The perception in some quarters might be that millennials
(18-to-24-year-olds) are flocking to movie theaters while adults 40-54 are more
inclined to stay home. But a study by Viacom Media Networks' TV Land shows that
movie studios will be making a mistake if they don't spend a significant chunk
of their marketing dollars aimed at luring in those 40-to-54-year-olds.
Among the findings: While young adults represent a significant
portion of the movie-going audience, more adults 40-54 are going to the movies
today than 10 years ago. Movie-going is considered "an occasion" and is a large
part of the 40-54 group's total out-of-home entertainment; and adults in the
40-to-54-year-old group are especially open to movie advertising on television.
Here is some of the data found in the study:
- Younger moviegoers are more likely to see movies during opening
weekend or within a week after it opens, yet 68% of adults 40-54 are also open
to seeing a movie on opening weekend.
- The leading influence for seeing a movie on opening
weekend is the cast of the movie (67%), followed by commercials and trailers on
TV (58%).
- Fortysomething-aged moviegoers are most likely to see
movies with their spouse, while younger moviegoers are more likely to go with
friends.
- Among 40-to-54-year-olds, 75% go to see movies with their
spouse, 49% go with children and 32% go with friends.
- The majority of 18-to-24-year-olds go to see movies with
their friends (73%), followed by significant others (54%).
- Moviegoers 40-54 are more than twice as likely as those
18-24 to spend more than $20 at the movies, 64% vs. 28%, respectively.
As far as movie-going attitudes, moviegoers 40-54 look
forward to seeing a movie in a theater more than nearly any other out-of-home
entertainment option. And a majority of adults 40-54 say going to the movies is
an escape from everyday life (54%), with almost 50% saying it's an opportunity
to spend time with family.
TV commercials are the most common way that moviegoers 40-54
learn about new movies (71%), while younger viewers use word-of-mouth and
in-theater trailers. The 40-54 crowd also expressed an interest in seeing more
movie commercials on TV, with 78% of TV Land viewers saying they have such an
interest.
The study also showed that 55% of 40-to-54-year-old moviegoers
recognize that the majority of movie ads are not targeted toward them, but at younger
people. And 83% of 18-to-24-year-old moviegoers agree that most of the movie ads
they see look like they are for people their age.
The study says despite the rise in adults 40-54 going to the
movies, movie advertising tends to target a younger audience, but that
marketers can tap into this group's openness and interest in movie advertising.
The study was based on one-on-one interviews
with 42 adults aged 40-54 as well as a national survey of 1,500 adults aged
18-54.
