| Abstract [eng] |
In the 21st century, when a wide variety of entertainment and cultural activities are offered, the question arises: how can new audiences be attracted? During the COVID-19 pandemic, when most cultural institutions closed their doors, the audience became extremely important. Museums, galleries, theaters, and other cultural institutions had to adopt strategies to maintain their existing audiences. A few years after the pandemic ended, these institutions are gradually starting to regain visitors to their physical venues. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, most subsectors of the film industry were negatively affected, with only a few – streaming services and digital video rental – escaping the negative consequences. With film productions halted, cinemas closed, and people staying at home, the film industry experienced its greatest blow in history. The pandemic reinforced the prevailing trend that people are increasingly choosing to watch movies at home online rather than in cinemas. After the COVID-19 wave ended and cinemas reopened, the situation did not improve, as visitors' habits had changed. Film distributors, who use advertising tools to attract audiences to the films shown in cinemas, have faced significant challenges. With advertising everywhere, it has become increasingly difficult to stand out and capture attention. With many films released every year, film distributors must carefully consider how to sell their film to the audience so that they, upon entering the cinema, choose to watch their film rather than a competitor's. To improve audience attraction to cinemas, it is essential to understand what kind of advertising film distributors use and identify its impact on audience development in cinemas. Problem: What impact do film distributors' advertisements have on audience development in cinemas? Object of the research: The impact of film distributors' advertisements on audience development in cinemas. Aim: To create an empirically grounded theoretical model of the impact of film distributors' advertisements on audience development in cinemas. Objectives: Conceptualize the concepts of the film industry, film distributors, advertising, and audience development; Discuss audience development and advertising tools and strategies; Develop a theoretical model of the impact of film distributors' advertisements on audience development in cinemas; Refine the theoretical model of the impact of film distributors' advertisements on audience development in cinemas based on empirical research. Methods: The work used comparative literature analysis of scientific literature by Lithuanian and foreign authors, quantitative research (consumer surveys), qualitative research (semi-structured interviews), expert surveys, and content data analysis. Results: The empirical research revealed that not all advertising tools and strategies are effective in promoting audience development. The most commonly used advertising tools are social networks, online and outdoor advertising, as well as word-of-mouth advertising and recommendations from friends. These tools allow people to learn about new films, as the advertisements are the most noticeable and effectively encourage visits to cinemas. The Chi-square method identified correlations between age and the media through which films are watched, as well as between events – one of the marketing strategies – and the frequency of cinema visits. The research revealed that COVID-19 had a negative impact on cinema audiences. In the model, the key factors influencing audience development are events and word-of-mouth advertising, which spreads through social networks. Meanwhile, other marketing strategies, such as pricing, partnerships, and various advertising tools (film trailers, outdoor, print, online, and broadcast advertising), serve as factors for increasing film awareness. |
