Targeting Millennial Moviegoers More Complex Than First Thought
by Laurie Sullivan, Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, June 22, 2016
Some think millennials are generally less interested in going to the movies than previous generations, but data released Tuesday suggests ways brands can connect with these finicky movie-goers.
In fact, millennials account for 29% of box office revenue, visiting on average 6.2 times per year, according to Movio, a data and campaign-management software company that supports cinema and studios.
Preferences based on age within this generation differ greatly, so it’s important for marketers to keep in mind the differences in behavior of subgroups within the same generation. For example, millennials between 20 and 25 years old visit the movies on average 8.5% more frequently than millennials between 30 and 35. Younger millennials purchase 15% fewer tickets, spend 22% less on concessions each time they visit, spend 7% less overall, and are 18% less likely to purchase tickets online.
The gap between women’s and men’s average tickets per visit increases as millennials age, presumably because women are more likely to take children to the movies.
Millennials’ genre preferences also vary significantly with age. Millennials under 25 are twice as likely to have seen a horror film as a millennial over 30, 36% more likely to have seen an urban film, 25% more likely to have seen a young adult comedy, and 13% less likely to have seen an animated film during their time in a cinema loyalty program.
Some 47% under 25 years old go to the movies on opening weekend. About 51% between the ages of 30 and 35 go before 6 p.m. and on the weekends, where as 60% of those 20 to 25 years old go to the movies after 6 p.m. and 17% go on Tuesdays.
The data shows that a Tuesday night horror movie and a Saturday afternoon family film will both appeal to millennials — but to very different subgroups within the same generation.
Not only do they appear to different subgroups, but their preferences can change quickly, per the study.
MediaPost.com: Search Marketing Daily
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