STRATA [1], Chicago-based media buying and selling software company, announced today it has partnered with National CineMedia [2] to allow agencies to buy cinema advertising in the Spot marketplace for the first time.
[3]NCM’s premium FirstLook pre-show inventory is now available to STRATA’s client base of over a thousand agencies. The initial launch will allow NCM to be planned, purchased,and billed through STRATA in the top 25 Designated Market with NCM’s full national network of 20,050 movie screens in 1,600 theaters in 187 DMAs expected to be available in the system by mid-year.
Following a record year at the box office and record ratings for NCM, FirstLook is one of the top Prime-Time shows in the U.S. every week, translating to a Nielsen rating of over 7.0 for adults 18 to 49. NCM has also declared its movie theaters to be ‘politics-free zones’, making it an especially attractive option for brands in an election year.
“NCM is a new affiliate entering the $75 billion Spot marketplace with the often #1 rated show in Prime-Time, no political advertising, no pre-emptions and no premiums,” says Cliff Marks, NCM’s president of sales and marketing. “Our network offers the best video content from Hollywood with the most highly-engaged audience around — all at a cost competitive with premium Prime-Time TV programming like sports and other live events. Being able to buy both TV and cinema locally through STRATA is the perfect way for buyers to extend the reach of any advertising campaign while also maximizing message recall and likeability. It’s a great combination that we hope will help make their job a little bit easier.”
Total NCM impressions in the STRATA system will be estimated based on a combination of historical box office trends, individual theater attendance projections and film-specific box office projections. Demographic comp estimates are applied on national Nielsen demos, and ratings are based on standard TV Universes. Nielsen Posts are created for all NCM National and Spot buys.
“Reaching highly engaged audiences in movie theaters, with the ability to create customized and localized ad campaigns in any major market, is a critical function for advertisers as the media marketplace continues to fragment,” says Judd Rubin, vice-president at STRATA. “NCM is measured by Nielsen and ratings are based on standard TV universes, offering our agencies an easy way to reach local movie audiences alongside local Spot TV buys through our software. This is a natural and exciting partnership for STRATA and our agencies.”
The solutions that STRATA provides empowers clients to buy and sell all media types including cable, broadcast, newspaper, radio, outdoor and digital advertising mediums. On average, over $50 Billion in advertising dollars flow through STRATA systems per year. As the system of choice for over 1,000 agencies in the United States, STRATA provides media technology that enables organizations to lead rather than react to industry developments. By transforming the way advertisements are placed and tracked, STRATA adds a new level of transparency to campaigns that is necessary in the ever-evolving media world.