New neuroscience research reveals why cinema advertising creates deeper, more lasting consumer connections than other platforms
In today’s fragmented media landscape, marketers constantly search for effective ways to build lasting brand memory. While metrics like clicks and conversions dominate industry conversations, groundbreaking neuroscience research from Publicis Groupe Denmark reveals a compelling truth: premium video advertising platforms such as cinema and connected TV create deeper, more enduring memory structures than other major advertising platforms.
The ultimate goal for any brand is to become the easiest choice for consumers at purchase moments. This happens when brands successfully navigate the “memory building process” – a journey from initial sensory input to long-term memory retrieval.
Not all advertising environments are equal when building crucial memory structures. Success depends on navigating four “memory filters” that determine whether your brand message sticks or fades:
Attention: Capturing and maintaining consumer focus
Attraction: Creating engagement through motivation
Emotion: Forging powerful memory connections
Cognitive Load: Ensuring optimal message processing
Using eye-tracking glasses, EEG measurement, and post-campaign surveys, researchers studied 107 participants across cinema, connected TV, and YouTube on mobile in naturalistic settings.
The results reveal cinema’s unique neurophysiological advantages across all four memory filters.
While YouTube on mobile experiences rapid attention decay (non-attention rates jumping from 2% to 48% during a single ad), cinema demonstrates remarkable resilience to attention decay, maintaining steady viewer engagement throughout ad durations.
Cinema’s captive environment creates “sustained attention architecture” – viewers remain engaged from start to finish. Unlike other platforms where you must front-load key messages, cinema allows for sophisticated narrative development and emotional building that creates deeper brand connections.
YouTube on mobile shows up to 15.7x higher attraction levels than other platforms, but this comes with “considerable variability” and often evokes strong negative reactions. Cinema shows strong attraction levels with complex messages, but crucially, without the negative reactions observed on YouTube.
Cinema provides a “stable environment for intricate storytelling,” allowing marketers to engage audiences deeply with sophisticated messages without risking viewer backlash. You can tell complex, nuanced brand stories without the high-risk volatility of digital platforms.
Among all platforms studied, cinema is the environment that best evokes positive emotions and shows the strongest connection with viewers. The research revealed that neutral emotional responses prove detrimental, with up to 75% of consumers struggling to recall the correct brand when ads evoke no significant emotion.
Cinema’s immersive environment – large screen, surround sound, and darkened theatre – creates optimal conditions for emotional engagement. Unlike connected TV and YouTube, where boredom threatens brand identification, cinema naturally elevates emotional response.
While connected TV struggles with overly simplistic ads and YouTube on mobile over-stimulates with complex messaging, cinema surprisingly allows consumers to process more information while also enabling less complex ads to captivate viewers to a higher extent.
Cinema offers maximum creative flexibility. Whether you need to communicate complex product benefits or deliver simple brand awareness messages, cinema’s unique cognitive environment optimises processing without overwhelming viewers.
This pioneering neuroscience research provides compelling evidence for what cinema advertisers have long understood intuitively: the big-screen experience creates uniquely powerful brand memories.
The research defines successful advertising as achieving “Active Mental Relevance” – navigating all four memory filters effectively. Cinema is the only platform that excels across all four filters simultaneously: Sustained Attention, Stable Attraction, Positive Emotions, Optimal Cognitive Load.
In an era obsessed with short-term digital metrics, cinema advertising builds what matters most – lasting mental availability that makes your brand the easy choice when consumers are ready to buy.
Read the full version of the advertising neuroscience research article from Warc – subscription may be required.
Kibsons booked an integrated cinema campaign with Motivate Val Morgan at VOX, Royal and Oscar cinemas in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
The on screen component included four 30 sec. ads following Asian Mega Blockbuster Pathaan at VOX Cinemas – Yas Mall,Royal Cinemas – Khalidiyah Mall and Oscar Cinema – Wahda Mall
*The four creatives are running in rotation across the respective cinema locations
For the off screen advertising component, Kibsons booked a sampling activity over the weekend of 28th to 29th January at VOX Cinemas – Yas Mall and Royal Cinemas – Khalidiyah Mall. A box filled with fresh fruits was distributed to moviegoers at the entrance of the screens at both cinema locations.
The power of an integrated cinema campaign is unmatchable – leave your mark and build better brand awareness by amplify exposure for you brand.
Contact us for similar advertising opportunities across our cinema circuit in the GCC, Egypt and Lebanon.
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
