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Research Note
Abstract. The cinema exhibition sector in Spain, as well as in the rest of Europe, is a dynamic
sector characterised by the present growth of multiplexes and consumer demand after a long period
of decline. These changes make it relevant to analyse the cinema attendees’ profile from a market-
ing perspective. To this end, we have developed an exploratory study on segmentation applied to
the young cinema attendees. Doing so, we have found three different groups according to benefits
sought in their going to the cinema and other demographic and behavioural variables. On the basis of
information as such, specific marketing objectives could be set and more efficient strategies designed
and implemented.
Key words: cinema, segmentation, multiplexes, benefits sought, audience, marketing strategy
Furthermore, in 1996, multiscreen cinemas obtained 74 per cent of the total box
office receipts and 72 per cent of cinema audiences.
The multiplexes in Spain, according to the product life cycle, are in the growth
stage, as indicated by the growing acceptance of this format by consumers and
the investment plans of the main multinational operators in the Spanish market
(Gil, 1996; Rawsthorn, 1997). This means competition starts to be significant for
this type of cinema, and becomes even more menacing for the other types, mainly
traditional cinemas with only one screen. For this reason, we firmly believe in the
necessity of developing a demand-side analysis, from a consumer perspective, in
order to provide information as a basis for the design of marketing strategies to
better meet consumer needs and stimulate attendance. To achieve this, knowledge
of the existence of different groups of attendees in the market is fundamental, so
we have developed a segmentation analysis.
ing mixes” (Kotler, Amstrong and Wong, 1996). This proposition is the core idea of
market segmentation. Segmenting a market allows the design and implementation
of more efficient marketing strategies for both consumers and organisations. Once
the market is segmented the company can target the parts of the market that it can
serve best rather than trying to compete in an entire market and set the competitive
positioning for the product (Kotler, Amstrong and Wong, 1996).
One of the most important decisions when segmenting a market is deciding
on the segmentation variable that will be used to identify different groups of con-
sumers. Among these variables there is the benefits sought variable, which is of a
subjective nature and relates to consumer behaviour. This approach is the closest
means to identifying consumer segments on bases directly relevant to marketing
decisions (Hooley, Saunders and Piercy, 1998).
There have been several attempts to segment the audience in the cultural field,
e.g. Belk and Andreasen (1980), Peterson (1980), Pick (1980) and Hodgson (1992)
have classified the audience according to its frequency of attendance; Strang and
Gutman (1980) and Walshe (1992) have used as segmentation variable the attitude
or interest towards the arts; whereas the benefits sought variable has been used by
Kelly (1987) and Mayaux (1987) to define segments in this field. According to
Nantel (1993) this variable is the one that better describes consumer behaviour in
the arts.
Bearing all this in mind we have used the variable “benefits sought” to segment
cinema audiences on the basis that people may have various reasons for attending
the cinema, such as entertainment or education. Also, we have employed other
behavioural variables, e.g. frequency of attendance and demographic variables to
describe the groups identified within the audience.
The general aim of this study is to profile young cinema audiences according to
demographic, socioeconomic and behavioural characteristics and in doing so it
attempts to answer the following research questions:
1. Is it possible to identify groups of consumers based on their reasons for
attending the cinema? In other words, is it possible to segment the audience
according to the benefits sought in cinema attendance?
Should the answer to this be affirmative, we will pose the following questions
in relation to the groups identified:
2. Are their cinema attendance habits different?
3. Do they place different values on cinema characteristics?
4. Do they have a different demographic profile?
260 MANUEL CUADRADO AND MARTA FRASQUET
3.2. METHODOLOGY
The target population in this survey are young cinema-goers (14–35 years). The
choice of this study group is based on the fact that they represent the bulk of cinema
attendees (80–85 per cent) according to cinema managers and coinciding with the
conclusion of a previous survey (Carabaña et al., 1991).
The sample is formed by young cinema attendees in Valencia, the third
province1 in Spain according to number of cinemas, attendees and cinema reven-
ues. Also, this province is representative of the evolution of this sector in Spain. The
sample comprises 505 individuals and is a judgement sample, a non-probabilistic
method whose key feature is that population members are purposively selected to
serve the research aims. According to Churchill (1995), judgement samples can be
used productively at the early stages of research. That is the case here as we are
developing an exploratory study in order to analyse the feasibility of segmenting
the audience according to the benefits sought in cinema attendance. Bearing in
mind that the sample is not random, the researchers made efforts to ensure its
representativeness sampling individuals in different strata according to variables
such as age and sex in a proportion similar to that of the population.
The information was collected through a structured questionnaire answered un-
der the supervision of field workers. In order to design it, interviews with cinema
managers and two focus group meetings with regular cinema-goers were held.
Then a pilot questionnaire was tested among 80 university students leading to a
final version containing four parts: cinema attendance habits, reasons for cinema
attendance, evaluation of cinema attributes, and demographic and socioeconomic
variables. The final questionnaire was directed to those individuals who attended
the cinema more than four times a year, considering that they would provide more
accurate information for our main objectives.
The data was processed using univariate, bivariate and multivariate statistical
techniques (Norusis, 1993). Univariate analysis of the data provided a first impres-
sion of the distribution of the variables in the sample. The multivariate technique of
cluster analysis was used to group the sample components. The grouping variables
were fourteen different reasons for going to the cinema. The cluster analysis results
were validated using stepwise discriminant analysis, as several authors advise (e.g.
Dillon and Goldstein, 1984). In order to characterise the cluster components, the
variable “belonging to the cluster” was cross-tabulated with the set of behavioural
and demographic variables included in the questionnaire. Using chi-square and
ANOVA tests, differences among the groups were detected.
Descriptive analysis of the data shows a strikingly high frequency of cinema attend-
ance. As can be seen from Table II, 43.2 per cent of the sample go to the cinema at
least once every fifteen days.
SEGMENTATION OF CINEMA AUDIENCES 261
Table II. Frequency of cinema attendance
Cluster: Cultivate my See work of Have something Become more Raise spirits
interest director to talk about interesting
cinema buff, and which make up 36.1 per cent, 28.2 per cent and 35.7 per cent of
the sample respectively.
The results of cluster and discriminant analysis allow us to reply affirmatively
to the first research question: there are groups of consumers which can be dif-
ferentiated according to the different benefits sought in cinema attendance. The
next step was to discover the answer to the questions about the degree and type
of differentiation between the groups. To this end we cross-tabulated the variable
“belonging to the cluster” with other variables in the questionnaire.
Concerning habits of cinema attendance, Table IV contains those variables that
were statistically different among the groups, according to the levels of significance
of the chi-square statistic. Analysing this information we observe that the members
of group 3 are the most regular cinema-goers with a high percentage (22.6 per cent)
going to the cinema at least once a week. Although it is more common to go to the
cinema at the weekend, group 3 is different from the other two in that a greater
percentage chose another day of the week. Again for group 3, a higher proportion
chooses the film before the cinema.
Related to the various types of cinemas that a consumer can visit in Spain,
we obtained their market share for the total sample2 and also for each of the
clusters identified. Significant differences can be observed among the groups in
the attendance to shopping centre multiplexes, multiplexes not in shopping centres
(not dubbed) and films theatres (Table V). In this sense, socials and apathetics
SEGMENTATION OF CINEMA AUDIENCES 263
Table IV. Group differences: cinema attendance habits
Cluster percentage
Total 1 2 3 χ2
percentage of Social Apath. Buff
Priority film/cinema
Film 87,7 85,6 84,6 92,4 5,44a
Cinema 12,3 14,4 15,4 7,6
choose shopping centres multiplexes more frequently than cinema buffs. The lat-
ter group exhibits a greater tendency to attend multiplexes showing films in the
original language and film theatres.
Concerning the evaluation of cinema characteristics, the results of the F test
shows the existence of significant differences between the groups for all except
one of the variables (Table VI). On a general level there is a tendency to give high
264 MANUEL CUADRADO AND MARTA FRASQUET
importance to the technical characteristics (seats, screen, sound and image) and low
importance to peripheral services such as free parking or seat reservations, standing
out the social group for being more demanding in terms of cinema facilities and
services.
The three groups are also significantly different in the demographic and so-
cioeconomic characteristics considered (Table VII). Group 1 is mainly young and
therefore has a lower educational level. In terms of income, a greater percentage of
those in group one considers their income to be medium, whilst group 2 appears to
be slightly below it. The percentage of women to men is strikingly high in group 3.
This group is also differentiated by the fact that it comprises a greater percentage
of urban residents.
After examining the differentiating characteristics for each segment, it is then
possible to draw up a profile of the typical member of each group, integrating all
the aspects considered.
The social type has strong and diverse motives for going to the cinema. Those
individuals consider the cinema a form of entertainment, a reason for going out, be-
ing with friends or partner and even an interesting topic of conversation. This runs
in parallel with the fact that this group mostly goes to the cinema at the weekend
and the shopping centre is mainly the chosen place for leisure, where they can find
parking facilities, promotions and high standards of projection. Those individuals
are young and frequent attendees who travel to the capital to find cinemas adapted
to their preferences.
The apathetics do not possess an especially strong motive for going to the
cinema, perhaps this type would go to the cinema to accompany others with clearer
motivations. Like the social type, this individual mostly visits multiplexes in shop-
SEGMENTATION OF CINEMA AUDIENCES 265
Cluster percentage χ2
Total 1 2 3
percentage of Social Apath. Buff
Age
14 to 17 years 17,6 31,0 11,8 8,7
18 to 21 years 39,6 40,2 43,4 36,0 47,26c
22 to 25 years 25,5 20,7 23,5 32,0
26 to 35 years 17,2 8,0 21,3 23,3
Studies
FP (technical college) 10,2 9,8 11,8 9,3
BUP (secondary) 19,5 5,1 3,5 9,8 35,77c
COU (“A” levels) 24,7 21,3 19,8 22,0
University 58,1 46,0 61,8 67,4
Income level
High 0,6 1,8
Medium-high 20,9 21,6 20,6 20,5
Medium 64,6 72,5 58,1 62,0 23,90c
Medium-low 11,1 5,8 16,9 11,7
Low 2,7 4,4 4,1
Occupation
Student 74,9 83,9 73,5 66,9
Part-time worker 7,5 5,2 10,3 7,6 17,96c
Full-time worker 17,0 10,3 16,2 24,4
Unemployed 0,6 0,6 1,2
Sex
Male 36,9 34,9 52,2 26,7 21,61c
Female 63,1 65,1 47,8 73,3
Residence/cinema attendance
Capital/capital 54,1 46,5 51,5 63,7
Province/capital 29,0 34,3 30,1 22,8 12,11a
Province/either 8,8 9,9 8,1 8,2
Province/province 8,1 9,3 10,3 5,3
a Signif. <0,1; b Signif. <0,05; c Signif. <0,01.
266 MANUEL CUADRADO AND MARTA FRASQUET
ping centres. They go to the cinema less frequently than the other two groups and
are not as young as the socials. Males are prevalent in this group.
The cinema buff appears to be really interested in the cinema in itself. Thus, this
individual goes to the cinema because s/he is fond of it and is not much interested
in social, leisure or entertainment aspects. These are the more frequent attendees,
going to the cinema during the week more than the other groups. The cinema buff
attends multiplexes showing films in the original language and film libraries more
than the others and is not so keen on multiplexes in shopping centres. Finally, these
individuals are older, most of them women and urban residents.
4. Conclusions
The situation of the cinema exhibition sector in Spain is characterised by both an
increase in supply, through the expansion of multiplexes, and an incipient recovery
of demand. This expansion, and the subsequent stronger competition, has led us to
analyse the demand side from a marketing perspective, considering the conveni-
ence of studying the consumer in this field. An appropriate way of doing so, that
we have considered in this study, is through a segmentation approach based on the
benefits sought by consumers in their going to the cinema.
In doing so, we have found three differentiated and consistent groups of at-
tendees: the social, the apathetic and the cinema-buff. In spite of the exploratory
nature of this study the authors think that these results can be useful for cinema
managers. In this sense, managers can decide which group or groups are their target
market. They should know that the more profitable groups are the cinema buffs and
the socials; the former because of their higher attendance frequency and the latter
because of their higher propensity to spend money on peripheral services.
Marketing objectives could be set to increase cinema loyalty or cinema at-
tendance during the week, which are low. To this end, marketing segmentation
strategies could be developed appealing to the different benefits sought, for ex-
ample by offering attractive leisure and catering facilities to attract the social type
or by following the film tastes of the cinema buff type. Also, the effectiveness of
promotion and communication strategies could improve by adapting them to the
profile of the target group.
Moreover, different types of cinemas have, according to our data, various de-
grees of attractiveness for the different groups. Shopping centre multiplexes have
a wide appeal and so they could follow a differentiated segmentation strategy. On
the other hand, multiplexes showing films in the original version might be better
advised to follow a focused or niche strategy as they seem to be more attractive for
a particular and well-defined segment, namely, the cinema buff.
SEGMENTATION OF CINEMA AUDIENCES 267
Notes
1. Valencia is a Spanish province whose capital is also called Valencia.
2. From Table V can be seen that multiplexes obtained a 72.07 per cent market share for our total
sample, with those in shopping centres constituting 41.14 per cent. It is important to note that
the first figure coincides with the percentage of audience that, according to the Ministerio de
Educación y Cultura (1997), attracted multiplexes in 1996.
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