Description
These products include not only movies but also take into account the F&B, merchandise and other products that are supplementary to the cinema business. The major players in the Indian Cinema Property Industry are: BIG Cinemas: 516 screens, PVR Cinemas: 136 screens, INOX Cinemas: 132 screens, Cinemax: 74 screens, FAME Cinemas: 70 screens, FUN Cinemas: 45 screens
Comparative Analysis for Digital Marketing
A project report for BIG Cinemas
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Date: 20th of July 2010
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Executive Summary
This report is basically a comparison of the various digital marketing strategies adopted by India’s major cinema companies The comparison takes into account the websites, use of social media, SMS’s as well as any other digital medium used by a company to market its products successfully. These products include not only movies but also take into account the F&B, merchandise and other products that are supplementary to the cinema business. The major players in the Indian Cinema Property Industry are: ? ? ? ? ? ? BIG Cinemas: 516 screens PVR Cinemas: 136 screens INOX Cinemas: 132 screens Cinemax: 74 screens FAME Cinemas: 70 screens FUN Cinemas: 45 screens
We will take a look at each one of them and compare their various strategies. Moreover, I have also expressed my personal opinion as well as offered suggestions for BIG Cinemas with respect to its digital marketing strategy.
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Table of Contents
Page Introduction……………………………………………………………………………… Overview ? ? ? ? ? ? BIG Cinemas……………………………………………………………………… INOX Movies……………………………………………………………………… PVR Cinemas……………………………………………………………………… FAME Cinemas…………………………………………………………………… Cinemax………………………………………………………………………………… FUN Cinemas……………………………………………………………………… 6 7 7 8 9 9 10 13 14 5
Digital Marketing………………………………………………………………… Criteria………………………………………………………………………………………… Membership and Registration……………………………………… Website ? ? ? ? ? Layout…………………………………………………………………………………… Movie details………………………………………………………………… Reviews………………………………………………………………………………… Schedules and Online Bookings……………………… Feedback and Addresses…………………………………………
16 17 18 18 20 21 24 25 26 29 32 33
Advertising………………………………………………………………………………… Visibility on Social Networking Sites…………… Newsletters and SMS Updates……………………………………… Unique/Innovative Feature…………………………………………… Suggested Modifications………………………………………………… Overall Impressions…………………………………………………………… References……………………………………………………………………………………
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Introduction
India is country that witnesses more than a thousand new films being released every year. These movies are in more than twenty four different languages and are screened in all kinds of cinemas from plush multiplexes to roadside shacks. We are going to take a look at some of the major cinema chains across the country. These chains consist of multiplexes as well as single screen cinemas owned by the company. BIG Cinemas is the largest cinema chain in India by a significant margin. Some of the other cinemas are INOX Cinemas, PVR, FAME Cinemas, Cinemax and FUN Cinemas. In this study, we have tried to compare the Digital Marketing strategies of BIG Cinemas with the strategies of other cinema chains in India. Here, Digital marketing refers to all types of digital media that are used by companies in order to market their products. This can include everything from the websites of the company to its use of social networking sites. It also includes the use of SMS alerts and Emails. We will first have a brief introduction of all the cinemas and then we will take look at a comparative analysis of the digital marketing strategies adopted by these companies.
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Overview BIG Cinemas
Big Cinemas, a division of Reliance MediaWorks Ltd and a member of Reliance ADA Group, is India’s largest cinema chain with over 516 screens spread across India, USA, Malaysia and Netherlands and caters to over 35 million consumers. BIG Cinemas has established leadership in film exhibition in India with 253 screens and accounts for 10 to 15% of box office contributions of large movies. BIG Cinemas has also successfully created a pan US footprint and the circuit accounts for 20-35% of Hindi features box office collections and over 70% of Tamil and Telugu box office collections from the US. In Malaysia, the company now has a strong presence of 72 screens that plays Hollywood features besides Chinese and Tamil films to cater to the 1.5 million Tamil populations. The company is also working towards establishing presence in Netherlands and has associated with Pathe Theatres to begin screening Indian movies. BIG Cinemas is committed to providing audiences across India overall economic strata, access to BIG Cinemas' world-class cinemas. This is being achieved through a strategy of not only setting up standalone properties and cinemas in malls, but also taking over current properties, renovating and operating them, taking advantage of their considerable existing infrastructure and brand value. Over the years, BIG Cinemas has created iconic destinations such as BIG-Cinema Park in Agra, a kilometre away from the Taj Mahal, which has pioneered the multi-sensory cinema experience in India through a six dimensional show. BIG Cinemas has also partnered with IMAX Corporation to install IMAX’s new world class digital projection system in BIG Cinemas’ flagship IMAX® theatre in Mumbai. This new technology has marked the first digital IMAX location in India and enabled BIG Cinemas to take advantage of the growing slate of Hollywood releases in IMAX and IMAX® 3D. BIG Cinemas is thereby the only cinema in India which screens films in both 3D and 6D formats. BIG is the only cinema chain in India, which has launched the unique concept of Cine Diner at its flagship property at R City Mall (Ghatkopar) Mumbai. BIG Cinemas has been awarded the “Retailer of the Year” honour at the Reid & Taylor Awards for Retail Excellence for 2 consecutive years and has also been awarded ‘International Exhibitor of the Year 2008’ by CineAsia 2008 at Macau.
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INOX Movies
INOX Leisure Limited is the diversification venture of the INOX Group into entertainment and is a subsidiary of Gujarat Flurochemicals Ltd. INOX Leisure's mission is to be the leader in the cinema exhibition industry, in every aspect right from the quality and choice of cinema to the varied services offered and eventually the highest market share. INOX has traversed its own path by bringing in a professional and service oriented approach to the cinema exhibition sector. With strong financial backing, impeccable track record and strong corporate ethos, INOX has established a strong presence in the cinema exhibition industry in the short span of a little over seven years since the opening of its first multiplex. INOX currently operates 35 multiplexes and 132 screens in 24 cities making it a truly panIndian multiplex chain. Winner of the 'ICICI Entertainment Retailer of the Year' Award 2005, TAAL Multiplexer 2006 and Emerging Superbrand of the year 2006 - 2007 Award, INOX Leisure Ltd. will continue its expansion into places like Jodhpur, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Mangalore, Coimbatore, Kanpur, Hubli, Bhuvaneshwar, etc. Its merger with CCPL (89 Cinemas), has given INOX access to an additional 9 multiplexes in West Bengal and Assam.
PVR Cinemas
PVR are a leading and premium Multiplex Cinema Exhibition company. They pioneered the multiplex revolution in India by establishing the first multiplex cinema in 1997. Currently, their geographically diverse cinema circuit in India consists of 32 Cinemas with 136 screens spread over Delhi, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Ludhiana, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Lucknow, Indore, Aurangabad, Baroda, Allahabad, Chhattisgarh, Ahmedabad, Latur and Raipur. The PVR brand has been successful in entertaining more than 16 million patrons in FY 2009-2010. PVR are the only film exhibition company in India to have had an international film exhibition operator as a strategic investor. PVR were incorporated in April 1995 pursuant to a joint venture agreement between Priya Exhibitors Private Limited and Village Roadshow Limited, one of the largest non-U.S. cinema exhibition companies in the world with more than 1,000 screens under operation. Village Roadshow's international experience enabled them to begin their film exhibition business operations at PVR Saket, the first Multiplex Cinema in India, using international best practices. In November 2002, as part of Village Roadshow's planned divestment of its
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investments in 18 countries, it sold its entire shareholding in our Company to Priya Exhibitors Private Limited. The company operates a film distribution and production business through PVR Pictures, a subsidiary of the company. PVR Ltd holds 60% shareholding in the subsidiary with the balance 40% stake held by JP Morgan Mauritius Holding Ltd and ICICI Venture in equal proportion (20% each). The movies co-produced by PVR Pictures include "Taare Zameen Par", "Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na", "Contract" and "Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye". Apart from the movies co-produced, some of the other movies distributed by us include "Ghajini", "Golmaal Returns", "Dasvidaniya", "Sarkar Raj", "Bal Ganesh", "Lions of Punjab", "Tum Mile", "Aviator", "Chicago", "Hannibal Rising", "Don", “Twilight”, to name a few. To ramp up their presence across the retail entertainment landscape, PVR have entered into a JV with Major Cineplex Group, a leading Film exhibition and retail entertainment company based out of Thailand, to bring lifestyle entertainment concepts to Indian consumers. The Joint Venture enjoined setting up of bowling alleys, karaoke centers, ice skating rinks and gaming zones across the country to enhance the out of home entertainment experience for Indian consumers.
FAME Cinemas
Fame (I) Ltd (formerly Shringar Cinemas Ltd) is a company dealing with Distribution, Exhibition, Multiplexes and Negative rights. It has been instrumental in bringing entertainment products to the Indian audience with over twenty eight years of experience in distribution and over five years experience in exhibition of films. First Multiplex was launched in Andheri (W) – Fame Adlabs and till date they have twenty five multiplexes across India. Currently, FAME operates ninety three screens and twenty six thousand two hundred and sixty nine seats across twelve cities in India with presence in states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Karnataka. A further nine screens are expected to be added in the near future. With this FAME becomes one of the major players in the still developing cinemas chain market in India.
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Cinemax
Cinemax India Ltd. is an Indian company which operates cinemas. It belongs to the Kanakia group. The company operates one of the largest exhibition theatre chains in India with 25 properties with 74 screens. Cinemax is one of the fastest growing cinema chains in India with 74 screens in 25 properties currently and having a target of more than 400 screens pan India. Cinemax iis eyeing future growth in the regions of Allahabad, Indore, Bhopal, Kanpur, Panipat, Kolkata and Silguri. Cinemax is the largest multiplex chain in the Mumbai region and is owned and promoted by the Kanakia Group. The Kanakia Group are one of the well known construction company that is very influential in the Mumbai region. Cinemax is most famous for its high comfort recliners and pusk back seats popularly known as the ‘Red Lounge’ which is present at select properties in Mumbai.
Fun Cinemas
Fun Cinemas is one of the premium cinema chains in the country and is majorly located in Mumbai. In the year 2006-07, Fun Multiplex Pvt. Ltd (FMPL) registered the fastest rate of growth in terms of number of new screens that were made operational. The company aims to reach over 1500 screens in more than 250 cities by 2011. Of these, 173 screens are operational in 87 cities and 170 additional screens across 24 cities have been signed to be made operational by 2009. The strategy FMPL believes in is that there is no "one size fits all" solution in the Indian cinema environment which is more complex, organically evolved, culturally diverse and linguistically divided cinema exhibition industry. Hence, FMPL and its subsidiary, E-City Digital have evolved a 3-level strategy to maximize various opportunities within this spaceFun Cinemas (Lifestyle brand), Talkie Town (Value brand) and E-City Digital (Digitally programmed screens). Fun Cinemas is the flagship brand of the company and is mainly a lifestyle product. It aims to have 300 screens by 2011. Talkie Town is mainly value for money viewing and ain\ms to have around 200 screens by 2011. E-City Digital is about revolutionizing digital cinema technology taking latest content to the mass- segment cinemas in India. They aim to touch 1000 screens in India by 2011.
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Digital Marketing
Digital Marketing is the promoting of brands using all forms of digital advertising. This now includes Television, Radio, Internet, mobile and any other form of digital media. It is the practice of promoting products and services using digital distribution channels to reach consumers in a timely, relevant, personal and cost-effective manner. While digital marketing does include many of the techniques and practices contained within the category of Internet Marketing, it extends beyond this by including other channels with which to reach people that do not require the use of the Internet. As a result of this non-reliance on the Internet, the field of digital marketing includes a whole host of elements such as mobile phones, sms/mms, display / banner ads and digital outdoors. Previously seen as a stand-alone service in its own right, it is frequently being seen as a domain that can and does cover most, if not all, of the more traditional marketing areas such as direct marketing by providing the same method of communicating with an audience but in a digital fashion. Digital is now being broadened to support the servicing and engagement of customers.
Pull v/s Push
There are 2 different forms of digital marketing, each of which has its pros and cons
Pull
Pull digital marketing technologies involve the user having to seek out and directly select (or pull) the content, often via web search. Web site/blogs and streaming media (audio and video) are good examples of this. In each of these examples, users have a specific link (URL) to view the content. Pros:
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Since requests are inherently opt-in, the size of content is generally unlimited. No advanced technology required to send static content, only to store/display it.
Cons: Considerable marketing effort required for users to find the message/content. ? Some types of marketing content may be blocked in mixed content scenarios. e.g. Flash blockers
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Push
Push digital marketing technologies involve both the marketer who is creator of the message as well as the recipients i.e. the user. Email, SMS, RSS are examples of push digital marketing. In each of these examples, the marketer has to send (push) the messages to the users or subscribers in order for the message to be received. In the case of RSS, content is actually pulled on a periodic basis, thus simulating a push. Pros: Faster delivery - push technologies can deliver content immediately as it becomes available. ? Consistent delivery - some push platforms have single content types, making it difficult for the user to block content by type. ? Better targeting - since push technology usually justifies subscription, more specific marketing data may be collected during registration, which allows for better targeting and more personalization. ? Better data - marketing data can be correlated to each request for content, allowing marketers to see information such as user name as well as demographic and psychographic data.
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Cons: Smaller audience - push technology not implemented on common platforms generally need client and/or server software before content can be created, distributed, and/or viewed. ? Higher cost - less popular platforms may have higher implementation costs. ? Lesser discoverability - smaller audiences mean fewer views mean less visibility in search engines.
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Digital Marketing and Multichannel communications
While digital marketing is effective using one message type, it is much more successful when a marketer combines multiple channels in the message campaigns. For example, if a company is trying to promote a new product release, they could send out an email message or text campaign individually. This, if properly executed, could yield positive results. However, this same campaign could be exponentially improved if multiple message types are implemented.
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An email could be sent to a list of potential customers with a special offer for those that also include their cell phone number. A couple of days later, a follow up campaign would be sent via SMS with the special offer. Push and pull message technologies can also be used in conjunction with each other. For example, an email campaign can include a banner ad or link to a content download. This enables a marketer to have the best of both worlds in terms of their marketing method.
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Criteria
We have compared the above cinema companies for their digital marketing strategies based on a certain set of criteria. These criteria are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Membership and Registration Website features Advertising Visibility on Social Networking sites Newsletters and SMS updates Unique/Innovative Feature Suggested Modifications Overall impressions Potentially useful online tools
In the criteria for the layout of the website, the sub criteria that have been used are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Layout Movie details Reviews Schedules and Online Bookings Feedback and Addresses
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Membership and Registration
We will first look at some of the membership and registration schemes that have been introduced by cinema companies. FAME Cinemas had introduced a ‘King Club’ scheme where members of the club earned points on the value of purchases they made at the ticket counter. These points could further be redeemed at the cinema for future transactions. However, this offer has been temporarily discontinued by the company. Cinemax has a Max Card offer where the holders of this card get a discount on tickets or sometimes get an additional ticket on the purchase of a certain number of tickets. It is a very exciting and tempting offer but for reasons unknown, Cinemax has kept this scheme only at four of its locations. There is also an offer where the patron gets a fourth ticket for Rs.30 when he buys three tickets. Cinemax also has an offer where one has to refer ten friends online and then he becomes eligible to win some kind of prize.
Another thing that needs to be mentioned is that most of these companies have a registration process just to perform the process of online booking. Only on the BIG Cinemas website, is there a reason for a registration process other than to just facilitate online booking. An important aspect of the registration process is that only Cinemax and Fun Cinemas asked for age details during the registration process. This is a very important point that has to be mentioned as getting the age details of interested visitors enables the company to get an idea of the kind of people(in terms of age) who buy their products. This is very important especially for a cinema as the products on offer at a cinema are age specific a lot of the times.
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Age details in the FUN Cinemas registration
From the observations we have made, it seems that there is hardly any company who is committed beyond a level for having some kind of a membership or a loyalty program. The general perception is that a website visitor logs on to the website mainly for online booking and does not really have the time to engage in activities like loyalty programs and memberships. On a personal level though, I feel that if a attractive loyalty program could be devised, there might be people who could be genuinely interested an may become long term patrons.
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Website Features
We will now take a look at the features on the websites of all these companies and perform a comparative analysis.
Layout:
INOX and Cinemax have given significant space to movie images and online bookings on the home page. The first impression of these websites is very attractive because one gets to see a lot of attractive images instead of words. As they say pictures are worth more than a million words.
Also the icons for various contests on the INOX page are much smaller ensuring they do not become the main focus as well as saving space for other features. From these above attributes, it is evident that INOX and Cinemax are much focused on what they want their website visitors to see. It is mainly movie images and ticket bookings. FUN Cinemas have a different outlook to their website. They have given a significant amount of space to advertisers. Thus the focus seems to be only revenue earning from the website. Even FAME and PVR seem to be inclined to earning advertisement revenue from
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the website, though it is not as much into it as FUN. Another important thing to note is that the FUN Cinemas homepage is much larger in size compared to the others. This has enabled the page to appear uncluttered. The downside of this is that the page takes up longer time to load because of its larger size. The PVR page appears too cluttered. There is too much information which is not strategically placed. Also there are fewer and smaller pictures, thus giving the site an appearance of an information website. Coming to BIG Cinemas, the major portion of the homepage has been given to online booking and contests. The communication about various contests or applications is repetitive at different places on the homepage. There isn’t much space given to movie images except for a section that details a Now Showing and a Coming Soon section. Thus it is apparent that though BIG Cinemas has a n array of banners, it is not focused on anything in particular. A suggestion would be to try and have bigger movie images on the site.
Movie Details:
The websites of Cinemax, FUN and FAME Cinemas give the names of the movies but do not give any further details. Details over here refer to the cast of the movie, the director, producer, a synopsis of the movie etc. On the INOX website there is a provision for movie details, however, there are quite a few malfunctioning links making the experience not too rewarding. On the PVR website, there is not proper differentiation between the Now Showing and Coming Soon section. All the movies are grouped together, making the viewing quite cumbersome. BIG Cinemas has a lot of movie details like the cast, director, producer, a synopsis of the movie as well as reviews of the movie from well known critics across the globe. The only regret is that the link for the movie details is not very prominent. A personal opinion is that movies are the most important product of any cinema company and that is the main and only reason why patrons visit their properties. Thus, even though other sources might generate significant income, the movies cannot be ignored. Thus movie details need to be given more prominence as well as more space on the website.
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Reviews:
INOX, PVR and Fun Cinemas give only the synopses of the movies. FAME Cinemas gives neither the synopsis nor the review of any movie. Cinemax has a very interesting concept when it comes to movie reviews. These reviews are directed to a website that goes by the name of www.mouthshut.com. Whenever anyone tries to access a review, he is directed to this website. Also when this link opens up, the review does not come directly as one has to be registered at the website before. BIG Cinemas is the only website that has detailed movie reviews from acclaimed critics across the globe. It is a very distinguishing feature that puts the company miles ahead of its competition in terms of availability of information. However, just as this is a boon, it can also prove to be a bane. If a review is not very flattering, it may drive the person from watching the movie.
Schedules and Online Booking:
A not very surprising feature is that the online booking section on all the websites is one of the most convenient and easy to use. It is obvious that they have realised that this is their main business and have ensured that it is glitch-free. Another reason for this is that all the websites use the same platform for their online ticket booking application. Hence the uniformity in the quality of the booking application. When it comes to the booking applications INOX, PVR and BIG Cinemas have a sequential booking system where the user has to choose an option in the first field which will facilitate his movement to the next field. e.g. State-City-Cinema-Movie-Date-Timing-Price-Seats.
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Cinemax, FUN and FAME Cinemas have a booking system that allows the user to choose the options according to the movie, date or the city.
As stated earlier, thought there is a distinction between the features offered in the online booking section, all the websites have a very convenient system for the same since they are based on the same platform. Now we will look at another feature which is present during the online booking process for FAME and FUN Cinemas. This is the option of buying a ‘food combo’ during the online booking process. This is a very important feature as the Food and Beverage section brings about a major portion of profits for a cinema company. A personal suggestion for BIG Cinemas would be to include the ‘food combo’ option in the online booking process. Also the show timings that are listed on the homepage for individual cinemas need to be complete. Of course there are practical problems that come up in doing so but it would be a better experience if all the information could be made available.
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Feedback and Addresses:
All the cinema websites have a link for feedback. Some have just an address where an interested individual can send in his or her feedback. Others have a dedicated feedback link which opens into a form that has a specific set of details and a section to enter our suggestions or feedback. This is a very significant part of a cinema website as customer feedback can give in a moment what extensive research will give the company in months. The best way to improve one’s business would be to keep the customer satisfied within the limits of one’s business and the best way to know what the customer wants is through a feedback section. Now, coming to the address section, PVR, FAME, Cinemax and BIG Cinemas have an additional feature over and above the regular addresses of their properties. They give a map to all their properties. INOX Cinemas gives only address details. Fun Cinemas gives neither any address details nor any maps. One has to understand that this mapping feature is mainly an added frill and is not the primary reason for anyone to look up any cinema website. However, all said and done it is still quite attractive and represents some of the properties as landmarks which is extremely important for the image of the company.
Mapping feature on the PVR website
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Advertising
One of the most important aspects of digital marketing is advertising. There are many places where a cinema company can choose to earn revenue from advertising. However, we are talking about digital marketing here and thus we will focus only on digital advertising.
Property advertising:
Cinema advertising is a dynamic medium offering advertisers the opportunity to reach their target consumers in a distraction-free, compelling environment. Advertisers showcase their brands on an entertainment backdrop and access the star power that drives consumers to theatres. Cinema advertising is becoming a more essential, strategic part of the media plan, for many brand categories. Consumers are more likely to consider and choose a brand when in-cinema advertising is part of the overall media mix. Consumers bond with brands they see advertised in-cinema, driving consideration and purchase intent, leading to brand trial and loyalty. A study shows that moviegoers who saw in-theatre advertising are 44% more likely to remember the ad than consumers who saw it on TV. Moviegoers who saw cinema advertising are 70% more likely to correctly identify the advertised brands. Cinema advertising has longevity. Up to one week after seeing commercial at the movies, nearly half of consumers could name the specific brands they saw advertised. In terms of reach, it is lower than TV but in terms of impact it is around 5 times higher. There is better ROI on Cinema as a medium when compared with television. Cinema advertising scores high in terms of attention grabbing, likeability & above all identifying the medium themselves. The websites of all the companies list out the detailed benefits of advertising with the company. This is mainly for advertising at the cinema properties wherever they are. By advertising with multiplex the audience cannot escape from embedded images, since brand placement is moving from platform neutral to platform specific. Advertisements to be effective it has to be targeted at the right audience and that so face to face. Where other than the multiplex can this happen? Besides Multiplexes are being used by huge brands for activities such as new product launches, data collection, sampling and sales promotion. Most chains make anywhere between 6 % to 10 % of their total revenue from branding activities. Cinemas have started viewing their properties as a place for wholesome entertainment and not just movies. By changing their image in this manner, they have discovered many more avenues to advertise.
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The FUN Cinemas website where they pitch for advertising with them
This kind of advertising that is possible in the new age cinema includes:
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Backlit / Glowsign Self Standy Dropdown Banner Ticket Covers Floor Branding Fliers Distribution Seat Sticker Stall Monday - Thursday Stall Saturday - Sunday Stall Popcorn Cone Brandings
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Website advertising:
Now we will talk about advertising on the website. A majority of visitors on a cinema website are there mainly for online booking. So one can look at the effectiveness of advertising on the website from both the angles. One can assume that since a lot of today’s generation prefers to book movie tickets online, the visibility factor for the advertisements is very high. A counter-argument can also be made to the point that since the visitor has come on tho the website mainly for booking tickets online, there is a very small probability that he would pay enough attention to the advertisements. Another concern that cinema companies have expressed about advertisements on the website, is that it has a large capability of distracting the visitor from his primary task on the website. i.e. booking tickets. The visitor may find something very attractive on the advertisement and may follow the link and completely forget/ignore or let go of his desire to watch a movie. Thus, though website advertising can earn revenue for the company, it can prove detrimental to the cinema as well. Different companies have taken different stands and decisions regarding allowing advertisements on their websites. INOX, Cinemax and BIG Cinemas have consciously decided not to have any advertisements on the website. PVR, FUN and FAME Cinemas have advertisements occupy a significant portion of the website.
FAME Cinemas Homepage
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Visibility on Social Networking Sites
No other form of publicity and marketing has caught up in recent times as that on social networking sites. These are also generically referred to as social media. The most popular among these sites are Facebook and Twitter. INOX, PVR, FUN, FAME and BIG Cinemas are all on Facebook. INOX and FAME Cinemas are on Twitter. However, the frequency of updates by INOX and Fun cinemas is very less. PVR, FAME and BIG Cinemas regularly update their social media pages to keep their fan base interested.
Fans on Facebook
PVR – 12663 Big Cinemas – 5425 FAME – 3068 INOX – 911 Fun – 104 Cinemax – NA
We can see that PVR has the highest number of fans on Facebook and though BIG Cinemas comes second, it is way behind. There are many reasons for this huge popularity of PVR on Facebook. The Facebook page of PVR is a very interactive one. There are queries and doubts continuously posted by the fans and a reply is posted to all of them. It is more of an information centre. Also frequent contests are held on the page where the writer of the best slogan or a comment gets to win free tickets or some kind of merchandise. The interactive nature of the PVR page is one of the main reasons why it has many more fans than its closest rival. However, there is a major risk a company takes by having an interactive kind of an outlook to its Facebook page. If someone is not happy with the service that he has received from the company and wants to vent his frustration, this is perfect platform for him to do so. If someone posts a negative line on the Facebook page, it can result in immeasurably bad publicity for the company. Or for that matter even a rival could hire someone to write negative feedback about the cinema on its Facebook page. Thus BIG Cinemas rightly has decided to avoid risk by not making its social media platform very interactive.
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Newsletters and SMS Updates
Newsletters and updates on SMS are some of the most effective ways of keeping patrons up to date with the latest events and happenings at the cinema. However, some cinemas like INOX and PVR Cinemas have chosen to ignore this form of communication. They have no newsletters as well as no system of SMS updates to their members or subscribers. FUN, Cinemax and FAME Cinemas have an option of a weekly newsletter but do not send any SMS updates. BIG Cinemas is a big believer in this form of communication and has newsletters as well as SMS updates sent to its subscribers. However, in terms of consistency, only Fun Cinemas and BIG Cinemas are regular in sending timely updates. In that too only FUN sends updates about the patron’s local cinema and what all is playing there every week. BIG Cinemas have so many screens all over the country that it becomes next to impossible for it to send schedules of the local cinemas of all its fans every week. A personal suggestion would be to have a dedicated fan base who would be sent updates about the happenings at their local cinemas rather than send it to all patrons.
A Cinemax Newsletter
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Unique/Innovative feature
Now we will look at a feature of every company that distinguishes it from the others. ? INOX Movies: The website has a very large area dedicated for movie images. The first impression of the homepage is very attractive because the viewer gets to see large images of all the movies which are in the Now Showing and Coming Soon section. The vivid images and the colour combination is sure to attract the website visitor.
? PVR Cinemas: PVR has a CSR section which contributes greatly to its image. The fact that it has a link for the CSR section right up on the homepage immediately adds an extra dimension to its perception from the masses and corporate alike.
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? Cinemax: The layout of the Cinemax website is very uncluttered and uncomplicated. There are fewer applications and features on the homepage and thus make it appear very clear and focused.
? FUN Cinemas: Again here the layout of the website is much uncomplicated and is stress free to use. Also the homepage is much larger in size making it look uncluttered as well as giving more space for having more features.
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? FAME Cinemas: The company has a detailed list of phone numbers for everything related to it in the VAS section. This is a very impressive feature as it makes any kind of information required available from a single link and that too on the homepage.
? BIG Cinemas: Some of the features on the website are just brilliant and make it stand out from the other websites. There are features like movie trailers, downloads, critics reviews and The Plot 2.0 beta which is a blog from BIG Cinemas itself.
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Suggested Modifications
We will now look at some of the modifications I personally feel can improve the overall outlook of the BIG Cinemas’ website as well as the other digital marketing tools that it uses. As mentioned earlier in the report, the movie images and details could be made much more prominent and be given larger space on the homepage. The fact is that images make the viewing very attractive and stress free. It is much better than having to read reams of sentences when the same thing could be expressed by a small picture. Another thing that the website managers could do is to ensure that the same advertisement does not appear twice simultaneously on the page because it is basically a waste of valuable space. BIG Cinemas has some amazing features on its website like movie trailers, wallpapers, reviews from acclaimed critics and the new The Plot 2.0 beta which is basically a blog from BIG Cinemas. These features are not present on the websites of any of the other companies. However, they are not prominently visible on the BIG Cinemas website. They need to be displayed prominently as it is an asset to the company.
Metro BIG Cinemas BIG Cinemas has some of the most famous and newest properties in the country. They need to publicise it more on the website. Some of the offerings like the IMAX screen, Pause, Cine Diner and 180 degree at R-City Ghatkopar, Ebony Lounge at Metro are one of the most unique and beautiful in the country. Images of the same could be displayed on the homepage to make the viewing more addictive and attractive.
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Pause at R-City, Ghatkopar One of the most important aspects of modern cinema is the Food and Beverage (F&B) section. The F&B section of the cinema is its highest margin earner. BIG Cinemas spends a lot of time, money and effort into introducing new food items, making advertisements and promoting them. The same should be advertised more prominently on the website. In fact a few cinemas like FUN and FAME have a food combo option in their online booking process. BIG Cinemas would do really well to introduce a similar option especially since it has a wide array of foods to offer its patrons. The Facebook option on the page seems to be taking up too much space unnecessarily. It could be more optimally placed. There was a suggestion about the iPhone option on the website that is prominently displayed that it was not useful as hardly anybody in India has an iPhone. However, as BIG Cinemas rightly pointed out it is more of an exclusive feature which is mainly to enhance the brand image rather than earn any revenue. There are also many advertisements on the homepage about phone booking services, mobile application for booking and other similar services. I personally feel that these could be given lesser space that what is been given at the moment. More visually attractive advertisements or movie images could be displayed in their place. Another glaring absence is that the fact that BIG Cinemas is the largest multiplex chain in the country is nowhere to be seen on the website except in the iPhone application advertisement. It is one of the most significant achievements and needs to be one of the first things that should be displayed on the site. Also when the shows are more than a specified number, the entire show timings are not listed on the homepage listings for individual cinemas. This could be rectified but of course there are logistical as well as scheduling concerns since many of the shows have a possibility of being rescheduled.
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Now we see that BIG Cinemas sends out emails and newsletters to its patrons and dedicated members. However, this could be done on a more regular as well as a more specific scale with respect to the favourite and registered locations of the patrons. BIG Cinemas has a lot of screens in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. The internet connectivity in these locations is not very advanced and thus it becomes difficult for the common man there to access these features. A more effective way to do this would be to facilitate communication through bulk SMS’s till the time the internet becomes widely available throughout the concerned region. A few more features that could be added on the site would include a search section on the website, information about all movies and not just the ones that are playing or coming soon etc. The idea is to make the website a destination for movies in general and not just a ticket booking site. Of course all these are not exactly profit making features and can be classified as frills but at the same time, they do make the website experience attractive.
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Overall Impressions
Now we will take an overall view of the entire digital marketing strategies of the above mentioned companies. ? INOX Cinemas: For INOX, the website seems to be the only digital marketing tool they have at the moment. Neither they do not have any updates or newsletters for their members nor do they update their Facebook or Twitter pages regularly. The website is very attractive due to the large images of movies but there is a problem with quite a few links on the page, making the viewing experience a little inconvenient. All said and done, there is not much of a digital marketing strategy so as to say but whatever they have, they seem to be maintaining it well. ? PVR and FAME Cinemas: A very distinctive feature of both these companies is that both focus a lot on Facebook as a marketing tool. It has been successful especially for PVR. Both of them seem to have considered their website as a platform for online booking and a revenue earning option by the way of advertisements. They both send out newsletters but the frequency is not very consistent. Thus the focus is more on interacting with fans via social media and not much else that is significant enough to be mentioned. ? Cinemax: The Cinemax website seems to be having a considerable number of features as compared to other companies except BIG Cinemas. Also they seem to be trying out new ways to attract patrons which is evident by the ‘Refer 10 friends’ offer. They also have a dedicated section for the newsletter where one just has to enter his/her details in order to receive the same. Thus they seem to be very focused on their digital marketing strategy which is evident by the fact that they have not even bothered to register themselves on any kind of social media. ? Fun Cinemas: They seem to be looking at their website mainly as a medium for online booking, earning revenue through advertisements and promoting F&B at their properties. There are very few other features on the site. They do not seem to be very interested in using any social media application to promote themselves. However, their updates and weekly newsletters are the most regular amongst everybody else. They too seem to be very focused on their digital marketing strategy. ? BIG Cinemas: They seem to be doing a lot on all fronts when it comes to digital marketing. They regularly update their website with new features, update their social media interaction pages as well as send out newsletters and updates through email and SMS. They have consciously chosen not to make their social media pages more interactive for reasons mentioned before. Their website is by far the best amongst all considering the number of features they have as well as the ease of use. Overall they seem to be doing well on all fronts in the digital marketing space but there is always room for more.
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References
Books:
Understanding Digital Marketing: Marketing Strategies for Engaging the Digital Generation (December 2008) by Damian Ryan and Calvin Jones Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business (March 2009) by Larry Weber
Websites:
www.mouthshut.com www.imdb.com www.empireonline.com www.bigcinemas.com www.inoxmovies.com www.pvrcinemas.com www.famecinemas.com www.funcinemas.com www.cinemax.co.in
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doc_479311048.docx
These products include not only movies but also take into account the F&B, merchandise and other products that are supplementary to the cinema business. The major players in the Indian Cinema Property Industry are: BIG Cinemas: 516 screens, PVR Cinemas: 136 screens, INOX Cinemas: 132 screens, Cinemax: 74 screens, FAME Cinemas: 70 screens, FUN Cinemas: 45 screens
Comparative Analysis for Digital Marketing
A project report for BIG Cinemas
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Date: 20th of July 2010
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Executive Summary
This report is basically a comparison of the various digital marketing strategies adopted by India’s major cinema companies The comparison takes into account the websites, use of social media, SMS’s as well as any other digital medium used by a company to market its products successfully. These products include not only movies but also take into account the F&B, merchandise and other products that are supplementary to the cinema business. The major players in the Indian Cinema Property Industry are: ? ? ? ? ? ? BIG Cinemas: 516 screens PVR Cinemas: 136 screens INOX Cinemas: 132 screens Cinemax: 74 screens FAME Cinemas: 70 screens FUN Cinemas: 45 screens
We will take a look at each one of them and compare their various strategies. Moreover, I have also expressed my personal opinion as well as offered suggestions for BIG Cinemas with respect to its digital marketing strategy.
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Table of Contents
Page Introduction……………………………………………………………………………… Overview ? ? ? ? ? ? BIG Cinemas……………………………………………………………………… INOX Movies……………………………………………………………………… PVR Cinemas……………………………………………………………………… FAME Cinemas…………………………………………………………………… Cinemax………………………………………………………………………………… FUN Cinemas……………………………………………………………………… 6 7 7 8 9 9 10 13 14 5
Digital Marketing………………………………………………………………… Criteria………………………………………………………………………………………… Membership and Registration……………………………………… Website ? ? ? ? ? Layout…………………………………………………………………………………… Movie details………………………………………………………………… Reviews………………………………………………………………………………… Schedules and Online Bookings……………………… Feedback and Addresses…………………………………………
16 17 18 18 20 21 24 25 26 29 32 33
Advertising………………………………………………………………………………… Visibility on Social Networking Sites…………… Newsletters and SMS Updates……………………………………… Unique/Innovative Feature…………………………………………… Suggested Modifications………………………………………………… Overall Impressions…………………………………………………………… References……………………………………………………………………………………
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Introduction
India is country that witnesses more than a thousand new films being released every year. These movies are in more than twenty four different languages and are screened in all kinds of cinemas from plush multiplexes to roadside shacks. We are going to take a look at some of the major cinema chains across the country. These chains consist of multiplexes as well as single screen cinemas owned by the company. BIG Cinemas is the largest cinema chain in India by a significant margin. Some of the other cinemas are INOX Cinemas, PVR, FAME Cinemas, Cinemax and FUN Cinemas. In this study, we have tried to compare the Digital Marketing strategies of BIG Cinemas with the strategies of other cinema chains in India. Here, Digital marketing refers to all types of digital media that are used by companies in order to market their products. This can include everything from the websites of the company to its use of social networking sites. It also includes the use of SMS alerts and Emails. We will first have a brief introduction of all the cinemas and then we will take look at a comparative analysis of the digital marketing strategies adopted by these companies.
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Overview BIG Cinemas
Big Cinemas, a division of Reliance MediaWorks Ltd and a member of Reliance ADA Group, is India’s largest cinema chain with over 516 screens spread across India, USA, Malaysia and Netherlands and caters to over 35 million consumers. BIG Cinemas has established leadership in film exhibition in India with 253 screens and accounts for 10 to 15% of box office contributions of large movies. BIG Cinemas has also successfully created a pan US footprint and the circuit accounts for 20-35% of Hindi features box office collections and over 70% of Tamil and Telugu box office collections from the US. In Malaysia, the company now has a strong presence of 72 screens that plays Hollywood features besides Chinese and Tamil films to cater to the 1.5 million Tamil populations. The company is also working towards establishing presence in Netherlands and has associated with Pathe Theatres to begin screening Indian movies. BIG Cinemas is committed to providing audiences across India overall economic strata, access to BIG Cinemas' world-class cinemas. This is being achieved through a strategy of not only setting up standalone properties and cinemas in malls, but also taking over current properties, renovating and operating them, taking advantage of their considerable existing infrastructure and brand value. Over the years, BIG Cinemas has created iconic destinations such as BIG-Cinema Park in Agra, a kilometre away from the Taj Mahal, which has pioneered the multi-sensory cinema experience in India through a six dimensional show. BIG Cinemas has also partnered with IMAX Corporation to install IMAX’s new world class digital projection system in BIG Cinemas’ flagship IMAX® theatre in Mumbai. This new technology has marked the first digital IMAX location in India and enabled BIG Cinemas to take advantage of the growing slate of Hollywood releases in IMAX and IMAX® 3D. BIG Cinemas is thereby the only cinema in India which screens films in both 3D and 6D formats. BIG is the only cinema chain in India, which has launched the unique concept of Cine Diner at its flagship property at R City Mall (Ghatkopar) Mumbai. BIG Cinemas has been awarded the “Retailer of the Year” honour at the Reid & Taylor Awards for Retail Excellence for 2 consecutive years and has also been awarded ‘International Exhibitor of the Year 2008’ by CineAsia 2008 at Macau.
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INOX Movies
INOX Leisure Limited is the diversification venture of the INOX Group into entertainment and is a subsidiary of Gujarat Flurochemicals Ltd. INOX Leisure's mission is to be the leader in the cinema exhibition industry, in every aspect right from the quality and choice of cinema to the varied services offered and eventually the highest market share. INOX has traversed its own path by bringing in a professional and service oriented approach to the cinema exhibition sector. With strong financial backing, impeccable track record and strong corporate ethos, INOX has established a strong presence in the cinema exhibition industry in the short span of a little over seven years since the opening of its first multiplex. INOX currently operates 35 multiplexes and 132 screens in 24 cities making it a truly panIndian multiplex chain. Winner of the 'ICICI Entertainment Retailer of the Year' Award 2005, TAAL Multiplexer 2006 and Emerging Superbrand of the year 2006 - 2007 Award, INOX Leisure Ltd. will continue its expansion into places like Jodhpur, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Mangalore, Coimbatore, Kanpur, Hubli, Bhuvaneshwar, etc. Its merger with CCPL (89 Cinemas), has given INOX access to an additional 9 multiplexes in West Bengal and Assam.
PVR Cinemas
PVR are a leading and premium Multiplex Cinema Exhibition company. They pioneered the multiplex revolution in India by establishing the first multiplex cinema in 1997. Currently, their geographically diverse cinema circuit in India consists of 32 Cinemas with 136 screens spread over Delhi, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Ludhiana, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Lucknow, Indore, Aurangabad, Baroda, Allahabad, Chhattisgarh, Ahmedabad, Latur and Raipur. The PVR brand has been successful in entertaining more than 16 million patrons in FY 2009-2010. PVR are the only film exhibition company in India to have had an international film exhibition operator as a strategic investor. PVR were incorporated in April 1995 pursuant to a joint venture agreement between Priya Exhibitors Private Limited and Village Roadshow Limited, one of the largest non-U.S. cinema exhibition companies in the world with more than 1,000 screens under operation. Village Roadshow's international experience enabled them to begin their film exhibition business operations at PVR Saket, the first Multiplex Cinema in India, using international best practices. In November 2002, as part of Village Roadshow's planned divestment of its
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investments in 18 countries, it sold its entire shareholding in our Company to Priya Exhibitors Private Limited. The company operates a film distribution and production business through PVR Pictures, a subsidiary of the company. PVR Ltd holds 60% shareholding in the subsidiary with the balance 40% stake held by JP Morgan Mauritius Holding Ltd and ICICI Venture in equal proportion (20% each). The movies co-produced by PVR Pictures include "Taare Zameen Par", "Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na", "Contract" and "Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye". Apart from the movies co-produced, some of the other movies distributed by us include "Ghajini", "Golmaal Returns", "Dasvidaniya", "Sarkar Raj", "Bal Ganesh", "Lions of Punjab", "Tum Mile", "Aviator", "Chicago", "Hannibal Rising", "Don", “Twilight”, to name a few. To ramp up their presence across the retail entertainment landscape, PVR have entered into a JV with Major Cineplex Group, a leading Film exhibition and retail entertainment company based out of Thailand, to bring lifestyle entertainment concepts to Indian consumers. The Joint Venture enjoined setting up of bowling alleys, karaoke centers, ice skating rinks and gaming zones across the country to enhance the out of home entertainment experience for Indian consumers.
FAME Cinemas
Fame (I) Ltd (formerly Shringar Cinemas Ltd) is a company dealing with Distribution, Exhibition, Multiplexes and Negative rights. It has been instrumental in bringing entertainment products to the Indian audience with over twenty eight years of experience in distribution and over five years experience in exhibition of films. First Multiplex was launched in Andheri (W) – Fame Adlabs and till date they have twenty five multiplexes across India. Currently, FAME operates ninety three screens and twenty six thousand two hundred and sixty nine seats across twelve cities in India with presence in states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Karnataka. A further nine screens are expected to be added in the near future. With this FAME becomes one of the major players in the still developing cinemas chain market in India.
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Cinemax
Cinemax India Ltd. is an Indian company which operates cinemas. It belongs to the Kanakia group. The company operates one of the largest exhibition theatre chains in India with 25 properties with 74 screens. Cinemax is one of the fastest growing cinema chains in India with 74 screens in 25 properties currently and having a target of more than 400 screens pan India. Cinemax iis eyeing future growth in the regions of Allahabad, Indore, Bhopal, Kanpur, Panipat, Kolkata and Silguri. Cinemax is the largest multiplex chain in the Mumbai region and is owned and promoted by the Kanakia Group. The Kanakia Group are one of the well known construction company that is very influential in the Mumbai region. Cinemax is most famous for its high comfort recliners and pusk back seats popularly known as the ‘Red Lounge’ which is present at select properties in Mumbai.
Fun Cinemas
Fun Cinemas is one of the premium cinema chains in the country and is majorly located in Mumbai. In the year 2006-07, Fun Multiplex Pvt. Ltd (FMPL) registered the fastest rate of growth in terms of number of new screens that were made operational. The company aims to reach over 1500 screens in more than 250 cities by 2011. Of these, 173 screens are operational in 87 cities and 170 additional screens across 24 cities have been signed to be made operational by 2009. The strategy FMPL believes in is that there is no "one size fits all" solution in the Indian cinema environment which is more complex, organically evolved, culturally diverse and linguistically divided cinema exhibition industry. Hence, FMPL and its subsidiary, E-City Digital have evolved a 3-level strategy to maximize various opportunities within this spaceFun Cinemas (Lifestyle brand), Talkie Town (Value brand) and E-City Digital (Digitally programmed screens). Fun Cinemas is the flagship brand of the company and is mainly a lifestyle product. It aims to have 300 screens by 2011. Talkie Town is mainly value for money viewing and ain\ms to have around 200 screens by 2011. E-City Digital is about revolutionizing digital cinema technology taking latest content to the mass- segment cinemas in India. They aim to touch 1000 screens in India by 2011.
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Digital Marketing
Digital Marketing is the promoting of brands using all forms of digital advertising. This now includes Television, Radio, Internet, mobile and any other form of digital media. It is the practice of promoting products and services using digital distribution channels to reach consumers in a timely, relevant, personal and cost-effective manner. While digital marketing does include many of the techniques and practices contained within the category of Internet Marketing, it extends beyond this by including other channels with which to reach people that do not require the use of the Internet. As a result of this non-reliance on the Internet, the field of digital marketing includes a whole host of elements such as mobile phones, sms/mms, display / banner ads and digital outdoors. Previously seen as a stand-alone service in its own right, it is frequently being seen as a domain that can and does cover most, if not all, of the more traditional marketing areas such as direct marketing by providing the same method of communicating with an audience but in a digital fashion. Digital is now being broadened to support the servicing and engagement of customers.
Pull v/s Push
There are 2 different forms of digital marketing, each of which has its pros and cons
Pull
Pull digital marketing technologies involve the user having to seek out and directly select (or pull) the content, often via web search. Web site/blogs and streaming media (audio and video) are good examples of this. In each of these examples, users have a specific link (URL) to view the content. Pros:
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Since requests are inherently opt-in, the size of content is generally unlimited. No advanced technology required to send static content, only to store/display it.
Cons: Considerable marketing effort required for users to find the message/content. ? Some types of marketing content may be blocked in mixed content scenarios. e.g. Flash blockers
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Push
Push digital marketing technologies involve both the marketer who is creator of the message as well as the recipients i.e. the user. Email, SMS, RSS are examples of push digital marketing. In each of these examples, the marketer has to send (push) the messages to the users or subscribers in order for the message to be received. In the case of RSS, content is actually pulled on a periodic basis, thus simulating a push. Pros: Faster delivery - push technologies can deliver content immediately as it becomes available. ? Consistent delivery - some push platforms have single content types, making it difficult for the user to block content by type. ? Better targeting - since push technology usually justifies subscription, more specific marketing data may be collected during registration, which allows for better targeting and more personalization. ? Better data - marketing data can be correlated to each request for content, allowing marketers to see information such as user name as well as demographic and psychographic data.
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Cons: Smaller audience - push technology not implemented on common platforms generally need client and/or server software before content can be created, distributed, and/or viewed. ? Higher cost - less popular platforms may have higher implementation costs. ? Lesser discoverability - smaller audiences mean fewer views mean less visibility in search engines.
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Digital Marketing and Multichannel communications
While digital marketing is effective using one message type, it is much more successful when a marketer combines multiple channels in the message campaigns. For example, if a company is trying to promote a new product release, they could send out an email message or text campaign individually. This, if properly executed, could yield positive results. However, this same campaign could be exponentially improved if multiple message types are implemented.
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An email could be sent to a list of potential customers with a special offer for those that also include their cell phone number. A couple of days later, a follow up campaign would be sent via SMS with the special offer. Push and pull message technologies can also be used in conjunction with each other. For example, an email campaign can include a banner ad or link to a content download. This enables a marketer to have the best of both worlds in terms of their marketing method.
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Criteria
We have compared the above cinema companies for their digital marketing strategies based on a certain set of criteria. These criteria are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Membership and Registration Website features Advertising Visibility on Social Networking sites Newsletters and SMS updates Unique/Innovative Feature Suggested Modifications Overall impressions Potentially useful online tools
In the criteria for the layout of the website, the sub criteria that have been used are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Layout Movie details Reviews Schedules and Online Bookings Feedback and Addresses
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Membership and Registration
We will first look at some of the membership and registration schemes that have been introduced by cinema companies. FAME Cinemas had introduced a ‘King Club’ scheme where members of the club earned points on the value of purchases they made at the ticket counter. These points could further be redeemed at the cinema for future transactions. However, this offer has been temporarily discontinued by the company. Cinemax has a Max Card offer where the holders of this card get a discount on tickets or sometimes get an additional ticket on the purchase of a certain number of tickets. It is a very exciting and tempting offer but for reasons unknown, Cinemax has kept this scheme only at four of its locations. There is also an offer where the patron gets a fourth ticket for Rs.30 when he buys three tickets. Cinemax also has an offer where one has to refer ten friends online and then he becomes eligible to win some kind of prize.
Another thing that needs to be mentioned is that most of these companies have a registration process just to perform the process of online booking. Only on the BIG Cinemas website, is there a reason for a registration process other than to just facilitate online booking. An important aspect of the registration process is that only Cinemax and Fun Cinemas asked for age details during the registration process. This is a very important point that has to be mentioned as getting the age details of interested visitors enables the company to get an idea of the kind of people(in terms of age) who buy their products. This is very important especially for a cinema as the products on offer at a cinema are age specific a lot of the times.
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Age details in the FUN Cinemas registration
From the observations we have made, it seems that there is hardly any company who is committed beyond a level for having some kind of a membership or a loyalty program. The general perception is that a website visitor logs on to the website mainly for online booking and does not really have the time to engage in activities like loyalty programs and memberships. On a personal level though, I feel that if a attractive loyalty program could be devised, there might be people who could be genuinely interested an may become long term patrons.
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Website Features
We will now take a look at the features on the websites of all these companies and perform a comparative analysis.
Layout:
INOX and Cinemax have given significant space to movie images and online bookings on the home page. The first impression of these websites is very attractive because one gets to see a lot of attractive images instead of words. As they say pictures are worth more than a million words.
Also the icons for various contests on the INOX page are much smaller ensuring they do not become the main focus as well as saving space for other features. From these above attributes, it is evident that INOX and Cinemax are much focused on what they want their website visitors to see. It is mainly movie images and ticket bookings. FUN Cinemas have a different outlook to their website. They have given a significant amount of space to advertisers. Thus the focus seems to be only revenue earning from the website. Even FAME and PVR seem to be inclined to earning advertisement revenue from
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the website, though it is not as much into it as FUN. Another important thing to note is that the FUN Cinemas homepage is much larger in size compared to the others. This has enabled the page to appear uncluttered. The downside of this is that the page takes up longer time to load because of its larger size. The PVR page appears too cluttered. There is too much information which is not strategically placed. Also there are fewer and smaller pictures, thus giving the site an appearance of an information website. Coming to BIG Cinemas, the major portion of the homepage has been given to online booking and contests. The communication about various contests or applications is repetitive at different places on the homepage. There isn’t much space given to movie images except for a section that details a Now Showing and a Coming Soon section. Thus it is apparent that though BIG Cinemas has a n array of banners, it is not focused on anything in particular. A suggestion would be to try and have bigger movie images on the site.
Movie Details:
The websites of Cinemax, FUN and FAME Cinemas give the names of the movies but do not give any further details. Details over here refer to the cast of the movie, the director, producer, a synopsis of the movie etc. On the INOX website there is a provision for movie details, however, there are quite a few malfunctioning links making the experience not too rewarding. On the PVR website, there is not proper differentiation between the Now Showing and Coming Soon section. All the movies are grouped together, making the viewing quite cumbersome. BIG Cinemas has a lot of movie details like the cast, director, producer, a synopsis of the movie as well as reviews of the movie from well known critics across the globe. The only regret is that the link for the movie details is not very prominent. A personal opinion is that movies are the most important product of any cinema company and that is the main and only reason why patrons visit their properties. Thus, even though other sources might generate significant income, the movies cannot be ignored. Thus movie details need to be given more prominence as well as more space on the website.
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Reviews:
INOX, PVR and Fun Cinemas give only the synopses of the movies. FAME Cinemas gives neither the synopsis nor the review of any movie. Cinemax has a very interesting concept when it comes to movie reviews. These reviews are directed to a website that goes by the name of www.mouthshut.com. Whenever anyone tries to access a review, he is directed to this website. Also when this link opens up, the review does not come directly as one has to be registered at the website before. BIG Cinemas is the only website that has detailed movie reviews from acclaimed critics across the globe. It is a very distinguishing feature that puts the company miles ahead of its competition in terms of availability of information. However, just as this is a boon, it can also prove to be a bane. If a review is not very flattering, it may drive the person from watching the movie.
Schedules and Online Booking:
A not very surprising feature is that the online booking section on all the websites is one of the most convenient and easy to use. It is obvious that they have realised that this is their main business and have ensured that it is glitch-free. Another reason for this is that all the websites use the same platform for their online ticket booking application. Hence the uniformity in the quality of the booking application. When it comes to the booking applications INOX, PVR and BIG Cinemas have a sequential booking system where the user has to choose an option in the first field which will facilitate his movement to the next field. e.g. State-City-Cinema-Movie-Date-Timing-Price-Seats.
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Cinemax, FUN and FAME Cinemas have a booking system that allows the user to choose the options according to the movie, date or the city.
As stated earlier, thought there is a distinction between the features offered in the online booking section, all the websites have a very convenient system for the same since they are based on the same platform. Now we will look at another feature which is present during the online booking process for FAME and FUN Cinemas. This is the option of buying a ‘food combo’ during the online booking process. This is a very important feature as the Food and Beverage section brings about a major portion of profits for a cinema company. A personal suggestion for BIG Cinemas would be to include the ‘food combo’ option in the online booking process. Also the show timings that are listed on the homepage for individual cinemas need to be complete. Of course there are practical problems that come up in doing so but it would be a better experience if all the information could be made available.
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Feedback and Addresses:
All the cinema websites have a link for feedback. Some have just an address where an interested individual can send in his or her feedback. Others have a dedicated feedback link which opens into a form that has a specific set of details and a section to enter our suggestions or feedback. This is a very significant part of a cinema website as customer feedback can give in a moment what extensive research will give the company in months. The best way to improve one’s business would be to keep the customer satisfied within the limits of one’s business and the best way to know what the customer wants is through a feedback section. Now, coming to the address section, PVR, FAME, Cinemax and BIG Cinemas have an additional feature over and above the regular addresses of their properties. They give a map to all their properties. INOX Cinemas gives only address details. Fun Cinemas gives neither any address details nor any maps. One has to understand that this mapping feature is mainly an added frill and is not the primary reason for anyone to look up any cinema website. However, all said and done it is still quite attractive and represents some of the properties as landmarks which is extremely important for the image of the company.
Mapping feature on the PVR website
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Advertising
One of the most important aspects of digital marketing is advertising. There are many places where a cinema company can choose to earn revenue from advertising. However, we are talking about digital marketing here and thus we will focus only on digital advertising.
Property advertising:
Cinema advertising is a dynamic medium offering advertisers the opportunity to reach their target consumers in a distraction-free, compelling environment. Advertisers showcase their brands on an entertainment backdrop and access the star power that drives consumers to theatres. Cinema advertising is becoming a more essential, strategic part of the media plan, for many brand categories. Consumers are more likely to consider and choose a brand when in-cinema advertising is part of the overall media mix. Consumers bond with brands they see advertised in-cinema, driving consideration and purchase intent, leading to brand trial and loyalty. A study shows that moviegoers who saw in-theatre advertising are 44% more likely to remember the ad than consumers who saw it on TV. Moviegoers who saw cinema advertising are 70% more likely to correctly identify the advertised brands. Cinema advertising has longevity. Up to one week after seeing commercial at the movies, nearly half of consumers could name the specific brands they saw advertised. In terms of reach, it is lower than TV but in terms of impact it is around 5 times higher. There is better ROI on Cinema as a medium when compared with television. Cinema advertising scores high in terms of attention grabbing, likeability & above all identifying the medium themselves. The websites of all the companies list out the detailed benefits of advertising with the company. This is mainly for advertising at the cinema properties wherever they are. By advertising with multiplex the audience cannot escape from embedded images, since brand placement is moving from platform neutral to platform specific. Advertisements to be effective it has to be targeted at the right audience and that so face to face. Where other than the multiplex can this happen? Besides Multiplexes are being used by huge brands for activities such as new product launches, data collection, sampling and sales promotion. Most chains make anywhere between 6 % to 10 % of their total revenue from branding activities. Cinemas have started viewing their properties as a place for wholesome entertainment and not just movies. By changing their image in this manner, they have discovered many more avenues to advertise.
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The FUN Cinemas website where they pitch for advertising with them
This kind of advertising that is possible in the new age cinema includes:
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Backlit / Glowsign Self Standy Dropdown Banner Ticket Covers Floor Branding Fliers Distribution Seat Sticker Stall Monday - Thursday Stall Saturday - Sunday Stall Popcorn Cone Brandings
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Website advertising:
Now we will talk about advertising on the website. A majority of visitors on a cinema website are there mainly for online booking. So one can look at the effectiveness of advertising on the website from both the angles. One can assume that since a lot of today’s generation prefers to book movie tickets online, the visibility factor for the advertisements is very high. A counter-argument can also be made to the point that since the visitor has come on tho the website mainly for booking tickets online, there is a very small probability that he would pay enough attention to the advertisements. Another concern that cinema companies have expressed about advertisements on the website, is that it has a large capability of distracting the visitor from his primary task on the website. i.e. booking tickets. The visitor may find something very attractive on the advertisement and may follow the link and completely forget/ignore or let go of his desire to watch a movie. Thus, though website advertising can earn revenue for the company, it can prove detrimental to the cinema as well. Different companies have taken different stands and decisions regarding allowing advertisements on their websites. INOX, Cinemax and BIG Cinemas have consciously decided not to have any advertisements on the website. PVR, FUN and FAME Cinemas have advertisements occupy a significant portion of the website.
FAME Cinemas Homepage
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Visibility on Social Networking Sites
No other form of publicity and marketing has caught up in recent times as that on social networking sites. These are also generically referred to as social media. The most popular among these sites are Facebook and Twitter. INOX, PVR, FUN, FAME and BIG Cinemas are all on Facebook. INOX and FAME Cinemas are on Twitter. However, the frequency of updates by INOX and Fun cinemas is very less. PVR, FAME and BIG Cinemas regularly update their social media pages to keep their fan base interested.
Fans on Facebook
PVR – 12663 Big Cinemas – 5425 FAME – 3068 INOX – 911 Fun – 104 Cinemax – NA
We can see that PVR has the highest number of fans on Facebook and though BIG Cinemas comes second, it is way behind. There are many reasons for this huge popularity of PVR on Facebook. The Facebook page of PVR is a very interactive one. There are queries and doubts continuously posted by the fans and a reply is posted to all of them. It is more of an information centre. Also frequent contests are held on the page where the writer of the best slogan or a comment gets to win free tickets or some kind of merchandise. The interactive nature of the PVR page is one of the main reasons why it has many more fans than its closest rival. However, there is a major risk a company takes by having an interactive kind of an outlook to its Facebook page. If someone is not happy with the service that he has received from the company and wants to vent his frustration, this is perfect platform for him to do so. If someone posts a negative line on the Facebook page, it can result in immeasurably bad publicity for the company. Or for that matter even a rival could hire someone to write negative feedback about the cinema on its Facebook page. Thus BIG Cinemas rightly has decided to avoid risk by not making its social media platform very interactive.
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Newsletters and SMS Updates
Newsletters and updates on SMS are some of the most effective ways of keeping patrons up to date with the latest events and happenings at the cinema. However, some cinemas like INOX and PVR Cinemas have chosen to ignore this form of communication. They have no newsletters as well as no system of SMS updates to their members or subscribers. FUN, Cinemax and FAME Cinemas have an option of a weekly newsletter but do not send any SMS updates. BIG Cinemas is a big believer in this form of communication and has newsletters as well as SMS updates sent to its subscribers. However, in terms of consistency, only Fun Cinemas and BIG Cinemas are regular in sending timely updates. In that too only FUN sends updates about the patron’s local cinema and what all is playing there every week. BIG Cinemas have so many screens all over the country that it becomes next to impossible for it to send schedules of the local cinemas of all its fans every week. A personal suggestion would be to have a dedicated fan base who would be sent updates about the happenings at their local cinemas rather than send it to all patrons.
A Cinemax Newsletter
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Unique/Innovative feature
Now we will look at a feature of every company that distinguishes it from the others. ? INOX Movies: The website has a very large area dedicated for movie images. The first impression of the homepage is very attractive because the viewer gets to see large images of all the movies which are in the Now Showing and Coming Soon section. The vivid images and the colour combination is sure to attract the website visitor.
? PVR Cinemas: PVR has a CSR section which contributes greatly to its image. The fact that it has a link for the CSR section right up on the homepage immediately adds an extra dimension to its perception from the masses and corporate alike.
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? Cinemax: The layout of the Cinemax website is very uncluttered and uncomplicated. There are fewer applications and features on the homepage and thus make it appear very clear and focused.
? FUN Cinemas: Again here the layout of the website is much uncomplicated and is stress free to use. Also the homepage is much larger in size making it look uncluttered as well as giving more space for having more features.
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? FAME Cinemas: The company has a detailed list of phone numbers for everything related to it in the VAS section. This is a very impressive feature as it makes any kind of information required available from a single link and that too on the homepage.
? BIG Cinemas: Some of the features on the website are just brilliant and make it stand out from the other websites. There are features like movie trailers, downloads, critics reviews and The Plot 2.0 beta which is a blog from BIG Cinemas itself.
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Suggested Modifications
We will now look at some of the modifications I personally feel can improve the overall outlook of the BIG Cinemas’ website as well as the other digital marketing tools that it uses. As mentioned earlier in the report, the movie images and details could be made much more prominent and be given larger space on the homepage. The fact is that images make the viewing very attractive and stress free. It is much better than having to read reams of sentences when the same thing could be expressed by a small picture. Another thing that the website managers could do is to ensure that the same advertisement does not appear twice simultaneously on the page because it is basically a waste of valuable space. BIG Cinemas has some amazing features on its website like movie trailers, wallpapers, reviews from acclaimed critics and the new The Plot 2.0 beta which is basically a blog from BIG Cinemas. These features are not present on the websites of any of the other companies. However, they are not prominently visible on the BIG Cinemas website. They need to be displayed prominently as it is an asset to the company.
Metro BIG Cinemas BIG Cinemas has some of the most famous and newest properties in the country. They need to publicise it more on the website. Some of the offerings like the IMAX screen, Pause, Cine Diner and 180 degree at R-City Ghatkopar, Ebony Lounge at Metro are one of the most unique and beautiful in the country. Images of the same could be displayed on the homepage to make the viewing more addictive and attractive.
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Pause at R-City, Ghatkopar One of the most important aspects of modern cinema is the Food and Beverage (F&B) section. The F&B section of the cinema is its highest margin earner. BIG Cinemas spends a lot of time, money and effort into introducing new food items, making advertisements and promoting them. The same should be advertised more prominently on the website. In fact a few cinemas like FUN and FAME have a food combo option in their online booking process. BIG Cinemas would do really well to introduce a similar option especially since it has a wide array of foods to offer its patrons. The Facebook option on the page seems to be taking up too much space unnecessarily. It could be more optimally placed. There was a suggestion about the iPhone option on the website that is prominently displayed that it was not useful as hardly anybody in India has an iPhone. However, as BIG Cinemas rightly pointed out it is more of an exclusive feature which is mainly to enhance the brand image rather than earn any revenue. There are also many advertisements on the homepage about phone booking services, mobile application for booking and other similar services. I personally feel that these could be given lesser space that what is been given at the moment. More visually attractive advertisements or movie images could be displayed in their place. Another glaring absence is that the fact that BIG Cinemas is the largest multiplex chain in the country is nowhere to be seen on the website except in the iPhone application advertisement. It is one of the most significant achievements and needs to be one of the first things that should be displayed on the site. Also when the shows are more than a specified number, the entire show timings are not listed on the homepage listings for individual cinemas. This could be rectified but of course there are logistical as well as scheduling concerns since many of the shows have a possibility of being rescheduled.
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Now we see that BIG Cinemas sends out emails and newsletters to its patrons and dedicated members. However, this could be done on a more regular as well as a more specific scale with respect to the favourite and registered locations of the patrons. BIG Cinemas has a lot of screens in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. The internet connectivity in these locations is not very advanced and thus it becomes difficult for the common man there to access these features. A more effective way to do this would be to facilitate communication through bulk SMS’s till the time the internet becomes widely available throughout the concerned region. A few more features that could be added on the site would include a search section on the website, information about all movies and not just the ones that are playing or coming soon etc. The idea is to make the website a destination for movies in general and not just a ticket booking site. Of course all these are not exactly profit making features and can be classified as frills but at the same time, they do make the website experience attractive.
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Overall Impressions
Now we will take an overall view of the entire digital marketing strategies of the above mentioned companies. ? INOX Cinemas: For INOX, the website seems to be the only digital marketing tool they have at the moment. Neither they do not have any updates or newsletters for their members nor do they update their Facebook or Twitter pages regularly. The website is very attractive due to the large images of movies but there is a problem with quite a few links on the page, making the viewing experience a little inconvenient. All said and done, there is not much of a digital marketing strategy so as to say but whatever they have, they seem to be maintaining it well. ? PVR and FAME Cinemas: A very distinctive feature of both these companies is that both focus a lot on Facebook as a marketing tool. It has been successful especially for PVR. Both of them seem to have considered their website as a platform for online booking and a revenue earning option by the way of advertisements. They both send out newsletters but the frequency is not very consistent. Thus the focus is more on interacting with fans via social media and not much else that is significant enough to be mentioned. ? Cinemax: The Cinemax website seems to be having a considerable number of features as compared to other companies except BIG Cinemas. Also they seem to be trying out new ways to attract patrons which is evident by the ‘Refer 10 friends’ offer. They also have a dedicated section for the newsletter where one just has to enter his/her details in order to receive the same. Thus they seem to be very focused on their digital marketing strategy which is evident by the fact that they have not even bothered to register themselves on any kind of social media. ? Fun Cinemas: They seem to be looking at their website mainly as a medium for online booking, earning revenue through advertisements and promoting F&B at their properties. There are very few other features on the site. They do not seem to be very interested in using any social media application to promote themselves. However, their updates and weekly newsletters are the most regular amongst everybody else. They too seem to be very focused on their digital marketing strategy. ? BIG Cinemas: They seem to be doing a lot on all fronts when it comes to digital marketing. They regularly update their website with new features, update their social media interaction pages as well as send out newsletters and updates through email and SMS. They have consciously chosen not to make their social media pages more interactive for reasons mentioned before. Their website is by far the best amongst all considering the number of features they have as well as the ease of use. Overall they seem to be doing well on all fronts in the digital marketing space but there is always room for more.
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References
Books:
Understanding Digital Marketing: Marketing Strategies for Engaging the Digital Generation (December 2008) by Damian Ryan and Calvin Jones Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business (March 2009) by Larry Weber
Websites:
www.mouthshut.com www.imdb.com www.empireonline.com www.bigcinemas.com www.inoxmovies.com www.pvrcinemas.com www.famecinemas.com www.funcinemas.com www.cinemax.co.in
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