A compelling storyline. A favorite actor. Nothing to do on a rainy Saturday afternoon. A love of hot “buttered” popcorn. The grandparents want to baby-sit. An itching and burning need to see Angelina Jolie larger than life.
Different people go to the movies for different reasons. But sometimes even the most rabid cinemaphile needs a push. For the Texas-based Studio Movie Grill chain, e-mail was the admission to filled seats.
The chain has seen an approximately 70% open rate to its weekly e-mail blasts, leading to a 20% leap in online ticket purchases and an overall increase in attendance, says founder and owner Brian Schultz.
Studio Movie Grill differs from the typical multiplex in that it offers leather seats, in-theater table services and a full bar. Over 40,000 customers have opted in for the five-year-old e-newsletter, created with the help of e-mail vendor Cinema Source.
“The key is to start with an offer,” says Schultz. “We created a measurable system that people could respond to via an online offer for discounted food and beverages if they signed up.”
The newsletters serve several purposes. By allowing moviegoers discounted food and beverages on slow mid-week nights, Schultz is able to fill seats, sell dinners and cultivate long-term customer relationships. The newsletters that follow ensure those relationships endure.
“The key to getting customers to open and read the e-mail is to give relevant information,” he says. “What our customers want is up-to-date show times and special programming that is movie related or things happening in the theater.”
Each e-mail blast is linked to the Studio Movie Grill home page, http://www.studiomoviegrill.com, to give customers a rundown of movies and their showing times. Customers also have an immediate opportunity to purchase tickets.
Newsletter recipients can watch trailers of films, answer trivia questions, view box office results or link to official movie Web sites. Additionally, recipients are made aware of special events being held at the theater and have the option of purchasing items such as gift certificates and movie ticket packages from the gift store.
Ticket purchases online help predict the traffic volume for particular showings. And, the e-mails also cut down the “staggering volume” of calls to the movie information line.
“I read an article on how customers wanted to get film information in a format they could print out,” Schultz says. “I realized that I personally would have to write down numerous movies and times to ask my wife which film she preferred. So the e-mail newsletter made sense.”
Schultz’s theaters are a family friendly place—so family friendly that teenagers are only admitted with a parent. The policy hasn’t hurt business one bit. “Teens are not the theater’s target market,” he says. “We’re a niche appealing to young professionals and families. I don’t enjoy, nor do our customers enjoy teens talking through the movie and running around with skateboards. We try to create a great experience for movie goers.”
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