Case Studies:   Carmike Cinemas

Goals

Carmike Cinemas' marketing department wanted to find new and innovative ways to reach a broader and younger demographic while differentiating their theaters from competitors, and making the theater-going experience fun again.

Strategy

TV commercials were placed across various networks prompting viewers to text in to receive a list of movies, show-times, links to view trailers and purchase tickets. A second phase of the campaign was also developed which included weekly SMS reminders to view updated movie listings and show times, as well as interactive movie trivia and games that could be played via SMS.

Results

Over the first year of the campaign, monthly usage increased between 15 and 30 percent, on average, while attaining a very healthy double opt-in rate of over 30 percent. In an attempt to learn more about the viral affect of the campaign, 30-second spots were discontinued for one month and usage continued to increase at almost half of the monthly growth average, showing that many people were sharing the campaign with their friends, thereby generating more opt-ins for Carmike.