Hero:inside the screen - about the magic of cinema(advertising)

Heroes of the silver screen: Werbewoche.ch editor Beat Hürlimann in conversation with cinema marketer Christof Kaufmann (left) and cinema operator Venanzio Di Bacco. The conversation can be watched or read either as a video blog or in writing.

 

Werbewoche.ch: Imagine I give you a magic ticket, similar to the one in the movie "Last Action Hero". There, the boy Danny receives such a ticket from his friend Nik, the age-wise cinema projectionist, and thanks to it he dives into the movie world of his on-screen hero Jack Slater, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now the question for you: Which movie would you like to experience up close?

Venanzio Di Bacco: A fascinating question. I think I would go for a comedy, more specifically the movie "Next Goal Wins" which has just been released and will be released in January 24. This movie is about a Samoan football team trying to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. I would like to accompany Michael Fassbender, who plays the coach, and try to lead the team to success together.

 

And which villain would you like to duel with in the real world?

Christof Kaufmann: For me, that would definitely be Gerd Fröbe from "Goldfinger", who I would love to get into the ring with. But I also fight against those who still declare cinema dead. That is simply wrong and the opposite was clearly proven last year with Barbie and Oppenheimer and many other successful films. With the bad guys, there's always a sidekick to support. I would also emphasize that streaming is not in competition with cinema. This statement that streaming competes with linear television is almost a bit naïve.malicious. Research shows that people who go to the movies a lot also stream a lot. In this sense, these are my "bad guys" in a professional context.

Why should brands buy an advertising ticket for the movies more often?

Venanzio Di Bacco: Brands are of great importance to society and people identify with them. A movie theater offers the perfect environment for a brand, as there are no distractions. You can immerse yourself in the movie, and if the brand and its advertising match the movie, the result is a perfect mix.

Christof Kaufmann: Cinema is still the only remaining premium medium in Switzerland in which advertising contacts and effects take place in top quality. This has a value of its own. In a country where quality is paramount, this should also be increasingly taken into account when choosing an advertising channel.

 

Looking back on the year 2023, what were the cinematic highlights?

Venanzio Di Bacco: 2023 was an eventful year. We got off to a strong start with "Avatar", which was a big hit at the beginning of the year. This was followed by "Supermario K.O." at Easter, which was also very successful. The summer brought "Barbie and Oppenheimer" with record figures for those months.

 

The Pathé Multiplex Cinema Spreitenbach opened in 2019. Shortly afterwards, the pandemic hit. How did you deal with it?

The pandemic was an extremely difficult time for the entire industry, including us. We were closed from one day to the next. As an industry that is normally open almost 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, this was very difficult. It was a challenge to manage both our teams and our customers. Fortunately, that is over and now we are looking positively to the future.

 

What cinematic highlights can we look forward to in 2024?

The coming year promises some exciting movie moments. It starts with "Dune" in March, an epic action and science fiction film. Then we look forward to the return of "Minions", which will attract many families, children and adults to the movies.

 

And what advertising highlights for the cinema?

Christof Kaufmann: It's always a highlight for us when we can show longer versions of commercials on the screen, for example. These are predestined for this. But also the fact that cinema is a very local medium and also offers surrounding companies the opportunity to communicate with target groups.

 

Do you have any insights into the willingness of advertisers to invest in cinema advertising?

After the tough years, we are pleased that we have had a tailwind again since the summer with big hits such as "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer". We are confident that there will be more investment next year. 2023 was generally not a huge year for advertising, more a year of advertising recession. But we are optimistic about the future.

 

Your company Weischer.Cinema Schweiz GmbH published a study with the University of St. Gallen this year. What did it reveal about the impact of cinema advertising?

Our aim is to provide the advertising market with a large number of qualitative studies in future that prove that an advertising spot has a unique effect on the big screen. This can be achieved by using the impressive premises, such as those found here at Pathé in Spreitenbach. But the size of the screen, the attention of the audience and the fact that cinema advertising does not interrupt but takes place before the actual film also contribute to this. We will continue to do everything we can, as we did with the University of St. Gallen, to provide the advertising market with a variety of factors in the area of impact. Our aim is to offer investment security and convey a positive feeling. Cinema advertising is not just the icing on the cake, but must be an integral part of the entire advertising landscape, i.e. a slice of the cake, not just the decoration.

 

What are the outstanding features here at the Pathé cinema complex in Spreitenbach?

Venanzio Di Bacco: This cinema is a multiplex with ten unique auditoriums. Among them is our IMAX auditorium, which is undoubtedly one of the largest in Switzerland. We also have our exclusive VIP area here, where we are at the moment, with three different rooms. The lounge where we are currently staying was specially built for us. Another highlight is the so-called bed cinema, which offers a truly unique experience - the opportunity to enjoy a movie from a real bed. There is also a kids' cinema, which was designed in collaboration with a school class from Spreitenbach. This area is very popular with the children, who not only love the films there, but also like to hold their birthday parties there with their friends and schoolmates.

 

When I arrived at the movie theater this morning, it was quiet, music was playing and the viewer was presented with a beautiful sight. How would you describe your visual experience concept?

I'm delighted about that, of course. We have indeed attached great importance to the materialization of the multiplex, with different colors and the recurring Pathé yellow. We also play with our logo, Charlie the rooster. The aim is to give the customer a feeling of well-being and offer a premium experience.

 

During the tour, you also emphasized the close ties between your company and the municipality of Spreitenbach. Could you tell us more about this and why this connection is so important?

The cinema project was realized in close cooperation with the municipality of Spreitenbach. Our largest auditorium, the IMAX auditorium, also functions as a community hall for Spreitenbach. The municipality uses our cinema for its meetings and thus provides an excellent environment for its citizens. It is a partnership that not only strengthens the cinema, but also the local community.

 

You and your team have also continued to improve the overall experience.

Absolutely, we now have food trucks that offer three different culinary experiences. Firstly, we have "Popcorn du Chef", where visitors can design their own popcorn according to their preferences - a delicious mix of popcorn and exquisite ingredients. From next week, we will also be introducing "Gasa Chilena", a selection of empanadas. At the same time, we will also be offering classic treats such as candy floss and bubble teas to round off the movie experience in a tasty way.

 

As we have heard today, cinema offers an extremely effective environment for advertising measures. Is cinema more at the top end of the advertising funnel, or is this a stereotype?

Christof Kaufmann: This is not necessarily the case. I am convinced that cinema, with its unique opportunities, is able to generate high-quality contacts. It is likely that very sales-oriented advertising is less common in cinemas. On the one hand, this is due to the special quality of going to the movies, where the audience is truly immersed in the medium and not distracted. In this sense, interactivity, which is sometimes sought with other communication channels, may be less relevant.

 

So why cinema advertising?

Cinema is the ideal channel when it comes to building brand value, premium positioning, differentiation and differentiation. Here, the medium can use its uniqueness particularly well to highlight premium features of products or even premium products themselves.

 

Before we watch a commercial break in the big Imax theater: Venanzio di Bacco, your credits as host?

Venanzio Di Bacco: We talked beforehand about my movie character, who I would like to meet. I want to go to the World Cup with the Samoan football team. But I realized I still need a coach to help me. Will you come with me, Christof? Together we can do it.