Attract | Engage | Retain | Boost by Boxoffice’s Interview Series with Cinema Thought Leaders
By Michelle Villegas, VP of Customer Success, The Boxoffice Company
A focus of our work at Boost by Boxoffice is ensuring cinema operators have the tools they need for every part of their clients’ moviegoing journey. Our mission is to help your audience go from their couch to your screens, with each of our solutions and services tailored to achieve that goal. As part of this effort, we are introducing a Boxoffice Pro interview series that shines a light on some of the executives we’ve had the pleasure of working with in this industry. Their stories, perspectives, and marketing tactics are behind the success of each of our products and services in the field. The series will cover different aspects of your customers’ moviegoing journey, from initial attraction to retention, including online presence, ticket purchasing, and additional services like food and beverage.
This month we speak with Jimena Pardo, Cinépolis USA’s marketing director. Before moving to Dallas for the role, Pardo helmed the omnichannel marketing efforts for Cinépolis’ Mexican circuit. Our conversation covers the differences in the buying habits of US and Mexican moviegoers, the importance of an SEO strategy, and how a successful loyalty program can help turn a casual client into a frequent film fan.
Could you explain some of your day-to-day focuses, specifically in terms of how Cinépolis engages moviegoers to shape the overall customer experience?
Many audiences have lost the moviegoing habit since the pandemic, so at Cinépolis, we’ve focused on reviving it by sparking joy among our customers. We want moviegoing to be at the top of our minds regarding entertainment options. This year, we’ve focused on bringing that sense of magic and happiness back to moviegoing in all our messaging. We don’t want to be seen as something people do once or twice a year, then forget about.
Beyond repeat visits, we also focus on strengthening customer loyalty and our brand affinity—connecting with people as an authentic brand that resonates with them and leads to return visits. There are many choices, but why do they choose Cinépolis when they want to watch a movie? On one hand, we build loyalty; on the other, we leverage the brand affinity and our strengths just to have them return every time.
You worked on the Mexican side of the Cinépolis circuit before coming to US theaters. What are the biggest differences between engaging moviegoers in both markets?
The first thing I’d highlight is that content consumption behavior is very different regarding where the movie theater is located. In the United States, I’ve learned that community-based marketing is something that’s really, really important. Users engage when they see that you, as a brand, care about where they’re at, that you’re not just running a nationwide campaign across every state, but that you’re taking the time to analyze the specific components of each location and talk to them in a more personalized way. When I was in Mexico, it was not that evident, maybe because we have a bigger presence in that market as the top cinema chain in the country. On the other side, I think in Mexico, presales are something people get excited about. In the U.S. market, I feel like people wait a little bit more to hear about the movie or to make sure it’s worth watching. I’m unsure if that’s the thought process. I’ve been in the U.S. market for more than six months, so I’m still learning.
What role does SEO play in your marketing game plan?
As part of our overarching strategy of reviving joy, we have a directive based on crafting flavorful experiences at our theaters. We have amazing food that makes the experience at our cinemas truly different. A big part of our focus is on building connections with our community by keeping in touch with them daily, whether it is on social media or Google. We want to be at the top and to be considered among the best options for what they’re looking for.
The movies will be available from any of our competitors, so we want to give the audience a reason to visit one of our theaters for their night out. SEO is one of our main tools for those efforts. I love data-driven decision-making, and we work very closely with The Boxoffice Company in analyzing the data, optimizing our efforts, and seeing all the factors we need to adjust to get the best results.
Can you walk us through the consumer journey for Cinépolis? What tactics do you use to get customers off the couch and through your doors?
That question addresses a pain point across the entire entertainment industry. People are increasingly resistant to going out if the experience doesn’t exceed their expectations. There are many options for going out, and many people fell in love with being at home during the pandemic. Getting them out takes a lot more than it used to. It all comes down to delivering an amazing experience from beginning to end, so they remember what it’s like to be at the movies. We can only get that audience back by delivering an extraordinary experience. That is at the heart of increasing frequency for our business.
Part of that experience is making sure your food and beverage strategy is as good as or better than going to a restaurant. You recently launched the Movie and a Meal initiative to ensure you can compete on that side of the business. You’re releasing a special menu for a single movie at a single showtime, with several courses and cocktails matching the theme of the film. What has been your experience with that so far?
We are really excited about that project. We get very excited whenever we choose a movie and start building the menu around it. It’s even better when we see the engagement we get from our audiences. By making it a single showtime for a single movie, it communicates to our customers that this is a special way to watch the movie. We love popcorn—I know we all do—but Movie and a Meal is an enhanced experience where the entire menu is tied to specific parts of the movie. The food is delivered in several courses to match specific scenes throughout the film; it doesn’t make you order all of your items at once so you’re managing plates, trying to figure out what to eat first.
This series is about strategies that attract, engage, and retain moviegoers. Can you speak about the strategies you use to turn occasional moviegoers into frequent guests?
Our loyalty program is one of our biggest strengths. We have a very engaged community that we love, and we take care of. We find great value in them giving us a space in their lives and hearts, because every email address we get is a person who is allowing us to become a part of their daily lives. That’s a very important thing for us, and we tailor the communication in a very personalized way, because we want people to feel like we’re talking to them specifically and not just putting things out there and hoping for the best. We want to establish a conversation and let them know we pay attention to their preferences.
As cinema chains, we always need to think about how to improve our customer-centered marketing strategies. What are the things our audience values? That is at the heart of the public creating a connection with our brand.
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