NCM Media Networks, a leading integrated media company reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and through mobile technology, released a new analysis on the impact of cinema advertising on recall and likeability of advertising when combined with a TV schedule for the same brand(s).

The analysis included over 1,350 standard ads spanning 29 distinct product categories. Utilizing Nielsen IAG’s web-based panel technology, General Recall, Brand Recall, Message Recall and Likeability scores were collected from persons exposed to advertising within NCM’s FirstLook pre-show program in movie theaters, as well as from broadcast and cable television over the past five years. For each ad measured, the creative was either identical or similar in both media. Panel data was then segmented to analyze reactions of persons exposed to each medium alone, and in concert.

The results revealed that the cinema experience has a significant influence on enhancing a consumer’s ability to recall and enjoy advertising:

• Overall, cinema is more effective than TV alone, yielding higher Recall and Likeability scores across all metrics.
• Combining cinema with a TV special leads to significantly greater impact across all metrics. Brand Recall saw a 65 percent lift while Message Recall roughly doubled (+94 percent) and Likeability increased 79 percent as compared to TV only.

Of the 29 categories included in the analysis, performance of every single category improves when combining cinema exposure with TV, but CPG categories enjoyed the greatest benefits from combined exposure. On average, Message Recall of CPG ads increased 112 percent when cinema exposure was combined with TV. Health & Beauty, Personal Care and Prepared Foods categories performed particularly well. Also of note was the Insurance category, which showed triple digit increases in both Message Recall and Likeability.

“Past research has usually indicated a higher rate of recall for on-screen cinema ads compared to the same ads running in television,” said Doug Pulick, senior vice president, Strategic Insight and Analytics with NCM Media Networks. “But we’ve never been able to look at the cumulative effect of the same ad running in tandem on both media until now. The fact that every ad included in the analysis was part of the same creative strategy as the TV execution further underlines the idea that you do not need to have customized creative to have a highly effective cinema campaign.”

“With everything the marketplace is currently seeing in terms of television audience fragmentation and erosion, this study truly proves what a great complement cinema makes to any TV buy, especially when you consider that cinema is the number one network on the weekends,” added Cliff Marks, president of sales and marketing with NCM Media Networks.

Many brands and agencies have started recognizing the winning combination of cinema and TV, including CEO of OMD US, Alan Cohen. “More people actually pay attention to your television advertising when they’ve seen it in the theater,” noted Cohen.

For a copy of the full study, please contact Sunil Soman, vice president, NCM Strategic Insight and Analytics, at Sunil.Soman@ncm.com.

About National CineMedia (NCM)

NCM operates NCM Media Networks, a leading integrated media company reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and through mobile technology. The NCM Cinema Network and NCM Fathom Events present cinema advertising and events across the nation’s largest digital in-theater network, comprised of theaters owned by AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) and other leading regional theater circuits. NCM’s theater advertising network covers 183 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50) and includes over 19,300 screens (over 18,400 digital). During 2011, approximately 680 million patrons (on an annualized basis) attended movies shown in theaters in which NCM currently has exclusive, cinema advertising agreements in place. The NCM Fathom Events live digital broadcast network (“DBN”) is comprised of over 720 locations in 170 Designated Market Areas® (including all of the top 50). The NCM Interactive Network offers 360-degree integrated marketing opportunities in combination with cinema, encompassing 41 entertainment-related websites, online widgets and mobile applications. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 48.6% interest in and is the managing member of National CineMedia LLC. For more information, visit www.ncm.com.