Cinema Advertising


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The Media Ant

Cinema Advertising

About Cinema Advertising in India

Cinema Advertising is one of the most interesting new age advertising options. Cinema advertising rates are one of the lowest among non mass media.

While Cinema Advertising has been in place for almost 30 years in the history of cinema advertising in India, it is the recent last few years when cinema advertising in india has become popular among the advertisers. 

Theatre advertising is popular not only among large advertisers but small budget advertisers as well. The popular cinema chains in multiplex cinema advertising are PVR Cinema, Inox, Cinepolis, Carnival Cinemas, Sathyam Cinemas, DT Cinemas and Wave Cinemas.

Cinema Advertisement

The cinema advertisement is a popular and effective marketing media option. Cinema advertisements are projected on the big screen for about 20 seconds, and with some promotion can be shown to an audience of over 1000 people.

The cost for these advertisements is one of the lowest in the industry, making it accessible to smaller companies or individuals who want to reach more people but do not have the budget that would allow them to advertise through other mediums such as television commercials. 

Cinema Advertisement, also known as Screen advertising, is done by placing advertisements on or near cinema screens in movie theaters for about 2-4 minutes at a time before films start.

Cinema Advertisement is used by many brands such as Samsung, Pepsi, Colgate etc. Some of the benefits of using cinema advertisement are that it can help in building awareness about new products and services to customers, increase sales volume for current product lines and strengthen customer loyalty.

Types of Theater Advertising

The vibrant Indian theater scene offers a unique platform to reach a captivated audience directly. When it comes to theater on-screen advertising, slide ads & video ad formats grab attention and drive impact.

1. Slide Ad - On Screen

Slide ads are eye-catching static visuals with or without audio narrations, displayed for 10 seconds. These are cost-effective, easy to produce, ideal for quick brand awareness campaigns and product launches. Slide ads work well with strong visuals and memorable slogans, capturing attention during high-engagement periods like pre-show and intermission.

2. Video Ad - On Screen

Video theater ads are engaging video stories ranging from 10 seconds to 60 seconds, showcasing brand narratives and product demonstrations. This type of theater advertising has high impact, allows for emotional connection and detailed explanations, suitable for complex products or new category launches. Video ads create a powerful connection with the audience, leveraging the large screen and captive environment for maximum impact.

Best Cinema Advertising Agency In India

The Media Ant is India's one of the leading Cinema advertising agency. With presence across top cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, we are the best cinema advertising agency in India

Get the best rates to place your ad in any theatre across India. Our best rates for Cinema advertising are available online. You can check the best rates for more than 8000 cinema screens to advertise at cinema advertising planning tools on The Media Ant.

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Single screen theatre advertising is a great vehicle to advertise in rural markets in India. Through advertising in cinema brands can reach out to media dark places where other media vehicles do not reach.

More than 8000 Cinema screens have shared their advertising rate card with us. Cinema Advertising Rate depends on the location of the theatre, seating capacity of the cinema and the brand.

Single Screen theatre advertising rate is typically cheaper than Multiplex Cinema advertising rate. Cinema ads can be placed either on the screen or in cinema complexes. The later form of cinema advertising is also termed as Offline Cinema advertising.

The popular Cinema Advertising media options are slide on the screens, videos on the screens and cinema branding in the cinema complex.

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Cinema Advertising Rates

Cinema Advertising Rates depend on the type of cinema screen, number of seats, cinema location and the cinema brand. Cinema advertising cost for a Multiplex cinema advertising is normally higher than that for single screens. 

Theatres have a cinema advertising rate card. Discounted cinema advertising rates are available with cinema advertising agencies like The Media Ant. Theatre advertising rates also vary depending on whether you are advertising using slides or advertising using video. Length of the video ads also determines the price for cinema advertising.

For on screen theatre advertising, the rates card are always quoted for a week. Your ad is played in every show. For offscreen cinema advertising, the advertising price is typically for a month.

You can find the complete list of advertising rate cards for cinema and best discounted offer rate for cinema advertising at the cinema planning tool of The Media Ant.

List Of Cinema Advertising Options

Cinema Advertising options can be divided in Onscreen Cinema Advertising and off Screen Cinema Advertising. Ads in cinemas are played either before the start of the movie or during the interval. Cinema Advertising rates are the same for ads played during the interval or before the movie is played.

There are 4 advertising options available to advertise on screen in theatres:

Cinema Advertising Option

Description

1

On Screen 10 sec mute Slide

Static slides with 2 to 3 transitions within 10 seconds

2

On Screen 10 sec Audio Slide

Static slides with background score within 10 seconds

3

On Screen 30 sec Video

30 sec Video played on screen

4

On Screen 60 sec Video

60 sec Video played on screen

5

Off Screen Branding

Kiosk and Posters

6

Activation

Launch, Sampling, pamphlet distribution and ticket jackets

Timeline for Advertising in Cinema

Any Cinema advertising campaign starts only on a Friday. In a few exceptions cases, it might start on a non Friday. Ad needs to be provided to the cinema advertising agency at least a day in advance. Ads normally start getting played from the second show on Friday. In cases of blockbuster releases, there might be a rush of cinema advertisers. In such cases, your ad would get played 3 times per day instead of 4 times.

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Ad format for Cinema Advertising

Cinema Chain

Format

1

PVR, Inox, Cinepolis, Wave, Cinemax and most multiplexes

J2K

2

UFO Cinema Screens

UFO

3

qube

MOV

4

UMW

MOV

Cinema Advertising agencies accept the ads in .mov and jpeg formats. Once these are shared with the advertising agency, specialist J2K convertor agencies can convert them into cinema ad formats. 

There is a conversion cost associated with cinema format conversion to J2K. Cinema slide size for on screen advertising should be 2048 x 858 pixel. Kindly use the image quality of 300 dpi or higher.

Censor Certification for Cinema Advertising

A censor certificate is required to play any video ad in a cinema. You can either apply for a censor certificate directly or ask your cinema advertising agency to do it on your behalf. Your agency might charge you a cost of censor certification for cinema advertising.

Proof of Execution

Inspection passes are provided by theatres to the advertisers. These can be used to inspect the ad being played in the cinemas. For off screen cinema advertising options, pictures are provided as proof of execution.

Advantages of Advertising In Cinema

  1. Huge cinema screen gives a larger than life impact to the message. With the capability of playing video and slides with audio, an advertiser can talk to more senses of a viewer than print or radio. In terms of creative freedom, Cinema advertising is comparable to television.
  2. The audience is captive and cannot change channels or flip the page. Chances of a viewer watching an ad on cinema screen is higher than other mediums.
  3. Cinema with its huge localised reach pan India, makes it suitable to reach out to a small geography as well as a complete country.
  4. Cost per reach for theatre advertising is less than other non-traditional advertising options.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) On Advertising in Cinema

1. What do I get for these rates of Cinema Advertising?

  1. Your ad is played minimum 3 times per day and maximum 5 times per day

  2. Ad is played once during the show. You can choose interval or before the start of the movie

  3. Mentioned rates are for playing your ad for 1 week Friday to Thursday

2. Are Theatre Advertising Rates same for all the weeks in a year?

No. Multiplexes charge a premium for playing ads during blockbuster movies. The premium on rates can be 2X to 3X depending on the movie. Please check for the list of blockbuster movies with your cinema advertising agency.

3. Are there any costs involved in Cinema advertising outside of the Advertising rate card?

  1. Cinema advertising requires your ad to be in a format that is compatible with cinema screen playing. Most of the Multiplex cinema screens require the ad to be in J2K format. However, this conversion is not freely available and specialist cinema format conversion agencies do that for a fee. 

Advertiser can provide their ad in .MOV or .JPEG format and then your cinema advertising agency can get it converted to J2K format. Another format used by certain cinemas is UFO. 

However, for this you do not need to pay anything as this conversion is for free. The conversion fee of video J2K is Rs 2,500 and for slides is Rs 1,750. The conversion to J2K takes a day

  1. Another cost involved with playing video ads is Censor certification. All video ads running in theatres require censor certification. There are Censor agencies that can help you apply for Censor certificates on your behalf. The Media Ant can help you get a censor certificate and charges you a fee of Rs 8,500. Please plan for 2 weeks in obtaining a censor certificate.

  2. Service tax and any other cess are applicable to cinema advertising.

  3. In case of off screen advertising any collateral cost is involved.

4. What are the timelines for Cinema Advertising?

Cinema advertising campaigns can only start on a Friday. It is synced with changeover of movies at the theatres. Ad needs to be provided and payment needs to be completed by Wednesday 5pm.

5. What is the proof that my ad in cinemas is being played as per the plan?

For Multiplex cinema advertising campaigns, Inspection passes will be provided on Monday morning. You can use Cinema inspection pass to visit the theatres and watch your ad being played. On request your cinema advertising agency can arrange for an In - person inspection.

Singles screens cinema campaigns do not come with inspection passes. Single screens share the contact number or log report at the end of the campaign.

Please note that cinema advertising in India still involves a lot of manual intervention. This might cause your cinema campaign not being executed as per the plan. If you find any discrepancy, please inform your cinema advertising agency and they will get it corrected. 

Compensation in the form of additional days/weeks is provided for any failure in executing the cinema plan as per the schedule.

6. In what formats do theatres or Cinema advertising agencies accept Cinema ads?

Kindly refer to the table below in which advertisers can share the ad. Once this is shared the cinema format conversion agency will convert it to J2K, UFO or required cinema ad format.

Ad Type

Specification

Format

1

Slide

2048 pixel (W) x 858 pixel (H) Image: Minimum 300 DPI

JPEG

2

Video

Minimum 1080 DPI

.MOV or MP4

3

Audio

High clarity

.WAV

7) Why is cinema good for advertising?

Cinema is one of the most popular platforms for advertising in India due to the following reasons:

  • Captive Environment: Audience sitting in a cinema hall is in a relaxed mood with minimal distractions hence probability to gain their attention is high. 

  • Hyperlocal Targeting: Due to the presence of cinema halls in various locations, they are effective for hyperlocal advertising. For example, a high end restaurant in the same mall as the cinema hall has a good opportunity to attract footfall among the moviegoers through cinema advertising. 

  • Premium Audience: Cinema tickets especially in multiplex are expensive. Hence, it is safe to assume that most audiences who visit cinema halls have high disposable income. Cinema advertising can be a good medium for real estate and jewellery brands. 

8) Are cinema ads effective?

Cinema ads are very effective in engaging the right audience at the right time in a relaxed environment due to these reasons:

  • Highly engaged audience: Audience in the cinema hall is in a relaxed mood ready to immerse themselves in the experience. They are actively engaged as compared to the audience of other media. 

  • Impact medium: One of the reasons why audiences prefer watching movies in cinema hall is larger than life screen size and superior sound effects. This creates an impact on the audience's mind. 

Hire our expert media planners to find, plan and place your next promotion.