Motivate Val Morgan has two new cinema locations in Dubai, UAE – The Pointe (Reel Cinemas) and La Mer (Roxy Cinemas).
Reel Cinemas | The Pointe | UAE
Reel Cinemas launched their new boutique cinema – The Pointe at the tip of Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah – equipped with Barco laser projectors and Dolby Atmos surround sound. The five-screen cinema with a total seating capacity of 199 includes a mix of Standard and Dine-in Cinemas as well as a third Guy Fieri’s Kitchen – synonymous with American-style cuisine.
While regular cinema snacks are offered at two standard screens, you can enjoy dishes such as trash can nachos, barbecue short ribs and chicken wings at dine-in screens. A 100-seater Guy Fieri Restaurant is also adjacent to the cinema, serving an extended menu of all-American comfort foods, mocktails and super-sized shakes.
The Pointe marks the sixth cinema opening for Reel Cinemas in Dubai, adding to their existing portfolio – The Dubai Mall, Dubai Marina Mall, The Springs Souq, Jebel Ali and Rove Downtown.
Visit their website for more information.
Roxy Cinemas | La Mer | UAE
Roxy Cinemas recently launched their second boutique cinema at La Mer, Jumeirah. The four-screen cinema with a total seating capacity of 120, is an indulgent and guest-focused cinema experience with luxurious leather reclining seats and stylish boutique ambience.
The cinema is equipped with a bistro lounge and customers can order from their latest menu which includes Wagyu beef burgers, Roxy sharing platters, glazed beef skewers and a selection of salads. Their gourmet offerings come in addition to the traditional cinema favorites like popcorn and nachos. Plus, a variety of dessert delights and mocktails is available on demand.
Roxy Cinemas now operate four cinema locations across Dubai – The Boxpark, The Beach, Citywalk and La Mer.
Visit their website for more information.
As the exclusive cinema advertising partner of Reel and Roxy Cinemas, contact a member of our sales team for advertising opportunities at these two locations.
Sources: Reel Cinemas, Roxy Cinemas, What’s On, and DubaiLAD
As the official representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE, Motivate Val Morgan delivers the latest news from the desks of the Festival.
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has officially launched its 2019 Festival – which will take place from 17th – 21st June, 2019 in Cannes, France.
The five-day festival is the only global event and largest gathering for professionals working in creative communications, advertising, and related fields. Festival attendees – from nearly 100 countries, get to experience five days of workshops, exhibitions, screenings, master classes and high-profile seminars presented by renowned worldwide industry leaders.
Here’s the latest news from the 2019 Festival:
Eight Big Themes at Cannes Lions 2019
The Tracks
Introduced as part of the reshape in 2018, the tracks – Craft, Communication, Entertainment, Experience, Good, Health, Impact, Innovation and Reach – presented a new era for Cannes Lions. They reflect and represent the core disciplines that underpin and define the global branded communications industry. The nine tracks provide a structure that allow our community to better navigate the Cannes Lions Awards, talks, learning experiences and expanding digital platform and for the first time, Cannes Lions will appoint Track Ambassadors ahead of the 2019 Festival.
New Awards In 2019 To Honour Strategy and Sport
Two new Lions Award categories will be added to the awards line-up in 2019. The Creative Strategy Lion will sit within the Reach Track and will celebrate the idea behind the idea, how strategic planning can redefine a brand, reinvent its business, and influence consumers or wider culture. And, complementing the Entertainment Track, The Entertainment Lion for Sport will celebrate creativity that leverages the galvanizing power of sports and eSports for brands.
Launch of Connect Learn Experience (CLX)
CLX is a new initiative for 2019, launched in partnership with MediaLink, where senior-level brands, agencies and media companies are invited to meet, learn from, experience, and do business with the most creative and innovative content creators – and entertainment experts – in the world. The initiative will bring eight of the world’s best content creators to Cannes Lions to host experiential programmes with educational content, roundtables, meetings and case studies. For the first two days, CLX will be invite only, restricted to senior level executives. On the third day, doors will open to all Cannes Lions attendees.
*Cannes Lions also announced the retirement of its Product Design Lions category, which will be absorbed into the Design and Innovation Lions.
Speak at Cannes Lions
The Call for Stage Content is open until 14 December 2018 and welcomes ideas and submissions from anyone around the world. There is no charge to speak on stage, and successful submissions are chosen based on the strength of the idea and how original, unique and unexpected it is. Details of the content programme have been announced, with sessions operating within the framework of the nine tracks. The agenda is set to be more immersive and interactive than before, including more case studies, Q&A and debate. Click here to register
*Download the media pack
Key Dates:
*Delegate registration open, book your pass!
Visit www.canneslions.com for more information on the 2019 Festival
Source: Cannes Lions
Christmas has become UK’s version of the ‘Super Bowl’ for advertisers with ad-spend in Q4 2017 amounting to a whopping £5.9bn in the UK (Nielsen) – up by £1.2bn (+37%) over the last five years.
Each year, the competition intensifies with pressure on brands to beat the all time favourite John Lewis, and 2018 has seemingly taken the theme of childhood and nostalgia.
Check out our compilation of popular and heartwarming Christmas ads and decide for yourself:
John Lewis – The Boy and The Piano #EltonJohnLewis
John Lewis commercials have become an annual tradition in British pop-culture and signals the countdown to Christmas in the UK – attracting widespread media coverage and acclaim upon release.
This year’s ad – featuring Elton John portrays the power of a gift and how it inspired, changed and influenced the course of a little boy’s life. The commercial begins with a song by Elton John ‘My Gift is My Song’ in present day, and chronologically works backwards through Elton’s life, up until the moment on Christmas morning when he received the special gift that changed his life.
The ad received more than 8 million views in just 3 days since release.
John Lewis & Waitrose – For Us, It’s Personal
John Lewis and Waitrose ran their first joint marketing campaign as they launched new visual identities to mark their rebrand to John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners. The ad shows a group of primary school kids putting on a special performance to Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ for their surprised parents.
The campaign, created by adam&eveDDB is called ‘& Partners’, uses the tagline ‘For us, it’s personal’ as it aims to shine light on the stories and skills of its staff – who the retailers call partners, to illustrate what makes it different from other retail chains.
Saintbary’s – The Big Night
The earliest Christmas ad to appear in 2018 was from Sainsbury’s whose commercial ‘The Big Night’ features a cast of 60 children, led by a young girl dressed as a star. An eclectic group of Christmas characters give a rendition of the New Radicals’ nineties song, ‘You Get What You Give‘, as their parents watch on.
The ad has received 1.6 million views in 3 days.
Argos – The Christmas Fool
Argos’ 2018 festive campaign features a mischievous Christmas ‘fool’ determined to ruin Christmas. The impish creature, which resembles a Christmas version of Dobby the elf from Harry Potter (with an extra sock), causes chaos around the house – from breaking fairy lights and stealing Sellotape, to unwrapping presents and knocking things over, as a family try and get their final Christmas preparations into place.
The mischievous ad has received 1.8 million views in a mere week of release.
The ad brings to light an important reality: where everyone expects Christmas to be perfect, but the reality being it never is. In this commercial, Argos promises their customers a foolproof Christmas.
Very – Find the gift that helps them find their Gift
‘Find the gift that helps them find their gift’ is the theme behind Very’s heartwarming new Christmas advert. The festive ad, titled Elsie’s Gift, is a short, 30-second magical animation and tells the story of a schoolgirl named Elsie, who dreams of being an astronaut.
For Christmas, her parents gift her with a toy astronaut helmet, which inspires Elsie to pursue her dream. We see her learn and study with a growing interest in the universe and space travel – with the helmet always by her side.
The ad received 1.9 million views in 6 days since of release.
Iceland – Say Hello to Rang-tan #NoPalmOilChristmas
Iceland has repackaged a short film by Greenpeace which portrays the destruction of an orangutan’s rainforest habitat due to palm oil growers.
The Christmas campaign has been banned from TV as it was considered ‘too political’. However, due to buzz around its ban, the commercial garnered 4.3 million views in 6 days of release online.
Click here to watch more 2018 Christmas commercials.
Sources: DigitalSpy, House Beautiful, Marketing Week, The Guardian, and The Drum
Brand activations go beyond the typical ‘buy-sell relationship’ between brands and customers. They create emotional connections by using experiences and interactions – which in turn increases brand recall and recognition, and are a great stepping stone for brands looking to build long-term relationships with consumers.
Carriage – leading food delivery service in the Middle East, recently booked a cinema brand activation campaign (through media agency Starcom Middle East) at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates from 4th – 6th October 2018, which coincided with the release of Hollywood blockbuster Venom.
As part of the novel campaign, 6,519 takeaway boxes – which included branded communication and a ketchup sachet, were placed on the seats inside the ‘Top 3 Screens’ of VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates (prior to the start of each movie session). The ketchup sachet had a special code ‘VOX’ on it, entitling cinemagoers to receive AED20 off their first two orders when booking through the Carriage app.
Motivate Val Morgan offers a host of off-screen advertising activities to compliment on-screen advertising ranging from:
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on off-screen advertising opportunities.
Serenia, The Palm is an exclusive residential community development by Palma Holding featuring beachfront living at its finest on The Palm Crescent.
Designed by American architect Hazel Wong – the famous architect behind the landmark Emirates Towers, Serenia promises an unrivalled lifestyle and invites residents into a world of architectural excellence and contemporary interiors with an array of outdoor facilities and bespoke services.
Other remarkable projects by Palma Holding include Silverene Towers and Infinity Cayan Tower.
Palma Holding recently booked a 30 sec. on-screen ad commencing 23rd October 2018 on the premium screens of VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates and ROXY Cinemas – The Beach (for a period of 4 weeks) and the premium screens of Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall and the top screens at Reel Cinemas – Dubai Marina Mall (for a period of 8 weeks).
As a first-time advertiser of Motivate Val Morgan, Sarah Derbas – Marketing Director of Palma Holding shares a testimonial on cinema as medium for advertising and why cinema advertising should be an integral part of a marketing plan:
Why did Palma Holding choose to advertise in cinema?
“We created a world-class video for our latest residential project – Serenia Residences The Palm and we wanted to showcase it in a cinema environment – big screen and great visual and sound effects.”
How does cinema fit into Palma Holding’s media strategy?
“Clients of Serenia are of a certain demographic and lifestyle. Therefore, cinema fits well into our media plan as it gives us the opportunity to target specific audiences – cinemagoers who frequent premium screens at prominent cinema locations in Dubai.”
Was the cinema campaign booked for brand awareness or as a tactical promotion?
“A bit of both. Brand awareness is always important when launching a new property. Tactical because want to inform our target market that Serenia is ready to move into and is offered on sale or rent basis.”
Was cinema the best fit for a specific commercial/campaign?
“Cinema Advertising was a great fit for a commercial campaign such as ours. We look forward to some positive feedback and results.”
View on the medium – how cinema competes or complements other advertising mediums used by Palma Holding?
“Any good marketing plan has to be an integrated one that utilizes various mediums, and cinema fits in well with our current plan.”
How efficient was it to book/deal through Motivate Val Morgan?
“Motivate Val Morgan is efficient and professional in their approach.”
Source: Palma Holding
From joining the quest of destroying that ‘One Ring’ – Lord of the Rings, drifting into the realm of ‘Narnia’- home to mythical beasts and talking animals – The Chronicles of Narnia, to learning the art of witchcraft and wizardry at ‘Hogwarts’ – Harry Potter and coexisting with the local tribe on the lush alien world of Pandora – Avatar, we can all agree that fantasy is fundamentally ridiculous. But, once in a while, the real world gets a tad boring, and good old fantasy is our best and cheapest bet!
Fantasy has the power to transport audiences from the bounds of reality into the world of escapism and incredulity – and what better medium than cinema to escape reality (larger than life image and surround sound with booming bass).
Over the years, the genre has gone from strength to strength, and today, we’re in the middle of an unprecedented fantasy boom.
2017 witnessed a myriad of fantasy movies, with three of them making it to the list of Top 10 Highest Grossing Hollywood Movies (worldwide) – Star Wars: The Last Jedi (over US$1.32B and the 9th highest grossing movie of all time), Beauty and the Beast (Over US$1.26B and the 11th highest grossing movie of all time) and Wonder Woman (over US$817M). Another notable fantasy movie of 2017 is The Shape of Water which won 4 Oscars, 2 Golden Globes and 2 BAFTA Awards.
UAE fantasy movie admissions stats:
2018
Avengers: Infinity War – Ranks 1st in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2018, ran for 23 weeks and did approximately 733K admissions
2017
Beauty and the Beast – Ranks 3rd in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2017, ran for 14 weeks and did approximately 499K admissions
Wonder Woman – Ranks 10th in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2017, ran for 13 weeks and did approximately 330K admissions
Justice League – Ran for 8 weeks and did approximately 322K admissions
Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Ran for 9 weeks and did approximately 178K admissions
2016
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Ranks 2nd in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2016, ran for 13 weeks and did approximately 541K admissions
Suicide Squad – Ranks 5th in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2016, ran for 10 weeks and did approximately 339K admissions
Doctor Strange – Ran for 10 weeks and did approximately 245K admissions
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Ran for 11 weeks and did approximately 234K admissions
Warcraft: The Beginning – Ran for 9 weeks and did approximately 182K admissions
2015
Avengers: Age of Ultron – Ranks 3rd in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2015, ran for 12 weeks and did approximately 530K admissions
Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Ranks 8th in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2015, ran for 15 weeks and did approximately 398K admissions
Cinderella – Ran for 12 weeks and did approximately 303K admissions
Upcoming fantasy movie releases in November – December 2018:
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Release Date: 15th November 2018
Starring: Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Eddie Redmayne
Mortal Engines
Release Date: 13th December 2018
Starring: Hugo Weaving, Stephen Lang and Robert Sheehan
Aquaman
Release Date: 20th December 2018
Starring: Jason Mamoa, Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman
*Fantasy movies mentioned above are as per genre listings on IMDb.
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on advertising opportunities alongside upcoming fantasy movie releases.
Sources: IMDb, Writing Cooperative, The Telegraph and YouTube
MENA Cinema Forum – the first-ever business conference of its kind in the region, organised by GM Events was held in Dubai on 28th – 29th October 2018.
The 2-day conference covered a range of industry specific topics – with focus on the growth in the cinema industry in the Middle East, and was attended by more than 45 speakers, 450 delegates and 90 sponsors.
Cinema is the fastest growth market in the MENA region witnessing tremendous progress as a result of rapid population growth, urbanization, focus on development across leisure sectors, and the emergence of Saudi Arabia as a new market. Additionally, cinemagoers in the region demand the best movie experiences, stimulating upgrades and innovation across existing and upcoming facilities.
The MENA Cinema Forum brought together a spectrum of stakeholders within the cinema sector, including but not limited to local and international governments, investment companies, mall owners, cinema operators and exhibitors, suppliers and industry leaders.
The forum addressed areas required for successful establishment and operations of cinemas to meet growing regional requirements:
*Another key topic for discussion was global recognition of Arab Cinema, and how strong strategies and supply chains can further improve its acceptance.
As part of the Speakers’ panel, Avinash Udeshi, Chief Operating Officer – Motivate Val Morgan together with Deena Al Mansoori, Founder and CEO – Aljoori for Cinema Production and Advertisement and Anil Pattani, Director – Awan Media was invited on Day 2 to discuss the development of models that guarantee profitability of movie theatres.
Day 1 focused on:
Day 2 focused on:
Key Information from MENA Cinema Forum 2018
Other event features included: technical presentations, product showcases, roundtable discussions, workshop and break-out meetings, networking, awards ceremony, major announcements of upcoming movies in 20198 by 21st century and a special screening of First Man at Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall (Dolby Screen).
MENA Cinema Forum 2019
The next forum will be held in November 2019, with a focus on the exhibition industry & cinema infrastructure, and on MENA production.
For more information on the MENA Cinema Forum visit www.menacinema.com
Sources: Emirates 24|7, Forbes Middle East, Zawya, The Arab Weekly and MENA Cinema Forum
Motivate Val Morgan offers 360 degree exposure and innovative opportunities for brands utilizing both on-screen and off-screen advertising.
Launching or promoting a new product/service?
Combining on-screen advertising with in-cinema sampling will increase brand reach and recall, and is pertinent to brands targeting mass or niche (luxury) audiences.
Narciso Rodriguez – designer perfume brand, recently booked a cinema campaign for Narciso Rouge – through media agency Carat MENA. The campaign included:
On-Screen Advertising
A 30 sec. on-screen ad was booked to screen on the premium screens at Reel Cinemas (The Dubai Mall) VOX Cinemas (City Centre Mirdif, Mall of the Emirates, Marina Mall Abu Dhabi and Yas Mall – Abu Dhabi), Roxy Cinemas (The Beach) and Oscar Cinema (Al Wahda Mall) for a period of 4 weeks – 20th September to 17th October 2018.
Off-Screen Advertising
A sampling stand was set up in the concourse area of Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall (in close proximity to the premium screens) over weekends 20th – 22nd September and 27th – 29th September 2018, and at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates (in close proximity to the lounge area of Theatre by Rhodes) over weekends 4th – 6th October and 11th – 13th October 2018.
Activation stand at Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall:
Activation stand at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates:
For more information on niche (luxury) audience targeting, refer to Cinema Remains an Important Touchpoint for Luxury Brands.
Examples of mass market sampling activities:
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on integrated cinema campaigns targeting both mass and niche cinema audiences.
Led by one of the world’s most powerful millennials – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ‘Vision 2030’ is steering KSA into an unprecedented era of social and economic reform.
Having adopted entertainment as one of the key pillars in its new development plan, ‘Vision 2030’ initiated the lift on the 35-year-old ban on cinema, which in turn has opened up a previously untapped and lucrative revenue stream for the Kingdom and its entertainment sector.
A Kantar TNS study conducted among Saudi residents in 2017 shows fresh opportunities for marketers to make inroads into the Kingdom. As per the research, 67 per cent of respondents said they would head for a round of movie watching and 90 per cent of Saudi residents plan to visit malls with cinemas more often. Thus, cinema advertising is set to become a new growth medium, presenting significant opportunities for advertisers to target young (Saudi Arabia has 32 million consumers with the majority under 25) and affluent (Saudis spend more than $5 billion a year on overseas leisure travel) audiences within KSA.
The government of KSA estimates that movie theatres will contribute over 90 billion riyals ($24 billion) to the economy, with about 300 cinemas and 2,000 screens to be built in the country by 2030.
Existing Cinemas in Saudi Arabia
April 2018 witnessed the launch of Saudi Arabia’s first cinema operated by AMC Theatres – a single screen cinema with a total seating capacity of 620, followed by the launch of VOX Cinemas at Riyadh Park Mall in May 2018 – featuring an IMAX screen, 2 KIDS screens and 1 VIP screen with a total seating capacity of 330.
Upcoming Cinemas in Saudi Arabia
AMC Theatres will be a major contributor to the total cinema count in Saudi Arabia by 2030, as the cinema operator intends to open 30 to 40 cinemas in 15 cities over the next five years, growing to 50 to 100 theatres by 2030.
VOX Cinemas has a SAR 2 billion investment plan in place to expand its footprint to a total of 600 screens in the Kingdom over the next five years. As part of this plan, the leading cinema chain recently announced the opening of the first multiplex in Jeddah at Red Sea Mall by December 2018 – featuring 12 screens which will include three GOLD by Rhodes and an IMAX screen, and a 15-screen multiplex in the first quarter of 2019 at Al Qasr Mall in Riyadh – featuring its signature KIDS and MAX experiences.
Al-Rashed Empire Cinema Consortium – who successfully received a license to operate cinemas in the Kingdom in July 2018, will be the third player in the market. The cinema operator has plans to open as many as 30 cinemas in various cities around Saudi Arabia.
Cinema Advertising in KSA
As the exclusive cinema advertising partner of VOX Cinemas and the only company presently selling cinema advertising in KSA, Motivate Val Morgan has received an overwhelming response since the launch of the cinema at Riyadh Park Mall.
With a growing appetite for international/regional content and world-class cinema experiences, existing cinema operators stepping up plans to open additional screens across the country and more operators expected to enter the fray, KSA presents a hotbed of opportunities for cinema advertisers over the next few years.
Meet the first cinema advertiser in Saudi Arabia, browse the list of upcoming blockbusters releasing in Q4 2018 and contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities in Saudi Arabia.
Sources: KSA Entertainment, Film Journal, Gulf News, The Arabian Marketer, The Washington Post, Wikipedia, Saudi Gazette, The Motley Fool, PR Newswire and Arabian Business
Based on the success of La La Land, Beauty and the Beast and The Greatest Showman, and positive reviews on the recently released A Star is Born – starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, cinema is set to deliver two more highly anticipated musical blockbusters towards the end of this year.
First up, get ready to ‘Rock and Roll’ with Bohemian Rhapsody (November 1). The film is a biopic on the lead singer of Queen – Freddie Mercury, and the rise of his legendary rock band. The remaining band members of Queen were part of the creative process, including casting Rami Malek as the lead actor.
Mary Poppins Returns (December 27) is the highly anticipated sequel to the classic 1964 film Mary Poppins. Set in London in the 1930s, some 24 years after the events of the original, it features an all-star cast that includes British actress Emily Blunt, American legend Meryl Streep and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Successes of musical movies from the recent past:
La La Land (2016)
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
The Greatest Showman (2017)
La La Land, Beauty and the Beast and The Greatest Showman also ran for a period of 17, 14 and 19 weeks (respectively) in the UAE.
Contact a member of our sales team to book a ‘Follow an English Blockbuster Movie’ campaign alongside Bohemian Rhapsody/Mary Poppins Returns and benefit from having your ad showcased in cinema for as long as the movie runs.
Sources: The Numbers, IMDb and MVM Analysis
