active participants in the ARF panels and getting on various panels sharing those results,” and connecting the dots between attention and outcomes.

For Friedlander, “moviegoers are the most passionate content fans but also the hardest to reach. They are younger compared to linear which has 80% of their primetime audience over age 50. The majority of our audience, about 80%, is under age 50.” She added that cinema also reaches an audience that doesn’t watch linear TV because they are cord cutters and cord nevers. “Cinema provides incrementality, reaching a young demo in a highly efficient way and one that you can't reach elsewhere. We call them the Elusives because they truly are elusive. It’s another way that brands can connect with a highly desirable audience on the biggest screen in the world in a moment that matters,” she concluded.

This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com

Artwork by Charlene Weisler

Striving for Gender Equality. Screenvision Partners with Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

In a time of hesitancy among media companies to take action in support of women’s rights, Screenvision is taking a more active role, as Christine Martino, EVP Ad Sales, explained. Her company has entered into a partnership with Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media to raise awareness of gender bias in Hollywood. “Screenvision Media has always been an advocate for gender equality in the work place and in society, and with our connection to Hollywood and the movie industry, the partnership seemed like an ideal extension of the work we were already doing,” she stated. 

Films will be evaluated to determine if they earn the GDIQ-Check, a metric that analyzes films based on the screen time, speaking time, diversity and whether or not there are stereotypical representations of its female characters in accordance with our 19-point scoring system. 

Charlene Weisler: Are there set goals and if so what are they?

Christine Martino: We are bringing in a studio launch partner and highlight their upcoming films that meet an extensive, proprietary set of criteria for fair, diverse gender portrayal standards set by Screenvision and the Geena Davis Institute. Once we secure this partner, we will spotlight their upcoming films that have received this GDIQ-Check by integrating them into our new fixed content pod.  In this new feature in our Front + Center preshow, Geena will discuss her Institute’s mission and encourage moviegoers to go to theaters to see the films that are in support of this cause.  

Weisler: What type of impact do you hope to achieve?

Martino: We hope to encourage millions of moviegoers to support the featured GDIQ-Check films by seeing them in the theatre.  Screenvision sits at an important juncture of the media ecosystem: we are poised to bring together brands and movie-goers with content creators and distributors and we want to use this position to support the important cause of gender equality in media. 

Weisler: What are the biggest obstacles?

 

Martino: Our greatest challenges are bringing awareness to the gender inequality that still exists in Hollywood and encouraging more studios to support the Institute’s work.  We are looking forward to overcoming them to effect real and much-needed change.

Weisler: Where do you see this effort going three years from now?

Martino: We expect that multiple studios will want to be included and featured in our awareness campaign and that they will begin to change the way they evaluate the gender balance in their films before they are even in production. We believe supportive brands will surround this content feature and, in addition to attaching their advertisements to these GDIQ-Check films, look to accurately portray women in the advertisements themselves in support of all forms of media breaking the gender bias.

This article first appeared in Cynopsis

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

Q&A with Katy Loria, Chief Revenue Officer at Screenvision

Katy Loria, EVP, Chief Revenue Officer at Screenvision, made a huge career transition from television and digital at Viacom in Chicago to cinema advertising at Screenvision in New York. She says that “after so many years at Viacom, which was a wonderful place to work, I wanted a change of pace. I went from big company to small company, from public company to private company and from consumer facing brand to non-consumer facing. For me it was a new and different challenge.”

In this fascinating interview, Loria talks about her work at Screenvision, the transitions in the movie business and how it differs from television, how she achieves life balance as the mother of twins and, looking forward, how she thinks the media landscape will change over the next five years.

CW: What is Screenvision’s competitive set?

KL: There are a couple of ways to define that. The real answer is that our competitive set is the video marketplace. If we are downstream, there are just a few of us – a couple of us – that sell cinema advertising. That would look like an obvious competitive set. But in my opinion, at that point, you have already missed the broader competitive set which is really television. Television is the biggest market, and the opportunity is the dollars we see flow from television to digital video  - and there is where cinema needs to be a bigger part of the mix. So dollars that have historically been in TV that want a new home because of fragmentation and declining ratings, DVRs and fast forwarding through content, as those dollars seek new options to stay current with consumers and how they consume media, that is where we would like to be part of that conversation.  It is really anybody – brand or agency – seeking a home for a video message.   

CW: What is your definition of television?

KL: It’s a box.  My definition of television is that it is literally the box that is still, in most, but not all of our family rooms. But what comes through that box is changing all the time and so are all of the options for us to consume content. TV is one place that we do that, but it is not just only place, as we watch more and more content on mobile devices. But TV still is the significant conduit by which content is comes in, however the traditional ways of consumer linear televisions is changing rapidly with more  OTT and all sorts of other streaming options. 

CW: You are a working mother. How do you achieve work life balance?

KL: It’s a great question. I think the first thing you do is lose the word “balance” because it puts too much pressure on the question. What I learned over the years is to embrace imperfection and recognize that there is an ebb and a flow to it. There are times when I am going to feel that I am excelling at my career maybe at the expense of the home front but that flips around and goes the other way too. The other thing I have come to understand (maybe it is just a rationale) that maybe the small moments matter more than the large moments. So I may miss a soccer game or school concerts but I got home before dark last night and played ping pong in the driveway with my son. So if you believe that it is those little moments that add up to what is really important, I am doing okay. 

CW: What advice would you give a college student today regarding a career?

KL: Ask lots of questions and listen really well to the answers. The more people and experiences that you can accumulate the more, well-rounded your approach to life and business will be. And I think there are great role models out there. So find that person and pick up the phone and call. Don’t be afraid to lean on people for advice and questions and help because we like to give it. The ability to find and embrace a mentor is a great approach.

 This article first appeared on www.MediaBizBloggers.com