Trying to increase its advertising/promotion revenue from film distributors, top social network TikTok has added presentation of local movie start times. The Showtimes on TikTok initiative will facilitate direct online ticket sales as well.
TikTok touts its value to Hollywood with its own research showing 52% of moviegoers research a “movie, show or actor through its platform, and one in four viewers of movie ads there went on to buy a ticket. Trailers, showtimes and theater information based on users’ location are part of the offering,” says a news article on Deadline.com by Dade Hayes.
The incumbent leaders for such playdate information are Fandango, AtomTickets, MovieFone, YahooMovies and theater chain listings.
As of this post, Showtimes on TikTok is difficult for users to find on the website.
“Looking at TikTok’s example, all you have to do is tap the Showtimes button at the bottom of the video and enter your zipcode to bring up a list of theaters and viewing times in your area,” says an article on Lifewire.com. “From there, tap the time you want and choose from one of the available ticket sellers to view prices and availability.”
Lifewire continues: “For the moment, Showtimes on TikTok is only available to a number of U.S. movie studios that have been invited to join the program. Assuming at least some studios decide to try this new ad feature out, you’ll probably start seeing more TikTok trailers with showtimes and ticket info popping up in your feed in the near future.”
An example of TikTok’s ticket buying page.
Consumers embrace the social website because it facilitates creation of their own content, which is posted and then shared. Content received from peers is highly valued by consumers.
“Fans are searching for identity and emotional connections,” says a TikTok white paper. “They want personalized experiences, and they want to play a role in the stories they love.”
TikTok has proven to be a potent promotion tool in the past when users create movie-based content that is shared. TikTok research indicates a user-generated-content promotion for “Spider-Man: No Way Home” was a big driver of audience interest in the blockbuster earlier this year, according to Deadline.com. The movie’s distributor Sony Pictures Entertainment endorsed that conclusion.
Other TikTok initiatives with movie studios include:
* Lady Gaga fronted a promotion urging fans to post about MGM’s “House of Gucci,” in which she starred. TikTok said that created more than 150 million impressions on the platform.
*MGM’s “No Time to Die” agent 007 spy thriller mounted a TikTok content promo garnering 180 million impressions.
Movie playdate information used to be the province of newspapers, which charged big premiums for “movie sections” clustering film advertising with specific screening times at local theaters. The premium pricing for movie newspaper advertising irked Hollywood film distributors, who abandoned print newspapers when online upstarts like MovieFone and Fandango offered the same information in more functional interactive presentations.
Before online stepped in, daily print newspapers were the dominant conduit for play information because they are “mostly local in geographic coverage… for what is called directory advertising,” says the third edition of “Marketing to Moviegoers.”
The academic/business book continues: “a newspaper-ad campaign often starts the Sunday before a given film’s Friday theatrical opening. In some cases, an upcoming movie is advertised on two consecutive Sundays before the film’s release. Sunday entertainment sections are the largest of the week and often are kept for reference by readers until the following Sunday.” But that tactic is swept away as interactive online is now the conduit.
Related content:
Thank you Mr. Marich. We are covering chapter four in my Marketing the Movies class so this is perfect timing.
I love your textbook and have been using in my classes for the last eight years. Have a terrific day!!