Four in five (81%) Irish adults have been to the cinema in the last 12 months, with over half of these cinemagoers (55%) saying they value the cinema above other leisure activities, according to new research commissioned by Pearl & Dean Ireland and conducted by Kantar Media.
Pearl & Dean is the first media owner to partner with Kantar Media on its TGI Plus solution in Ireland. The research was conducted by integrating bespoke cinema-going behaviour data with Kantar Media’s TGI consumer survey to create for Pearl & Dean a unique in-depth dataset of insights into Irish cinema-going habits and how brands and advertisers can best adapt their cinema advertising strategies to target effectively.
The data reveals that the Republic of Ireland (81%) is a leading market across Europe for cinema-going, ahead of Northern Ireland (73%) and Great Britain (68%). Cinema-going in Ireland has also surpassed pre-pandemic levels, which peaked at 76% in 2018.
Kantar Media’s TGI identified typical characteristics of the heavy cinemagoer in Ireland: 64% are between the ages of 16-44, with over half (57%) being male. The survey also found that a high proportion (64%) of heavy cinemagoers tend to be the main shoppers in the household and work full-time (55%), opening up opportunities for brands looking to target shoppers and busy working adults, who appreciate this downtime in the cinema.
The study also highlights that the cinema medium is an effective way for brands to connect with Irish families. Kantar Media found that 1.2 million cinemagoers in Ireland attend with children, with 23% more likely to agree that they get to the cinema on time to watch the adverts before the film starts.
Moreover, Irish audiences with children are 38% more likely than the average adult to agree that the ads and trailers at the cinema are a big part of the experience. They are also 27% more likely to agree ads at the cinema are more responsible than other media channels.
According to Anna Cremin, Head of Research and Consumer Insight at Pearl & Dean Group: “Cinema has broad appeal and transcends across all life stages. I am thrilled to be the first partner with Kantar Media on its TGI Plus offering! What this data shows us is how diverse audiences are in Ireland, in terms of what they value and their priorities, and how cinema has the power to connect with these audiences in a meaningful way. It’s interesting that the more likely a consumer is to be a fan of streaming – they are also cinema lovers and cinema can add incremental or unique reach to advertisers’ media planning strategies.”
