The big screen’s super-power: How Cinema is winning Gen Z’s hearts and minds.

Originally published on Mi3.

Meheer Thakare - Director, Media Insights, Kantar and Paul Butler - Group Insights and Analytics Director, Val Morgan.

Gen Z has had marketers scratching their heads for a while now. This influential generation, born into a world overflowing with digital content and advertising fatigue, has grown adept at filtering out anything less than genuinely engaging. New analysis from Kantar, commissioned by Val Morgan Cinema, sheds critical insight into why Cinema is proving as one of the most efficient mediums for capturing and maintaining Gen Z’s elusive attention. 

In a cluttered, digital-first world, capturing fragmented attention is increasingly difficult and particularly so for younger audiences - but Cinema is cutting through the noise. Unlike other media platforms that are plagued by ad-skipping, multi-tasking, and distraction, Cinema provides a focused, immersive, and high-quality environment that naturally captivates. A potent combination of emotional engagement, uninterrupted storytelling, and a distraction-free experience allows Cinema to emerge as a powerful medium for brands seeking to resonate deeply with younger audiences. 

Kantar’s comprehensive analysis draws from the Media Reactions 2024 study and an extensive evaluation of 15 LIFT+ (CrossMedia) campaign measurements, all including Cinema within the channel mix. The findings, based on over 15,000 consumer interactions and with focus on younger audiences, uncovered that despite typically receiving an average of only 6 per cent of overall media spend, Cinema delivered an outsized 15 per cent of the total campaign impact per person (impact per every Reach  per cent). This 2.5x efficiency ratio underscores Cinema’s exceptional capability to deliver a substantial return on investment, outperforming many traditional and digital channels. 

The super-power of immersive storytelling

Cinema’s super-power advantage is its unique environment. Immersive and distraction-free, this creates the ideal space for powerful storytelling, making brand narratives more emotionally impactful and memorable. As one of the highest ranked channels for ad equity, (Source: Kantar Media Reactions 2024) among younger audiences in Australia, the positive and receptive environment created gives permission for advertising to resonate more deeply, amplifying brand storytelling in a way that many other channels struggle to replicate.

Reaching the unreachable: Cinema’s incremental audience

Cinema also has an ability to extend the reach into Gen Z audiences who are increasingly hard to reach through conventional methods. The LIFT+ analysis proved that Cinema captures a unique audience and bolsters total AV reach.

On average 44 per cent of the reach delivered by Cinema was incremental to TV, with Cinema reach peaking among non and light TV viewers, offering advertisers the opportunity to particularly reach younger audiences who have tuned out traditional television advertising.

Additionally, 31 per cent of the reach delivered by Cinema was incremental to digital. Crucially 18 per cent of Cinema’s reach was incremental to both TV and digital, delivering a unique audience providing a compelling solution for marketers grappling with fragmented media consumption. 

More than reach: High retention and synergistic effects

Beyond incremental reach, Kantar’s analysis also reveals Cinema’s exceptional ability to deliver high message retention rates (up to 95 per cent on certain campaigns) surpassing other popular media channels. It’s further evidence of Cinema’s unmatched capability to embed brands into the minds of younger audiences for sustained impact. As part of the AV mix Cinema both complements and amplifies other channels, creating a multiplier effect that boosts overall campaign performance. Brands integrating Cinema with digital and traditional media witness improved results across essential brand metrics, including salience and motivation. Furthermore, Cinema’s synergistic effects significantly increase the emotional resonance and recall of overall campaign performance, helping brands establish deeper, longer-lasting relationships. 

In the competitive landscape for consumer attention, marketers must adapt swiftly to remain relevant. Cinema, with its unique combination of incremental reach, emotional resonance, and tactical synergy, is not merely an option but a necessity for brands looking to meaningfully connect with younger audiences critical for long term brand growth. For brands, strong relationships formed with today’s trendsetters and tomorrow’s economic powerhouses translates to an investment in lifelong loyalty.

This new analysis adds to the growing bank of data on the effectiveness of Cinema. To delve deeper into how Cinema can elevate your marketing strategy and forge authentic connections with the next generation of consumers download Kantar’s full report today at valmorgan.com.au/famous