Now Playing: Ads That Reach A Captive Audience

Cinema advertising is flourishing despite the lagging economy. As people flock to theaters for a relatively inexpensive means of entertainment, advertisers are rushing to meet them.

Personally, I have seen four movies in as many weeks, and have been noticing the advertising more than ever. I started thinking about the benefits of movie screen advertising, and wondered if it's really that much different from advertising on billboards. National Cinemedia is a leader in the industry, and as I browsed their website I noticed some familiar phrases:

"Most media audiences are scattered. Some watch TV, others talk on the phone, podcast, play video games, or worse…they do all of the above simultaneously. Cinema advertising is completely different. It's no mystery that we deliver a full sight, sound and motion experience on a larger-than-life canvas. But that's not the only advantage cinema has over other media outlets. Our audience is engaged, and they're voluntary - perhaps that's why moviegoers remember ads in the cinema 1.5 to 4 times more than they remember the same ads on TV."

Hmm... Engaged audience. Larger-than-life canvas. Memorability. Sounds familiar.

It's true when you think about it; cinema advertising and billboard advertising have a lot in common. They both reach people who are on the way to where they're going, unlike television, print and radio, which try to sprinkle advertising throughout the main attraction, interrupting and annoying consumers.

Additionally, both mediums recognize the dangers of maintaining the status-quo. Developments in technology have allowed companies like National Cinemedia to offer customers flexible, dynamic ways to reach audiences with a message that's exciting. Digital billboard technology is revolutionizing the outdoor industry in a similar way, by letting advertisers present a changeable message on a dynamic, backlit screen.

When you compare the benefits and business models, it's no wonder that both mediums are projecting strong growth in the coming years.