NCM Debuts Tech Platform That Connects Brands and Moviegoers

As audiences begin to return to movie theaters, National CineMedia is ready to help brands connect with them. The company debuted a new data-driven technology platform NCMx during Monday’s upfront presentation in New York, which works to target brands with custom audiences both in theaters and on digital screens before and after attending movies. Marketers will be able to leverage NCM’s data to execute audience-matching against geographic, behavioral and contextual targets on the big screen and the ability to retarget with digital ads and mobile offers. The launch comes after a strong fourth quarter for NCM, with Scott Felenstein, president of sales, marketing and partnerships pointing to the success of theatrical releases like Halloween Kills, Venom and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Is It Time to Hit Play on Movie Theater Ad Buys? “The opening weekend of Spider-Man delivered more 18-to-34-year-olds over the course of the weekend than the Super Bowl,” Felenstein told Adweek, noting the film is the third highest-grossing of all time. “Clearly people are back in theaters, they were just waiting for all the content to return and what we've seen is when the content is here, people come back and the slate is packed. Moviegoing is definitely back, and we're headed for a really strong year from an attendance standpoint, and we're seeing our advertisers come back,” said Felenstein. Neustar, Catalina, Affinity Solutions, PlaceIQ and ElementalTV are initial partners in the new platform. NCMx uses first-party ticket data from one of the company’s theater partners, which Felenstein said makes cinema a full funnel measurement solution. “It’ll allow targeting capabilities that we haven’t had in the past, it’ll give insights into what consumers do before, during and after they see ads in our theaters, and it will allow advertisers to engage with them like they never could before,” said Felenstein. Those audiences are younger than the traditional linear audience, and 79% of moviegoers attending an NCM theater are under the age of 39, with a median age of 30. “So much of the viewership has moved to non-ad-supported streaming platforms that it’s harder and harder to reach audiences if you’re only buying TV,” said Felenstein. “We’re a great replacement for the audience that’s gone away from TV and moved to places where you can’t reach them at home.” New content partnerships NCM also unveiled a new Noovie content series and partnerships with ATTN and Tastemade. The Noovie Trivia Show will star Maria Menounos as part of the NCM pre-show experience, alongside recently announced Noovieverse, Perri’s Picks and Noovie Unwind series. The show will premiere in June, and Menounos’ guests will include actress Abby Ryder Fortson, CFDA designer Christian Siriano, Real Housewife star Gracelle Beauvais and TikTok creators Avery Cyrus, Griffin Johnson and JuJu Green. “We’re trying to put content on screen, in addition to advertising, that’s going to resonate with the young audience,” said Felenstein. “We feel like having influencers in our show talking about some of the most exciting content is something that will definitely resonate with the younger 18-34-year-old demographic.” ATTN and Tastemade will both produce new Noovie pre-show content with NCM and participating advertisers, and the segments will let brands engage with audiences on screen through QR codes and social, digital and OTT platforms. “The evolution of the Noovie pre-show forges an even stronger connection with our core consumer audience of 18-34-year-olds that advertisers most desire to reach,” said Amy Tunick, NCM’s chief marketing officer, in a statement. “We are focused on expanding into new avenues of storytelling about pop culture and the passions that matter most to our millennial and Gen Z movie fans. Our advertising partners can access the myriad content opportunities tied to our new ‘shows’ within the pre-show, along with memorable activations around the unique shared human experience of going out to the theater with friends and family.”

TV Upfronts

National CineMedia Debuts Tech Platform That Connects Brands With Moviegoers

At its upfront, company also unveiled new partnerships and pre-show programs

Mollie Cahillane

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Mollie Cahillane