NEW YORK, N.Y., June 21, 2016 – UM, a division of IPG Mediabrands, and National CineMedia (NCM) today announced a strategic partnership to create the first-ever model that directly connects media effectiveness to theatrical ticket sales. This partnership, created on behalf of Sony Pictures Entertainment, signifies the first time that a studio will have the ability to track customer actions from marketing start to sale, providing verified ticket transactions, both online and at cinemas, at the individual level.
In addition, UM’s and NCM’s new collaboration will significantly advance ticket modeling, along with media planning and buying capabilities, as the company’s combined resources will form the first closed-loop buying and planning model in the film industry. Sony Pictures Entertainment will be UM and NCM’s exclusive studio partner for the first year.
“At Sony Pictures, we have made huge advancements in the use of data to reach moviegoers. NCM, through our relationship with UM, will provide a key ingredient in this approach – movie ticket transactions. Not only will this allow us to specifically target likely movie attendees, but also the data will be used to validate our current digital marketing practices. The potential for this information is game-changing,” said Elias Plishner EVP, Worldwide Digital Marketing at Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“We are thrilled to be working with NCM on such an innovative, groundbreaking initiative,” said Karen Hunt, President, West Coast Region, UM. “They bring an unsurpassed level of movie audience expertise that will enable us to deliver a world-class offering that will result in measureable impact and results for Sony Pictures.”
This proprietary closed-loop measurement system will initially be leveraged ahead of Sony Picture Entertainment’s highly-anticipated film, Ghostbusters, which is slated for a July 15, 2016 release. Ahead of the film’s debut, UM will have the ability to drive cutting-edge results around audience targeting, with precise media channel activations to drive opening weekend box office sales. Additionally, moviegoer data will serve to diversify and enhance digital ad offerings for the three companies, resulting in a more dynamic and meaningful in-theater experience for audiences.
“We are proud to join with UM and Sony in this exciting quest to try and close the loop on driving real activation,” said Ian Owen-Ward, senior vice president, Digital at NCM. “We continuously strive to incorporate the feedback of clients into our NCM Digital products, and this new deal is the result of years of cooperation and planning between all three companies. We look forward to learning a lot from the advertising campaigns that Sony will run over the next year and discovering how they lead movie fans down the path to ticket sales!”
The partnership is led from UM’s Los Angeles office, with Jamie Kramer leading data and programmatic strategy for Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group.
About UM
UM (umww.com) believes that better science and better art deliver better outcomes to our clients in the media moments that matter most. We are a creative media agency, committed to blurring the lines between media and creativity, between data and content, between science and art. A global media network in IPG Mediabrands, UM operates in over 100 countries, with 4,800 people innovating on a roster of clients including Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, The Hershey Company, CVS Health, ExxonMobil, BMW and Sony.
About National CineMedia (NCM)
National CineMedia (NCM) is America’s Movie Network. As the #1 weekend network in the U.S., NCM is the connector between brands and movie audiences. More than 700 million moviegoers annually attend theatres that are currently under contract to present NCM’s FirstLook pre-show in over 40 leading national and regional theatre circuits including AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE:AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE:RGC). NCM’s cinema advertising network offers broad reach and unparalleled audience engagement with approximately 20,400 screens in approximately 1,600 theaters in 187 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50). NCM Digital goes beyond the big screen, extending in-theatre campaigns into online and mobile marketing programs to reach entertainment audiences. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) owns a 43.6% interest in, and is the managing member of, National CineMedia, LLC. For more information, visit www.ncm.com.
About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
For NCM:
Amy Jane Finnerty
National CineMedia (NCM)
[email protected]
212-931-8117
For UM:
Lou Marino
Director, Corporate Communications
IPM Mediabrands
212-883-4728
