Behavioral and demographic segmentation are two ways cinemas understand their audience to improve marketing and boost ticket sales. Demographics focus on who people are - age, gender, income, and location - while behavioral segmentation looks at what people do, like movie preferences, ticket-buying habits, and app usage. Here's the key takeaway:
- Demographics are quick and easy to gather, ideal for broad campaigns, but they rely on assumptions. For example, targeting "parents" doesn't account for individual tastes or habits.
- Behavioral data provides deeper insights, focusing on actions like frequent visits or genre preferences. This allows cinemas to send personalized offers and improve loyalty programs, but it requires more data and tools to analyze.
Quick Comparison
| Aspect | Demographics | Behavioral Segmentation |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Who people are (age, gender, etc.) | What people do (habits, preferences) |
| Ease of Use | Simple, fast to collect | Requires detailed data analysis |
| Best Use | Broad campaigns (e.g., family movies) | Personalized offers, loyalty rewards |
| Example | Ads for "kids' movies" to families | Alerts for horror fans about new releases |
To succeed, cinemas should combine both methods. For instance, targeting young adults (demographics) who love action movies (behavioral) ensures ads reach the right people at the right time. This approach leads to smarter marketing and higher sales.
Demographic Segmentation in Cinemas
What is Demographic Segmentation?
Using demographic segmentation is a very common way for cinemas to reach people. It is simple for them to use. With this, cinemas split movie fans into groups using traits like age, sex, money, how much school they finished, and where they live.
For instance, a cinema may reduce ticket prices for college kids, or share ads for cartoon movies with families. The main idea is that people who look alike by these simple traits often like the same kind of movies and spend money alike.
The most used traits by cinemas are age (kids, teens, young ones, families, older folks), sex, money level, school done, and area. This helps cinemas guess which people may come see a certain movie, and what kind of movie will make more money. This helps them decide who they want to reach, but also has its downsides.
Strengths and Limitations
This way is liked since it is plain and quick and can reach lots of people. You can find someone’s age or sex fast when tickets are sold, or look at census numbers from outside with little work.
With this info, cinemas see who goes to their shows. If they know ages or sex of folks, they can share deals for their main crowd.
Still, this way brings problems. A big one is wasting ads on people who may not care about some movies. Just because two men, both 25, are in the same group doesn’t mean they will like the same film.
It can also cause too much guesswork. A parent at age 30 who likes scary movies at night is unlike a 30-year-old parent who only sees fun movies with their kids in the day. Even with same age and both having kids, they do not have the same taste in films.
With online movie shows and problems like the pandemic, these weak points are even more clear. Cinemas now know that age or money does not show how much people come, what movies they pick, or if they buy snacks.
Data Sources for Demographics
To get around these troubles, cinemas use many tools to learn about people. Ticket sales are big. They record facts like age (for grown-up movies) and zip codes, which show where people come from.
Reward clubs give even more help. When fans join, they tell their age, sex, number in home, and how they like to chat. Platforms like Filmgrail say 9 in 10 app users make their own profiles, so cinemas see more of what loyal guests like.
Outside sources matter too. Census numbers let cinemas see who lives in their town or city. Reports from other groups also show how different people act. Small polls or group talks can teach more about what watchers do and want.
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Moving to online tickets has changed the way theaters learn who comes in. When you buy online, the system saves more facts about you. This is not like when you just pay cash at the window. With phone apps, theaters can see how and when people buy, and what they do each time they come. This makes it easy for theaters to know more about what people like, much better than when folks only used cash.
Behavioral Segmentation in Cinemas
What is Behavioral Segmentation?
Behavioral segmentation looks at what people do, not who they are. For cinemas, this means watching how people pick movies, how much they come by, what food or items they buy, and how they act online.
This way, cinemas can sort people by how they act. Groups might be “fans of scary films who show up every other week” or “families coming on weekends.” These groups help cinemas see what to do next. Instead of focusing just on things like age or gender, cinemas check what people actually do, which tells more about what they might do later. If a person watched three hero films this year, they will likely see the next one more than a random young adult. Actions matter more than age or money here. By zooming in on actions, cinemas can send the right offers at the right time.
Advantages and Challenges
One big strength of behavioral segmentation is that it lets cinemas make offers fit for each person. Cinemas might send notes about new films that match someone’s taste or give deals to people who buy tickets often. These special deals bring more people back and make loyal fans happy - they love perks and custom offers on things they buy.
For example, Filmgrail’s tools show this works. Cinemas using these see 4 times more people join in over basic ticket websites and apps, plus an 89% yearly jump in online ticket sales. This works because 90% of users make their own profiles, so cinemas learn their tastes and habits.
Still, it is not always easy. To get these helpful insights, cinemas must gather information from many places - websites, apps, ticket counters, and rewards clubs - and put it together for each person. Making sense of all these facts takes smart computer tools, and cinemas need to keep user data safe and private as they do this. Without good systems for collecting data, the job gets tough - a challenge we talk about more soon.
Data Collection Methods
Cinemas use lots of ways to learn about what people do. They use web and phone tools to follow user steps, such as which clips are watched, what is saved to see later, and how people look at movie times. Ticket sales and snack buys are all logged, adding to the story for each person. Rewards clubs often help the most, since members give more data for perks, letting cinemas see their habits over many visits.
Filmgrail’s apps and sites go further. They play short trailers and fun videos to keep viewers around, while messages linked to watchlist choices show what people like most. The apps also gather local reviews and ratings, so movie places can set up groups based on what people near them enjoy.
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Bergen Kino's Sales & Service Manager, Daniel Eikeland, shared, "Filmgrail has played a determining role in helping us grow our mobile presence and providing an outstanding moviegoing experience beyond the big screen".
This quote shows how tools that sort people by what they do can make movie visits better. These tools watch what people do and can act on what they like. So, from start to end, these tools help give each person more of what they want when they go see a film.
Behavioral vs Demographic Segmentation Comparison
Comparison Table
Movie places use both ways to learn about their crowds. Demographic and behavioral methods look at people in different ways and each helps in its own way. Take a look below to see how both work, next to each other:
| What is Looked At | By Who You Are | By What You Do |
|---|---|---|
| Where Info Comes From | Age, boy or girl, money, place | Buying tickets, how often you go, what you like to watch, how you use the app |
| What is Good | Easy to get, can reach many, quick to use | Gives you more personal info, helps guess what people will do next |
| What is Hard | Stays the same, may not show what each person likes | Needs lots of info, hard to study and understand |
| When to Use | Big ads, new places opening | Deals for loyal fans, giving offers that fit, getting people to come back |
| Story to Show | Give lower prices in daytime to kids | Tell scary movie fans when a new scary movie is coming |
| How Info is Found | Ask questions, fill out forms, info from city records | User info, what was bought before, check how app is used |
Behavioral segmentation helps you send ads that matter to people, so you do not waste money. It works better than using age or location alone. It helps you reach people who are most ready to buy, not just people who fit a broad trend. This is why it is good to know when to use each way to target.
How and When to Use Each Way
Demographic segmentation is good for large, fast ads. Use it when you want to reach many people at once, like checking out a new place or talking to parents about films for kids. It is simple and quick. But if you want to send special messages that speak to each person, use behavioral segmentation. This is better for things like rewards clubs, alerts, or getting old customers to come back.
You can get even more from your plan by using both ways together. For instance, a cinema can send ads to young people (demographic) who like to go see action movies on weekends (behavioral). With this, your ads hit at the right time, and people see what they want, so more people buy tickets.
Let’s look at Filmgrail. They use both ways to watch how people buy or see movies from start to end. Their users open four times more ads than normal ticket sites. Because of this, their ticket sales get a boost of almost 90 percent every year.
Cinemas that want to sell more tickets or grow their business should not miss out on behavioral segmentation. It can find things that age or address cannot - like who buys snacks, who reads emails, or who may stop coming soon. Pick the right way based on your goal. This helps you place ads just right, so you get the most from your effort every time.
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Cinema Use and How Things Work
How Segmentation Helps
Movie theaters use segmentation to make ads, pick movies, plan snack deals, and run loyalty plans. They do better when they look at both what people do and who they are.
Let’s look at ads first. When theaters blend age, gender, and other facts with how people act, they can send the right ad to the right group. For example, when showing a new hero film in the day, they can aim at people who are age 16-29 (who they are), who like action movies (what they do), who show up on weekends (when they come), and who visit some places often (where they live or go). This way, the ad speaks to those most likely to go and saves money as well.
For movie picks, looking at what people do helps a lot. If a theater knows when folks visit most, how they book seats, or if they come with friends or family, they can change the schedule. For example, families may pick Saturday morning for cartoon shows, while pairs might come Friday night for love stories. With these facts, theaters set film times to match what people want.
Snack plans also get better with smart insights. If a theater sees that someone buys popcorn at every action film, they can give that person a special deal when the next big action movie is out. Knowing what people eat and when helps make the best offers.
In loyalty plans, using both what people do and who they are works best. Rather than give the same prize to all, theaters can give what suits each one. Someone in their 20s who watches a lot may get early tickets to new movies, while a family that comes every weekend may get a deal that fits their visit time. This way, the rewards feel right for each person.
With new tech, it is much easier to use data about both what people do and who they are. This lets theaters set up these smart steps without trouble.
Tech Tools for Segmentation
Today’s tech makes it easy for theaters to find, use, and act on customer data, helping them turn facts into useful plans.
Apps and web tools are key. When customers sign in, buy tickets, or look at movies online, they leave clues about what they like and do. Many users finish their profiles, so the theater learns about movie taste, buy habits, and facts like age or where they live.
Then, data tools help theaters study these clues. Tools like Insights help spot trends, favored movie types, top times to show films, and what makes people return. With this, theaters know which films work for each group and when to show them for best results.
Smart messages also play a big part. By sending notes right to the app or site, theaters give offers to the right people. If someone likes scary films, they get told when one is out. If a family comes for cartoons, they hear about the next new kids' film. What theaters send matches what each group wants.
These simple and sharp uses of data and tech help theaters serve people better, make more smart choices, and build stronger ties with their guests.
Tie-in with loyalty boosts the use of custom deals. When you split up rewards by how often folks come, how much they spend, or which films they pick, you make things fit each person. Movie spots can give better seats to people who show up every Friday, or offer more snacks to those who buy food most times they visit.
Movie spots using smart reward tools, like Filmgrail, note good gains. These tools help get way more people to join in, way more than what you see with simple ticket selling. Some spots say they get, on average, close to double the yearly boost in digital ticket buys, at about 89%.
"Filmgrail has played a determining role in helping us grow our mobile presence and providing an outstanding moviegoing experience beyond the big screen."
– Daniel Eikeland, Sales & Service Manager, Bergen Kino
How do distributors define a film's audience? How do target audiences influence advertising?
Conclusion
Behavioral and demographic segmentation each bring valuable insights to the table for movie theaters, but their true strength lies in combining them. Demographic data gives you the basics - like age, gender, and location - while behavioral data dives deeper, revealing patterns like when people visit theaters, what genres they prefer, and how they engage with promotions.
The real difference between these two lies in how actionable they are. Demographics tell you who your customers are, but behavioral data shows you how to connect with them effectively. For example, a 25-year-old male might seem like the perfect audience for an action movie, but if his behavior shows he regularly watches romantic comedies with his partner on Friday nights, your marketing should reflect that. By blending these methods, theaters can craft highly specific audience segments. Instead of blanketing all young adults with superhero movie ads, you can target those who frequent weekend matinees and have a track record of buying action movie tickets. This approach avoids the pitfalls of relying solely on demographic assumptions.
Theaters that integrate these strategies have seen improved engagement and higher sales. When user profiles are complete, theaters gain access to a treasure trove of demographic and behavioral insights, enabling them to deliver personalized experiences. With automated data collection, they get a full picture of moviegoer preferences and habits.
For cinemas looking to boost revenue and enhance customer satisfaction, the key is using both strategies together. Demographics help define broad audience groups, while behavioral data ensures you can reach each group with tailored messages at the perfect moment. This combined approach transforms one-size-fits-all marketing into personalized campaigns that keep audiences coming back for more.
FAQs
How can cinemas use demographic and behavioral data together to enhance their marketing efforts?
Cinemas can sharpen their marketing strategies by blending demographic data - like age, gender, and location - with behavioral insights, such as movie preferences, booking patterns, and visit frequency. This dual approach doesn’t just reveal who their audience is, but also how they interact with movies and the overall cinema experience.
With this information, cinemas can craft personalized promotions, suggest movies that match individual tastes, and design loyalty programs that truly resonate with their audience. The result? A more engaging, tailored experience for moviegoers and greater revenue potential for cinemas.
What challenges do cinemas face when working with behavioral data compared to demographic data?
Cinemas face a tough task when it comes to gathering and making sense of behavioral data. This involves tracking specific actions like ticket purchases, favorite movie genres, and how often someone visits. Unlike demographic data - such as age, gender, or location, which tends to stay consistent - behavioral data shifts constantly. That dynamic nature makes it harder to organize and interpret.
Another hurdle is ensuring privacy and following data protection laws, as behavioral data often includes sensitive, personal details. Despite these challenges, using this data wisely can uncover valuable insights into what customers really want. This allows cinemas to deliver tailored experiences that boost both engagement and loyalty.
Why can relying only on demographic segmentation limit the success of cinema marketing campaigns?
Focusing only on demographic segmentation - like age, gender, or income - can miss the mark when it comes to understanding what truly drives moviegoers. Sure, demographics give you a broad overview of your audience, but they don’t explain why someone picks a particular movie, how often they visit, or what keeps them coming back.
This is where behavioral segmentation steps in. By looking at factors such as viewing habits, favorite genres, or purchase history, you gain a clearer picture of your audience. For instance, knowing that someone regularly watches action films or loves attending premieres allows cinemas to craft marketing strategies that feel more personal and relevant. When you combine demographic insights with behavioral data, your campaigns can connect on a deeper level, boosting engagement and ticket sales.
