Cinema advertising re-considered

A worldwide surge in cinema advertising expenditure underscores the need fo r additional research into the medium's impact and effectiveness. Proponent s argue that among cinema's many virtues are its abilities to reinforce and complement other media. To explore this contention empirically, a study of commercials launched simultaneously on television and in cinema is reporte d here. Findings confirm that assuming a set budget/GRP constraint, in-mark et recall scores for commercials flighted concurrently in both media are si gnificantly higher than for those launched only on television. Furthermore, young adults, a cohort often considered by advertisers to be evasive and d ifficult to target via traditional media, can be effectively reached throug h cinema advertising. Cinema's appeal is not restricted to the youth market , however. it is an underrated and underutilized medium through which to ta rget older consumers. Conclusions are drawn and future research directions outlined.