Advertisers can tap into their targets’ out-of-home leisure time through sponsorship of music, drama and sports events that are simulcast live at movie theaters. Programs range from opera to NASCAR.

To find out how to get your client’s message in front of audiences while they’re out on the town, read on.

This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.

Fast Facts

What
Sponsorship of special events at theaters.

Who
Fathom, a division of National CineMedia headquartered in Centennial, Colo.

How it works
Advertisers sponsor special one-time events like telecasts of concerts and opera at movie theaters.

Sponsors may choose from several elements to create a program, says vice president Dan Diamond.

Among the elements:
-Tie-ins to promotions that range from lobby signage to logo placement on the big screen.
-Verbal announcements in trailers for the event; for example, “Ford Motor Company proudly presents this concert.”
-Mention of the event sponsorship in the sponsor's own advertising.
-Distribution of giveaways at events, such as activity books at a “Thomas & Friends” showing, for example.
-Distribution of free tickets to the event by sponsors to their customers.

Many of the events are live but some are pre-recorded, such as a Celine Dion concert that was filmed at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and then broadcast later at theaters.

Recent events include the New York Metropolitan Opera’s live simulcast presentation of “Macbeth” last Saturday. Upcoming are a documentary on long-distance running titled “Spirit of the Marathon” on Jan. 24 and “La Boheme” live from the New York Met in April.

Sponsors are primarily national brands.

Creative is usually specific to an event, Diamond says. “We generally work with the sponsor to create a special cinema ad to create an emotional connection to the consumer.”

Product exclusivity is available when there are no conflicts with existing advertisers or with in-theater affiliations like soft drink concession pouring rights.

Markets
Live programs like the New York Metropolitan Opera are available in 138 markets, including New York, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Pre-recorded programs like the NASCAR documentary are available in 165 markets.

Numbers
There are 400 theaters in the CineMedia network that can deliver live simulcast events. There are 950 theaters with the capacity to present pre-recorded or live performances.

How it is measured
Ticket sales are used to determine impressions.

Additionally, movie audiences are exposed to promotional tie-ins like trailers and lobby signage up to four weeks prior to special events.

What product categories do well
Automobiles, financial institutions and technology companies are top categories.

Media often signs on as partners. For example, MTV promoted the premiere of the Toby Keith film “Broken Bridges.”

Demographics
Groups can be targeted by event. For example, fan bases for different types of music performances like country or opera are sought by advertisers, Diamond says.

National Cinema audiences, across all events, as reported by Nielsen in 2006:

-are about evenly split male and female.
-Break down by age as follows: 11.7 percent 2-11, 17.6 percent at 12-17, 19.8 percent at 18-24, 14.7 percent at 25-34, 24.8 percent at 35-54 and 11.5 percent at 55 and older.
-are 79 percent Caucasian, 6 percent African American, 6 percent Asian American and 9 percent other.

Making the buy
Lead time is 90 days. 

Advertisers can sponsor single events except in the case of the New York Metropolitan Opera, which is sponsored as a series.

Who’s already on sponsoring special events in theaters
Ford Trucks, Toyota, Waste Management and AOL are recent sponsors.

What they’re saying
“With the one-event platform for our documentary about Dale Earnhardt, we were able to enhance the whole experience for our sponsor partners. We had a 30 minute pre-show, theatrical posters hanging in the lobby, and local Chevy dealers were able to hand out tickets to their customers.” – Anne Oakley, spokesperson for Country Music Television in Nashville

Web site info
National CineMedia’s Fathom at www.ncm.com/Fathom