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Author Topic: What cinema brand/naming had the most brand recognition with consumers? Terry Lynn-Stevens Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1081 From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Registered: Dec 2012 posted 08-09-2013 09:17 PM                     Help settle a score with my boss What in your opinion has/had the most brand or consumer recognition with the customer? a) THX b) Dolby c) Dolby Stereo/Surround d) Dolby Digital e) DTS Digital f) 70MM 6-Track g) IMAX h) The current AVX/RPX/ETX thing What has the least?  |  IP: Logged Aaron Garman Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: Toledo, OH USA Registered: Mar 2003 posted 08-09-2013 09:53 PM                     Dolby had it. Didn't lose it but it's not the same. Now, They've all lost a bit from us folks. I think DTS still has it, at least to a nerd like me. THX is damaged goods, sadly. In principle, it was a good thing. IMAX has become a joke with us. The average Joe loves it foolishly. AJG  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 08-09-2013 10:43 PM                     We could throw in: Films recorded in Ultra-Stereo and not Dolby CDS - Cinema Digital Sound ShowScan 8/70mm "Giant Screen" Started with Dolby Stereo (in this generation and recent decade), but nobody cares anymore due to digital presentations.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-09-2013 10:50 PM                        I think for the most part the first thing that comes to people's minds for these brands is: Dolby (and Dolby Surround) = loud Imax = big picture, loud (but they are really diluting that with "LieMax") Dolby Digital = REALLY loud AVX/RPX/ETX = Big picture (but not Imax-big), plus really loud DTS/Datasat = I think most people haven't got a clue  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 08-09-2013 11:30 PM                        The only thing I ever have people ask for by name is IMAX. I very rarely hear anyone say THX. Very few customers even ask about surround sound or sound formats. Even when it comes to 3D, I rarely have anyone ask for a specific 3D brand; it's RealD when they do.  |  IP: Logged Lyle Romer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1400 From: Davie, FL, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 08-10-2013 08:17 AM                     Overall probably Dolby generically. Recently probably IMAX. I don't think anybody latches on to the proprietary acronym soup systems. I guess you can throw in generic 3D since some movies (I think Disney) has the stupid "In Theatres and 3D" tagline. I'm confused since I'm not sure where to go for 3D since it is apparently somewhere other than a theatre.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 08-10-2013 11:24 AM                     Of that group...the most universally recognized name with joe blow consumer is Dolby. It is the most pervasive name in many aspects of life...not just cinema. THX and DTS are in the mix but are only going to be of interest to the geeky folks with the whiz bang home cinemas. Imax is going to have recognition to cinema people but as Mike states...it is relating to BIG PICTURE. 70mm definitely still has a draw (ask anyone that still runs it) but it is going to be an older crowd. How will a teenager of today, that has never associated the name 70mm with anything other than a measurement who has progressively never seen "film" going to relate to a better version of what they haven't seen or don't remember? That said...I think IMAX, as a distinguishing name is going to sway more movie patrons than the other brands, at this point. And just like with THX or 70mm or the various sound formats...they won't know just what the difference is but they perceive that it is somehow better than the rest. I don't think one could sway one extra ticket by advertising "Presented in Dolby Digital". The presumption is now that everything is at least 5.1 digital audio...heck DCI has stipulated that. They have that in the home and have had it for many years. If the new super sound systems like Atmos and Auro are going to gain customer recognition, there will need to be a very concerted effort to educate the consumers of their benefits. For the most part, the sound systems have been silent on getting the word out. A snipe in the feature is too late to advertise to the person already in the auditorium. I think Surround 7.1 has some draw (I do ask those of our customers have it) since people, like with 70mm, can recognize 7.1 is more than 5.1 and it often has the Dolby name in front of it to give credibility (and also has a home version). I don't know if one would skip their preferred show time to catch the 7.1 version instead of a 5.1 though. We recommend to our customers to go all 7.1 rather than just the big theatres...it sets a perceived quality level for the complex rather than having the good versus bad auditoriums. I think about half of the systems we converted are Dolby Surround 7.1. Honestly, the criteria was if the theatre was essentially already wired for it via Surround-EX/or just had the rear surrounds wired to separate amp(s). All of our new systems will be 7.1 because it just doesn't cost anymore.  |  IP: Logged David Zylstra Master Film Handler Posts: 432 From: Novi, MI, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 08-10-2013 11:53 AM                     we actually just went through a similar "score" with our owner - his theory was that less than 5% of our guests did not know what our brand of large format was, we thought it was more like 20%. Since our POS has a built in survey feature we ran a survey over a weekend and the results were that more than 50% knew what our LF branding was. My ranking based only on brand recognition (not perception of brand quality): Dolby (mainly due to consumer products) IMAX (mainly due to years of museum type films) THX (consumer products a factor) Digital sound on film (I don't think there was much recognition of SDDS v. DD v. DTS, at least not around Detroit due to SDDS rolling out first at AMCs and Loews) Dolby Stereo ("back in the day") 70mm ("back in the day" and higher in markets where it was available) AVX/RPX/ETX last only because they are new and there are so many flavors, although in areas and locations where it is available I think it would rank higher (and rank higher among regular movie-goers and not just the general public). I think my 2-4 above are about a tie so they are hard to rank.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 08-10-2013 11:55 AM                     Really? Is this a serious question? Cumulatively speaking, it's going to be Dolby. Virtually everybody has at least heard of Dolby. Most would readily associate the brand with some kind of sound format. The advent of digital sound rendered "sound format" less of an issue for most patrons. Even THX -- which isn't a sound format -- suffered as "digital" became the new marketing buzzword. Dolby's name is still prevalent in cinemas -- but is now becoming associated with picture. So, while the name and logo are still "out there" and recognizable. I question whether they are especially associated with cinema sound anymore (for the average consumer.) I think most of the current movie audience knows what IMAX is, and the brand probably has marketing power today. People commonly refer to seeing something "on the big screen," so it is logical to assume that "bigger is better." Without a doubt, that is the marketing power behind IMAX nowadays. Regarding 70mm... Is it possible that 70mm only APPEARS to have a draw today, because it's so scarcely available? What would happen if those mini-festivals of 2001, LAWRENCE, etc occurred every month (instead of, say, annually)? Do you think we might see the crowds dwindle?  |  IP: Logged David Zylstra Master Film Handler Posts: 432 From: Novi, MI, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 08-10-2013 12:05 PM                     re 70mm - I think the same can be said about IMAX release films - they purposely limit the number of locations that have it so the grosses are higher on those screens, if every location had an IMAX auditorium the grosses would be average per screen. The same can be said for alternate content - when the Met Opera is live at only 1 or 2 locations in a large market it gets a good crowd, but if 10-15 locations show the same show then the limited crowd gets distributed and not worth running.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 08-10-2013 12:10 PM                     In today's market, IMAX would probably beat 70mm if they were equally available.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 08-10-2013 12:12 PM                     No...70mm is still definitely a draw...again, ask anyone that runs it still. But it is going to be with older audiences though some young ones get to realize what they missed in the 35mm film era.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 08-10-2013 12:18 PM                     BTW I once drove from Oakland to Santa Monica's Aero Theatre (probably around 900 miles) to catch a 70mm screening. I was going to have to make that drive anyway (heading home from vacation) but I planned my departure/return around the screening. So -- just to clarify -- I'm not being an "insensitive prick" -- My question comes not out of a disdain for the format but, rather, taking into consideration the cultural shift away from traditional formats. Film formats -- all of them -- are trending toward "niche" status. So, from a business standpoint, I suppose my question to the original poster should be -- what's your market? Mainstream or niche? If this was a serious discussion about which direction to take the business, we could eliminate a lot of those choices right off the bat. I missed the question about "what has the least" marketing power. Hmm -- I would like to say that the AVP/ETX (or whatever) has the least power -- mainly because customers (and probably some theatre staff) can't accurately or succinctly describe what it really is. However, having said that, a lot of people didn't understand what THX was and it was a huge success despite this. And I suspect back in the 1980s a lot of people who sought out 70mm may not have known exactly why that was the right choice. Maybe charging more for those "fancy" formats is what makes them sell. I dunno.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-10-2013 12:29 PM                        Referring to 5.1 audio, Steve wrote: quote: Steve Guttag They have that in the home and have had it for many years. I'd have to wonder about that. I have a feeling the "average" consumer doesn't even know what "5.1" means. Sure you're going to have a group of geeks like all of us here who are in the know, but there is also a huge group of non-picky TV watchers who don't really give that much of a crap about sound. As long as they can hear what's being said they're fine. There is a gigantic group of moviegoers who feel the same way.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-10-2013 12:33 PM                        At this point, even "35mm" draws people to repertory screenings. Especially among the horror-movie crowd, for some reason. I don't really understand why, but the people who are fans of that genre usually seem to be film (as in the actual medium) fans as well. Even if they haven't seen it, many non-film-geek types have heard of "70mm," and at least know that it offers higher quality than regular movies. As for the brand names, Dolby and Imax would the only two that would matter to normal people. "Dolby Stereo/Digital/7.1" implies "good sound," even if the sound is actually not that good and/or is just loud. "Imax" implies "big picture," even if the picture really isn't that big. I'm not sure if anyone really knew much about DTS or THX. At least, no one really ever seemed to know what THX meant--only that it was "good" in some way. Not that it matters now that you can buy THX-certified computer speakers. If someone opened a Super-Hyper-Mega-Ultra-Dolby-Stereo-Imax-HD-70mm cinema, I am sure that it would do good business, at least for the first week or so.  |  IP: Logged

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