Services

My Cinema Platform

 

For Current ICA Promotion: CLICK HERE

 

For ICA Member Marketing Materials: CLICK HERE

 

For NZMPEA Member Marketing Materials: CLICK HERE

My Cinema is a marketing platform launched in Australia at ICA Conference 2014 that brings ICA member exhibitors together in a national umbrella circuit featuring a national brand identity.

The enhanced brand and marketing platform supports national promotions and strategic partnerships. Exciting new possibilities for growing your market develop with the creation and delivery of national campaigns that reinforce the cinema-going habit amongst core audiences and introduce new audiences to independent cinemas.

Put simply, each cinema [or indie circuit] gets to keep its identity and gets to join in a broader collaborative operation that more effectively grows the market, and enables competition on a more equal footing with the major chains.

As an umbrella circuit, all exhibitors who are members of ICA are automatically part of the My Cinema group and entitled to ‘opt in’ to the activities and campaigns it attracts. By aggregating our members as 30% of the market ICA attracts national promotions and marketing campaigns that most individual independent exhibitors do not have the ability to attract.

In the first year of operation alone we have successful promotions for Disney’s PLANES: FIRE AND RESCUE, Roadshow’s PAPER PLANES and Sony’s PIXELS with prizes for a family of four to Disneyland, Tokyo and Los Angeles!

My Cinema creates the opportunity to deliver greater impact and consistency across 85 co-ordinated promotional campaigns – each one uniquely delivered in the way that best meets the character and needs of the cinemas’ local submarket. And because of the co-ordination there will be cost savings in delivery and uplift in performance from the greater visibility of the independents in the broader national market.

The My Cinema initiative enables more effective campaigns by delivering promo trailers, sneak peek clips and footage of special interviews and events compiled for a My Cinema channel and sent direct to participating cinema and foyer screens through the ICAA NOC.

It provides a central web destination

•for the public to click through from your own website to locate terms and conditions for the latest promotions, and

•a login for exhibitors to locate and download consistent and up to date marketing, communication, PR and template materials for use on all media channels purpose designed by suppliers for each promotion.

My Cinema acts as a foundation to increase the impact of your local marketing efforts, drive business to your websites and Facebook pages, and underpin the local identity and unique personality of your own cinema brand.

 

 MY CINEMA PREMIERE

This initiative evolved from our recognition that indie cinemas want to program Australian and independent films and our audiences want to see them – however several barriers stand in the way of box office success.

As a first step ICA recognised we needed to address how to amplify the often smaller budgets available for Australian theatrical features [and indeed other indie films and documentaries] and build a system of support for our members to make the most of these films.

My Cinema Premiere introduced special event preview screenings at independent cinemas in a premium environment, to develop excitement, awareness and word of mouth promotion for the films featured in the My Cinema Premiere series.   This was done by developing a brand of event that exhibitors can embrace and audiences will recognise and associate with a special night out no matter what title is being featured as the latest premiere at that location.

The My Cinema Premiere series was launched at ICA Conference 2015 with Icon’s ‘LAST CAB TO DARWIN’ being the inaugural title.  Fifty seven (57) sites participated in this promotion. The My Cinema Premiere concept was well received by members and feedback from exhibitors and patrons has been excellent.   Members once again got behind this initiative by delivering a premium event that included red carpets, limousines, champagne, nibbles and lots of happy patrons enjoying the experience of a special event at their local cinema.  The prize a trip for two to Darwin was won by a patron who saw the movie in Leongatha Stadium 4 Cinema in Victoria.

The My Cinema Premiere initiative is being supported by Screen Australia and ICA have been successful in receiving funding to support this initiative.

Adrianne Pecotic, CEO Independent Cinemas Australia

Craig Lucas, Forum 6 Wagga Wagga  

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS MY CINEMA?

It is a marketing platform that brings ICA member exhibitors together in a national umbrella circuit featuring a national brand identity.

 

WHICH EXHIBITORS CAN BE PART OF THE MY CINEMA CIRCUIT?

As an umbrella circuit, all exhibitors who are members of ICA are automatically part of the My Cinema group and entitled to ‘opt in’ to the activities and campaigns it attracts.

 

WHAT DOES IT DO?

The creation of a national brand identity for ICA member cinemas aggregates the strengths of independent exhibitors, without diluting the unique personality and marketing efforts of every independent cinema business.

The My Cinema identity unites and lifts up the profile of each unique business so that individually every ICA member exhibitor can better compete in the national market and amplify the effectiveness of their local community engagement.

 

HOW AM I COMPETING IN THE NATIONAL MARKET? WHY WILL THIS BRAND HELP ME?

Despite being mostly small to medium local businesses, independent exhibitors compete in the national market in a wide range of areas.

 

• Independent exhibitors compete with the majors for national promotions and advertising spend.
• Independent exhibitors compete for the resources of film distributors in product, promotion and advertising dollars.
• Independent exhibitors compete for the attention of huge corporate suppliers of everything sold in the cinema from beverages to candy to screen advertising.
• And independent exhibitors compete with national and international platforms, for the public’s time and attention, from free to air and cable TV, internet content and gaming, to Facebook, google and snap chat.

 

ICA members represent 30% of the Australian national cinema market and now, by joining together in the My Cinema circuit, they have the capacity to work together to leverage that strength into more effective marketing, greater box office and more profitable businesses.

 

WHAT IS ICA DOING FOR MEMBERS WITH THE MY CINEMA CIRCUIT?

ICA is working to develop strategic partnerships for the My Cinema circuit to generate significant national promotion and marketing campaigns.

 

We are also looking for sponsors to support initiatives such as My Cinema branded cups and popcorn boxes in locations all around Australia.

 

ICA is inviting distributors, suppliers, major corporates, government agencies and community groups to discuss the opportunities, and partner with ICA and our members to build the My Cinema platform and develop more efficient, effective and deeper community engagement.

 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS FOR INDEPENDENT EXHIBITORS?

 

By aggregating our members as 30% of the market ICA will attract national promotions and marketing campaigns that most individual members do not have the ability to attract.

 

My Cinema creates the opportunity to deliver greater impact and consistency across 93 coordinated promotional campaigns – each one uniquely delivered in the way that best meets the character and needs of the cinemas’ local sub-market.

 

And because of the co-ordination there will be cost savings in delivery and uplift in performance from the greater visibility of the independents in the broader national market.

 

The My Cinema initiative will enable more effective campaigns by delivering promo trailers, sneak peek clips and footage of special interviews and events compiled for a My Cinema channel and sent direct to participating cinema and foyer screens through the ICAA NOC.

 

It will provide a central web destination

 

• for the public to click through from your own website to locate terms and conditions for the latest promotions, and
• a login for exhibitors to locate and download consistent and up to date marketing, communication, PR and template materials for use on all media channels purpose designed by suppliers for each promotion.

 

My Cinema will act as a foundation to increase the impact of your local marketing efforts, drive business to your websites and Facebook pages, and underpin the local identity and unique personality of your own cinema brand.

 

Put simply, each cinema [or indie circuit] gets to keep its identity and gets to join in a broader collaborative operation that more effectively grows the market, and enables competition on a more equal footing with the major chains.

 

I ALREADY MARKET MY BUSINESS VERY SUCCESSFULLY AND DRIVE CUSTOMERS TO THE CINEMA’S WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA SITES. DOES ‘OPTING IN’ TO A MY CINEMA CAMPAIGN MEAN I LOSE CONTROL OF MY OWN MARKETING?

 

No. My Cinema is a platform that builds greater national awareness yet preserves exhibitors’ independence and marketing success by keeping them in control of direct engagement with their customers – whether over the counter or over the internet.

 

I KNOW DISTRIBUTORS/SUPPLIERS THAT ALREADY PARTNER SUCCESSFULLY WITH THE INDEPENDENT SECTOR.

WHY WOULD THEY WANT TO WORK WITH THE MY CINEMA BRAND/CIRCUIT, HOW WILL IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THEIR EFFORTS?

 

The My Cinema initiative will enable more effective campaigns by delivering promo trailers, sneak peek clips and footage of special interviews and events compiled for a My Cinema channel and sent direct to participating cinema and foyer screens through the ICAA NOC.

 

And it will provide a central web destination

 

• for the public to click through to locate terms and conditions for the latest promotions, and
• a login for exhibitors to locate and download consistent and up to date marketing, communication, PR and template materials for use on all media channels purpose designed by suppliers for each promotion.

 

 

IF DISTRIBUTORS AND SUPPLIERS ALREADY CENTRALLY CO-ORDINATE THEIR INDEPENDENT CINEMA CAMPAIGNS AND MOTIVATE EXHIBITORS TO COMPETE AGAINST EACH OTHER FOR PRIZES AND INCENTIVES, WHY WILL WORKING WITH ICA AND MY CINEMA BE MORE SUCCESSFUL?

 

It will be more successful because it motivates exhibitors not only to compete, but to work together to create a more visible presence.

 

The My Cinema brand is greater than the sum of its parts. It is an incentive for exhibitors to work together on promotions they believe will build a national identity, to benefit themselves and the product, that is greater than the profile of each individual business yet keeps the spotlight firmly on the product, the customer, and each indie cinema’s own brand.

 

WHY SHOULD DISTRIBUTORS AND SUPPLIERS CONSIDER A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH ICA AND MY CINEMA? WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL IT MAKE TO THEIR INDEPENDENT SECTOR MARKETING EFFORTS?

 

A strategic partnership with ICA will make a difference to marketing efforts by adding the endorsement of our Executive to encourage members to embrace selected projects, distributors and suppliers and enable those partners to leverage the aggregated My Cinema identity and exhibitor engagement in direct support of their product.

 

The My Cinema brand and platform enables distributors and suppliers to more efficiently aggregate their efforts to reach indie cinema customers and provide consistent communication materials that can be used in every ICA member cinema to lift the profile of the product and the promotion within the community.

 

WILL AUSTRALIAN FILMS BE INCLUDED IN THE MY CINEMA INITIATIVE?

ICA is concerned to identify and work with partners that can ensure that Australian films benefit from access to the new My Cinema platform and that success is measured against past performance to ensure the platform is effective in growing the market for Australian film.