Frequent moviegoers find commercials before movies more acceptable than commercials on TV.

To frequent moviegoers (people who attended more than five movies in the past three months) commercials before movies are more acceptable than commercials on television. Over half (53 percent) of frequent moviegoers find advertising before the movie to be acceptable versus 46 percent who find television advertising to be acceptable.

The new study also revealed that 59 percent of moviegoers recall having watched on-screen commercials before the movie began on their most recent trip to the theater. This is a particularly impressive number considering that not all movie theaters run on-screen ads.

The new report, The Arbitron Cinema Advertising Study 2007: Making Brands Shine in the Dark, is a follow-up to Arbitron’s 2003 cinema advertising report. One of the central themes that arose from this national survey of Americans age 12 or older is that a significant number of moviegoers accept on-screen commercials as part of the total entertainment experience.

Study highlights

· Cinema advertising connects with the youth market. Advertising in movie theaters reaches over 124 million or 45 percent of Americans 12 or older in a month. Eighty-one percent of teens and 67 percent of young adults age 18-24 have been to the movies in the past 30 days. Not only do movie theaters reach a high concentration of young people, but these consumers are also more likely to embrace cinema commercials than ads targeting them on the Internet, before programming on DVDs and embedded in video games.

· Frequent moviegoers are early adopters and decision influencers. Thirty-two percent of past-month moviegoers and 40 percent of frequent moviegoers feel they are ahead of the curve for buying new products compared with 22 percent of all Americans 12 and older.

· Movie theater advertising can provide an antidote for commercial avoidance. Moviegoers are more likely to use technology that allows them to avoid advertising such as digital video recorders (DVR) for television or pop-up blockers on the Internet. Moviegoers are more than twice as likely to use a DVR, such as TiVo®, compared to non-moviegoers (26 percent vs. 11 percent).

· The cinema advertising environment creates “Brand Experiences.” The modern cinema environment provides advertisers with multiple opportunities to connect with consumers. Eighty percent of moviegoers looked at posters while in the lobby or concession area on their most recent trip to the theater and 54 percent noticed advertising on concession stand food and drink containers regardless of whether or not they consumed any of the items. Forty percent of moviegoers heard music playing overhead and 28 percent saw video programming in the lobby or concession area. These multiple touch points open the door for advertisers and marketers to create complete “brand experiences” within the theater setting.

“Advertisers are looking beyond traditional media in search of new ways to cut through the deluge of marketing messages, said Bill Rose, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Arbitron Inc. These new findings reinforce that cinema advertising continues to reach millions of Americans in an entertaining environment that engages consumers and showcases brands.”

To view report CLICK on link (Adobe Acrobat Reader required0:
http://www.arbitron.com/downloads/cinema_study_2007.pdf>