| Date | |
|---|---|
| Author | DCM |
| Categories | cinema |
Joe Evea, Commercial Director at Digital Cinema Media, looks at the relationship between Mobile and the big screen with 12Ahead, focusing on the mobile shift and how to engage cinemagoers via second screen.
I spent last Thursday engaged in a very interesting and, I must confess slightly drunken, conversation with a friend who studied anthropology at university. She spent most of the evening convincing me that the mobile phone has the capacity to fundamentally change human behaviour. Much like the invention of television, radio or even the motor car, mobile has engendered a dramatic shift in the way we interact both with each other and with the world around us. Such a shift, she contented, has changed our perception of what is and isn’t possible, transforming our expectations regarding our relationship with and access to information.
While I’m still to be convinced of the long term impact of the mobile phone and crucially for that matter, the mobile internet, what does seem clear is that technology is increasingly aggregating information, which is working to create seamless experiences that are having an impact on our daily lives. The fact I can now go on holiday with only a mobile (and a pair of trunks) because my flight tickets, hotel booking and access to cash are all stored on the phone, or that I can use the phone to take photos while I am away, instantly share them with friends and family, then receive immediate feedback, are just two examples.
The nature of advertising and the necessity for brands to remain vital, necessary and relevant has meant that our industry has had to adapt to these behavioural changes faster than many others. As such, media planning is being increasingly driven by technology - and the opportunity this provides - to access an audience wherever they are and whatever they are doing. Media owners too are embracing technology to ensure that their product can be consumed across multiple platforms at any time of the day.
Many believe that cinema is one of the last remaining mediums where technology does not impose itself on the experience and I would be inclined to agree. In fact, I would argue that the very nature of cinema, the fact you are in a quiet, dark space staring intently at a screen the size of two double decker buses makes it even more impactful in a world where distractions are everywhere. In reality though, we have to be mindful that the majority of cinemagoers are increasingly ‘mobile’, using their phones to book tickets, to text in the foyer and pre-film, then share their thoughts after the movie.
The cinema industry and Digital Cinema Media, as media owners, could choose to ignore such behaviour, or attempt to ban it. However taking the pragmatic view, it makes more sense to embrace it and gain an element of control over it, to provide a solution that improves the cinemagoing experience for the audience and, where relevant, for brands. Cinime is our attempt to engage cinemagoers with a second screen experience that adds value to their cinema visit and begins to offer brands the opportunity to engage the audience before, during and after the visit.
One good example of a brand embracing the second screen is BMW who recently ran a three week interactive screen time campaign promoting the new BMW 2 Series Coupé. Cinemagoers used cinime to pick the perfect driving line, acceleration and braking point into a corner. The fastest to select the correct answers and register for the competition were invited to participate in a track day racing BMW’s, the winner of the track day will be named BMW’s Ultimate Driver and test drive every new BMW model released over the course of a year.
Over 25,000 people took part and 25% of them went on to find out more directly with the brand. What I like about this campaign is that it has given the audience an opportunity to use their mobiles in an entertaining way and it’s given BMW the opportunity to engage with prospective drivers using the combination of the impact of the big screen and the intimacy (and recentness) of the small screen.
We’re in the early stages of our foray into the second screen, but results so far suggest that there is a great opportunity to offer a more exciting and engaging environment for audiences and brands alike.