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| Author | Zoe Aresti |
Digital Cinema Media’s (DCM) Research and Insight Manager, Michael Tull, writes about why advertisers looking to target 16-24 year olds are in for a treat this Halloween…
This past weekend saw It capture the public’s imagination at the box office, grossing the biggest opening weekend ever in the UK for a horror movie. I was just one of the many people who flocked to their local cinema to see the horror tale unfold on the big screen and, alongside this year’s other breakout horror hit Get Out, the film was responsible for one of my favourite cinema experiences of 2017.
The level of anticipation and excitement in the room before the film began reminded me of being at the opening weekend showings of Spectre and Star Wars: The Force Awakens – for horror fans these films are their blockbusters that have been hyped about for months. The passionate audience, sitting expectantly waiting to jump, laugh and cower in their seats, is what makes seeing a horror movie at the cinema so special – and why advertisers should be taking note of what they’re missing out on.
Traditionally advertisers have shied away from specifically wanting to advertise alongside horror movies – concerns about brand fit with the content or potentially just a result of misconceptions of the genre. For some, ‘horror’ means gore-filled, slasher films, but that’s actually a reductive view of a very varied genre that’s increasingly tackling key social issues. In the last few years, we’ve had horror movies touch on subjects including racism (Get Out), sexual health (It Follows), online/social media bullying (Unfriended), mental health issues (The Babadook) and the emergence of the classy Conjuring universe that has so far spun four hit supernatural movies.
It’s this creativity and timeliness of the genre that has helped it attract a dedicated and enthusiastic core audience of 16-24 year olds. At a time when it’s becoming increasingly harder to reach this audience – the 2017 Ofcom Communications Market Report highlights their broadcast TV viewing has dropped 33% since 2010 – they can still be found in abundance watching the latest horror release at the cinema.
The vast majority of horror movies released in the last three years skew at least 54% 16-24 year olds. This is huge when you consider the finale of ITV2’s most recent Love Island series profiled 27% 16-24 (Source: Campaign).
Horror movies provide brands the opportunity to reach this key youth audience in an environment where they are engaged, attentive and excited – and, as multiple research studies have found, when people are in a positive mind-set, they are far more open and receptive to advertising messages.
This Halloween there are plenty of scary treats in store for cinemagoers so advertisers don’t miss a trick and get your AV campaigns in front of that passionate, engaged 16-24 audience…
− The Ritual, released 13 October 2017
− Happy Death Day, released 20 October 2017
− Jigsaw, released 27 October 2017
For more information on booking your campaign into these films please speak to your DCM rep.