Cinema advertising is making a showing in theaters on military bases, targeting the mostly male audience during their leisure hours.

To find out how to get your client’s message in the lobby and up on the big screen before this specialized audience, read on. Part two on military sponsorships will appear later this month.

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

Fast Facts

What
On-screen and lobby signage and promotions in movie theaters on military bases.

Who
Alloy Media + Marketing, headquartered in New York.

How it works
Similar to branding and promotions in theaters across the country, military cinema programs include on-screen and lobby programs. Options include 30-second on-screen commercials, signage in the theater lobby and on-site distribution of promotional flyers and coupons. Tickets can also be branded.

“It’s working with an existing platform, knowing that the military personnel and families are going to want to see films on base,” says Alloy senior vice president Samantha Skey. “The sponsors are actually making the screening possible by paying for distribution.”

There is one sponsor per event.

The films are usually family fare and sometimes adult action films shown at post or base theaters that are open only to military personnel and their families.

“The basic package sticks to commercials on the screen, full-size branded signage, and on-site flyers handed out,” Skey says. “But we’ve done giveaways like key chains and premiums. We don’t do the typical branding popcorn boxes and drink containers because those are used to cut through clutter and we don’t need to cut through clutter.”

Advertisers can utilize their standard 30-second spot or develop creative specifically for use in military cinemas.

“The platform allows you to address their unique challenges. It might be a call to action and include a discount for the military,” Skey says.

Advertisers are typically national brands. Local outlets can be highlighted. Cinema sponsorships are often used in conjunction with print ads in post or base newspapers promoting the event for up to four weeks ahead of time.

Movies are typically shown twice on each base, Skey says. “The schedule is determined based on interest from advertisers.”

Alloy works with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and National Guard to bring sponsored screenings to their bases.

Markets
The Military Cinema network includes theaters on 80 U.S. bases, Skey says. “That’s 80 percent of all the bases in the country.”

Numbers
There are 1,457,450 active duty military, 693,714 spouses, and 1,230,460 other dependants for a total active duty population numbering 3.38 million, according to a 2005 Active Duty Personnel Demographic profile of the Military Community from Department of Defense.

Additionally, there are 2,725,900 civilian employees, 1,664,716 reservists and 1,722,226 retirees who have access to base services.

How it is measured
Attendance is measured by the number of tickets issued.

Research
According to the 2005 Department of Defense report, enlisted men and women earn nearly 40 percent more than the average high school graduate, and officers earn more than twice the pay of the average college graduate.

What product categories do well
Wireless, entertainment, insurance, gaming, financial services and automotive are top categories.

Demographics
The military population, according to the 2005 Active Duty Personnel Demographic profile from the Defense Department, breaks down as follows:
-88 percent male
-43 percent are 18-25 in age, 76.2 percent at 18-35, and 10.6 percent at over 40.
-67 percent are Caucasian, 15.7 percent African American, 15.6 percent Hispanic and 6 percent other.
-69.6 percent for officers and 49 percent of enlisted personnel are married.
-22 percent of military spouses are married to officers while the remaining 78 percent are married to enlistees.

Additionally, there are 200,000 active duty females in the military and more than half of active duty personnel are married, extending the reach to 1.1 million plus females.

“We don’t find a strong variability between bases. People often aren’t from the region where they are stationed, so there doesn’t seem to be any great advantage to segmenting further,” Skey says. “We go to the bases that have the most people.”

“The military fits perfectly with our demographic,” says Jaime Borasi, spokesperson for San Francisco-based Ubisoft, a gaming company.

“We’ve traditionally done well on military bases with games. People who enjoy movies are also big gamers. They already like military games, are the right age to buy them, and the audience is for the most part male.”

Making the buy
Lead time is six weeks. Factors that affect cost include number of theaters, number of showings and number of films. Programs usually run one month with a two-day showing on each base.

Who’s already in military cinemas
Ubisoft and Sony are recent cinema sponsors.

What they’re saying
“Where else would you reach this audience? The bases themselves are typically located in isolated or closed communities. They’re kind of in a little bubble.” – Samantha Skey, senior vice president at Alloy Media + Marketing in New York

Web site info
Alloy Media + Marketing at www.alloymarketing.com

Etc.
Other military programs include ads in base newspapers, on web sites, radio and out of home venues.

Check the Media Life archives for “Send a message to those in uniform,” August 13, 2001.