National CineMedia and Brand Experience Lab have entered into an exclusive partnership to bring AudienceGame™ interactive gaming to the big screen. The new relationship provides for a test program to ensure seamless integration of the Brand Experience Lab proprietary gaming technology into National CineMedia’s FirstLook digital entertainment and advertising pre-feature program. If the pilot program is successful, a broader rollout into select theatres in the top 20 DMAs will be completed.
Brand Experience Lab’s AudienceGame is a kind of “advergame” which is played by theatre audiences moving together to act as a “human joystick” to control the gaming elements on the big screen. Brand Experience Lab has designed and produced custom cinema AudienceGames for clients including MSNBC.com in the USA and for Volvo in UK, receiving international acclaim and generating up to 70% unaided recall with audiences.
Through FirstLook, the Lobby Entertainment Network (LEN) and other promotional products, National CineMedia provides advertisers with bundled offerings of on-screen and lobby marketing products that provide multiple ways to interact with theatre patrons. National CineMedia operates the largest digital in-theatre network in North America, the Digital Content Network (DCN)SM, which allows for the targeted distribution of advertising and content to specified auditoriums and lobby areas within its network of more than 1,200 AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark USA, Inc., Regal Entertainment Group and other network affiliate movie theatres, including over 13,200 digital screens nationally. Beginning later in 2008, Loews theatres will also become part of the NCM network bringing its reach to approximately 16,500 screens nationwide.
“Marketers continue to seek innovative and entertaining ways to interact with their customers, and the movie theatre is the perfect cutting-edge environment for brands to take advantage of new technologies and create a memorable experience for audiences,” said Cliff Marks, president of sales and chief marketing officer of National CineMedia. “Our exclusive relationship with Brand Experience Lab’s AudienceGames provides a new way for us to engage theatre audiences and continue to provide cutting-edge marketing solutions for our clients.”
“The first time we saw the audience play the MSNBC.com NewsBreaker game, we knew we had a hit,” said David Polinchock, CXO (Chief Experience Officer) at Brand Experience Lab. “What happened with our initial in-cinema work really highlighted the value of socialization in movie theatres, and AudienceGames brings the social experience to life by helping to further enhance that unique experience.”
“Five years ago when the Lab started, there was no real R&D function in the advertising industry,” said Barry Grieff, CEO of Brand Experience Lab. “We use emerging technologies to create a compelling, authentic and relevant experience for their audiences, so we’re very excited to be in partnership with National CineMedia. With their overwhelming reach in cinema and world-class content partnerships, we’re looking forward to seeing how we can turn their content into cool AudienceGames experiences.”
About Brand Experience Lab
Called a “playroom for marketers” by Advertising Age, Brand Experience Lab is the thought leader in R&D for the advertising and marketing industries. Through relationships with universities labs, media labs and independent researchers around the world, Brand Experience Lab identifies and facilitates the use of emerging technologies that can be used to help create authentic and compelling brand experiences. For more information, visit www.brandexperiencelab.org and http://brandexperiencelab.org/audiencegames.html.
About National CineMedia (NCM)
National CineMedia (NCM) LLC operates the largest digital in-theatre network in North America through long-term agreements with its founding members, AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark USA Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), the three largest theatre operators in the U.S., and through multi-year agreements with several other theatre operators. NCM LLC produces and distributes its FirstLook pre-feature program; cinema and lobby advertising products; comprehensive meeting and event services and other entertainment programming content. NCM LLC’s national network includes over 15,250 screens of which over 13,200 are part of the company’s Digital Content Network (DCN). NCM LLC’s DCN covers 169 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50). During 2007, approximately 542 million patrons attended movies shown in theatres owned by the NCM LLC founding members (excluding Loews). National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 44.8% interest in and is the managing member of NCM LLC. For additional information, visit www.ncm.com.
