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Author Topic: Cost Of Newspaper Advertising Mark Hajducki Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 500 From: Edinburgh, UK Registered: May 2003 posted 03-08-2008 11:31 AM                     A number of newspapers in Edinburgh have listings for all the cinemas within their circulation area. These are simple text and times (sometimes with reviews in a separate section) without logos or non-essential details (phone and website). Given the completeness and uniformity of the listings it is unlikely they are paid inclusion. If they were paid for then the larger chains would probably take larger adverts, rather than the basic style.  |  IP: Logged Tony Ratcliff Expert Film Handler Posts: 216 From: Madison, IN, USA Registered: Mar 2002 posted 03-08-2008 04:46 PM                     Bill, sounds like a good time to increase the advertising on your web site! Maybe you can start MAKING money from the web site.  |  IP: Logged Eric Hooper Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 532 From: Fort Worth, TX, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 03-08-2008 09:27 PM                     I'm also curious, and this may be a whole new topic in itself, but have calls to your recorded message gone down over the years, due to showtimes being on the Internet?  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 03-09-2008 10:00 AM                        I don't know about anyone else but when I look in the newspaper and see adds for theatres that are very small and/or just list a phone number, or say call for showtimes I automatically think; A. This theatre is having financial problems and can't afford a real add B. This theatre is a dump and the ownership doesnt want to spend the money to advertise it C. This theatre does not have its act together and could not get its bookins done in time for the newspaper, or D. The owners dont have much experience in the business and think cutting the newspaper add is a good way to save money Those opinions may be outdated as the internet has grown to be peoples primary source of news and information, but I cannot help but think what I think when I see an abbreviated add. The "big boys" still put very large adds that list all the showtimes in the papers here in the Boston area so I wonder if they know something we don't or if like me they are stuck in the past?  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 03-11-2008 10:31 AM                     Can't say whether A,B,C or D applies to Regal, Carmike and Consolidated, but they all limit the newspaper ads in this area to just a list of their theatres and a phone number for each on Saturday thru Thursday. Friday gets a small display ad for whatever is starting new.  |  IP: Logged Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 03-11-2008 01:12 PM                        quote: Sean McKinnon I automatically think; A. This theatre is having financial problems and can't afford a real add B. This theatre is a dump and the ownership doesnt want to spend the money to advertise it C. This theatre does not have its act together and could not get its bookins done in time for the newspaper, or D. The owners dont have much experience in the business and think cutting the newspaper add is a good way to save money I know in some of our local newspapers, their cut-off time for ad submissions is Friday for the following Tuesday. Since we don't book our shows until Monday, with confirmation from the studios sometimes not coming in until late Monday afternoon, we can't do anything in the newspapers except placing a generic ad saying to check the website or the theatre info line. In the closest metropolitan major market for us (Nashville), a 1 col. x 1.5: display add for a one day submission is upwards of $700 a day in the main newspaper. While Carmike & Regal do have big 1 col. x 6" ads in the newspaper, for smaller independants like me, $700 a day is untouchable. It's not because I'm cheap, my place is not a dump, and because I don't spend $700 a day - my financial problems are nill. In the 5 years we've been open, we have found by far that our own website, combined with our "Weekly movie email list" that goes to our patrons is the best advertising we can get.  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 03-11-2008 01:46 PM                        $700 is a major expense for a newspaper add. I am sure that your place is not a dump, and I am sure that you are fiscally well established, what I said was my perception based on the theatres in my area. It could be because I have been to all of them so I already know which ones are dumps and it just so happens to co-incide with the newspaper adds here. AFAIK All the regals run full adds here.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 03-11-2008 08:29 PM                        My wife, an English teacher in high school, did a survey about 10 years ago. Only about 20% of high school age people has access to a daily newspaper. Fewer read it. I would not carry cinema ads in a paper since the target audience is not covered. Louis  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 03-11-2008 09:18 PM                        I go to movies. I subscribe to the newspaper. I am their target audience.  |  IP: Logged Scott Jentsch Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1061 From: New Berlin, WI, USA Registered: Apr 2003 posted 03-11-2008 10:42 PM                        quote: Bill Enos Hits on the web site have quadrupled since the ad ended. Friday and Saturday hover around 2k+ hits. Weekdays around 800 to 1000. The phone movie line never stops. Bill, Is that 2,000 hits or 2,000 page views? Typically, hits include all elements on a web page, including graphics.  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 03-11-2008 11:58 PM                     Speaking of the recording lines... One chain has started disconnecting the recording lines to individual theatres and are referring, in the print ad in the paper, to call Fandango for listings and showtimes. This is a cost cutting measure in regards to the phone bills.  |  IP: Logged Brad Allen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 688 From: Evansville, IN, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 03-12-2008 07:18 PM                     Fandango, some of the most idiotic on screen ads known to man kind. Ten years ago, I know of a small town theatre that opened up brand new. Big front page spread about the event in all four local (small town) papers. News story ran on the local radio station for two days. Half page ads ran in all four local papers for 1st two weeks. Month later the owner was still running into numerous people daily asking him, so when are you going to open? When he would comment about all the local coverage, he always got the reply, I don't take the paper or, I only read the obits in the paper.  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 03-13-2008 11:23 AM                     David, not that you're an old fart, but you still seem to be somewhat older than than our typical moviegoer. The number of hits is the total of all. [ 03-13-2008, 02:13 PM: Message edited by: Bill Enos ]  |  IP: Logged Scott Jentsch Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1061 From: New Berlin, WI, USA Registered: Apr 2003 posted 03-13-2008 04:12 PM                        I figured it must have been hits, because 2,000 page views per day for a single theater would be high indeed. Out of curiosity, do you have an idea of how many page views your main page gets? If your stats package also gives you that information, a valuable item is the number of unique visitors, as that will tell you how many individuals you are serving with your site. For example, on a typical Friday, one of my client's sites gets about 2,000 hits, with about 1,000 page views from about 350 visitors. I wonder if their ad in the paper was seen 1,000 times on Friday?  |  IP: Logged Jonathan M. Crist Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 531 From: Hershey, PA, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 03-17-2008 10:24 AM                     According to a report from Reuters, Regal is questioning the need for newspaper advertising; http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN1219223620080312 LOS ANGELES, March 12 (Reuters) - U.S. movie theater company Regal Entertainment Group (RGC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) is seeing diminishing returns from the millions of dollars it spends on movie listings in newspapers as people turn to the Internet for the information, Chief Executive Officer Michael Campbell said. Theaters pay for listing their schedules in newspaper entertainment sections, but the largest U.S. theater chain has begun questioning the value. "Personally, I think that theater listings in newspapers should be free to us and also free as a service to the public, just like TV listings are. I don't see a lot of difference there," Campbell said late on Tuesday at the ShoWest convention for theater operators. Regal has in some cases over the last five years dropped out of certain newspapers, he said. "The reality is that it had no impact on our attendance and truthfully it angers the (newspaper) subscribers not to have it in there," he said. "We think listings are a sales tool to sell more newspapers, why should we pay for it?" he said. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) last week said that a forthcoming study by Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and the MPAA found that 73 percent of U.S. moviegoers use the Web to research films before going to the theater. Moviegoers who use the Web are more likely to see a movie on the opening weekend, go to the theater more often, and see some movies more than once, the MPAA said. Some newspapers do list movie times for free, Campbell said, but most do charge and increase their rates annually. He declined to say how much Regal spends on movie listings other than it was "several millions" of dollars per year. Regal, along with other movie exhibitors and studios are hoping an industry-wide upgrade to digital projection will enable theaters to add on 3-D capabilities and boost both ticket prices and attendance. Several studios and the Digital Cinema Implementation Partners -- wholly owned by Regal, Cinemark Holdings Inc (CNK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and AMC Entertainment Inc (AC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) are close to a $1.1 billion financing deal to deploy digital technology in cinemas. Campbell said he hopes to ultimately have 1,200 to 1,500 3-D screens in his theater chain. Regal operates about 6,388 screens nationwide. He reiterated that for the current first quarter, Regal would be happy if it matches the year-ago period, which had revenues of $625 million, and was boosted by the blockbuster film, "300." Analysts, on average, expect Regal to report 18 cents a share for the quarter, according to Reuters Estimates. "January and February were very good, but we've lost some of that ground in March as we suspected because the comparisons were tougher," he said. "For first quarter, if we're flattish with last year, we'd be happy," he said.  |  IP: Logged

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