In this interview, Movio’s Chief Executive, Will Palmer, discusses his vision of dynamic content for exhibitors and studios, its impact on moviegoers and moviegoing, and the unique marketing challenge this industry faces.

Movie Insights and Audience Insights were two modules that really took personalization in movie marketing to the next level. Before we get into dynamic content, how is Movio planning to build on these concepts?

Will Palmer: Movie Insights and Audience Insights were the first steps in applying machine learning to our exhibitor partners’ data, allowing insights to bubble to the surface. Instead of a trained analyst having to use Movio, somebody who was more focused on the creative could have the ideal group of moviegoers that they wanted to target, surfaced. We centred our attention on two things there: the similarity between audiences based around film behavior, and how likely that audience were to see a particular film.

The next step from there has been looking at other parts of the cinema journey - in particular, Concession Insights - and understanding how people like to spend their money when they are at the cinema. What are their preferences; a premium lounge, purchasing alcohol, purchasing a bucket of popcorn and a Coke? And then ensuring that the right concession and experience and movie are all bundled together correctly.

Additionally, we were looking to further understand the behavior of moviegoers over a period of time: illuminating those guests who are at risk of moving away from the cinema experience, but also highlighting those that have potential to attend the cinema more.

And how does all that relate to our next step, dynamic content?

WP: The concept of dynamic content is to expose moviegoer insights, which enable the right message to be delivered to the right moviegoer, on any platform or communication or sales channel that they might engage with. To achieve this vision, we're profiling every single moviegoer every single day, and working out; what is the right movie that's in-theater right now for that person to watch? What is the right concession offer to bundle with that? What does this person's behavior look like overall?

So, you can imagine a scenario where somebody who is receiving an email is getting something that has a personalized film recommendation, with a targeted concession offer, that has considered the location they'd like to go to, at the time of day they'd like to go, and the seating preference that they have... Now, imagine expanding that to all of their favourite sales and communication channels.

What is your vision of dynamic content in our industry, and how do you think it will revolutionize movie marketing it in the future?

WP: My vision for dynamic content is for Movio to provide a single source of moviegoer profile information that empowers our cinema and studio partners to connect all moviegoers with their ideal movie. Our partners can access these insights, in real-time, to enhance the customer experience regardless of sales or communication channel - creating the ultimate omni-channel, personalized solution. Whether that be a website, a mobile app, or even, potentially, the TV that they're watching, the message that they're receiving is about a film that they most likely want to see, at a location they're likely to want to go to, and in a format that they are going to want to watch it in, with the offers they want to have. It's really about Movio being that brain for the entire industry to be able to call upon and understand: what does a moviegoer really want?

How can you see this vision impacting the way cinema and movie marketers operate?

WP: Not long ago, the movie industry was attempting to understand the benefit of ‘big data’ and were trying to find ways of collecting data and information on moviegoers. Eventually, Movio got to a place where there were hundreds of filters that a cinema could use, meaning the Movio Cinema operator had to be a very talented analyst to know what you were looking for. Even then, it was very hard to get it right.

With Movio's Movie and Audience Insights, we've taken that guesswork out and actually surfaced these audiences so that our cinema and studio partners can trust that we've found the right audience for their film. This means that marketers have gained back the opportunity and the time to just be utterly creative. They can use their focus to get the right creative messaging, the right images, the right text, the right fonts - all those things that they want to be doing, whilst relying on Movio to provide the right audience for them to talk to. In the end, you start prioritising the creative output and learning the different ways the creator touches different audiences. And that's really where the fun starts.

The other big advantage of dynamic content is that we’ve made the process of getting campaigns out simpler, faster, and with more efficiency. It will be effortless to connect personally, at scale.  

How can you see this vision impacting moviegoers and the wider movie industry?

WP: Moviegoers are going to experience and learn about the movies they are most likely wanting to see, based around their historical behavior. Let’s say you are on the New York Times website, and instead of seeing an advertisement for a pair of shoes or a film that you would never watch, you’re seeing an advertisement for a film that you have a very high chance of wanting to see. Movio is making things so much more relevant and personal that you are likely to be far more engaged - and hopefully watch lots more movies at the theater.

We can also understand when people attend a particular movie, so you won't receive any further advertising on that film - you’ll instead be targeted with messaging on the next film you’re most likely to see. The idea is that both the moviegoer and the movie industry will win by having the right movie served to the right person at the right time, every time.

How is Movio’s approach to dynamic content unique?

WP: We’re here to support the moviegoer and the movie industry. Our application of dynamic content, and everything else we do, has been built with solely with the moviegoing experience in mind. There’s also a key difference in that the cinema is the first place to see the content. Therefore, we have the challenge of figuring out the audience for a film, with no historical attendance data on that particular movie.That's quite a unique problem, and we're very proud to have largely solved it.

The ultimate benefit is that the moviegoer wins by getting the right content, the cinema wins by getting more patronage, and the studio wins by experiencing more success with their movies. And, so, it's one of those rare cases where all parties are going to win, thanks to the beauty of personalized experience.

Imagine a cinema experience that has been completely tailored to you. The latest movie releases delivered to your inbox include your favourite actors and genres, you’re kept up-to-date on events at your local cinema, and the concession offers feel like they’ve been designed with you in mind. There are so many ways to connect every moviegoer with their most unforgettable movie experience, and dynamic content is one way to do so.