In the spring of 2020, during the lockdown, who hasn’t turned their bedroom or living room into a screening room? That said, let’s face it: Netflix in bed is great, but nothing can replace a real movie, on a big screen, in the quiet atmosphere of a dark room.
And that’s exactly what the Association des propriétaires de cinémas du Québec (APCQ) has found! As the summer of 2020 began and the province of Quebec began to wind down, the APCQ wanted to encourage cinema lovers to return to theatres across the province in large numbers.
Photo: Jeremy YapThe context
Following the decontamination, to encourage Quebecers to return to the movies and to make this activity a safe family outing, strict hygiene measures were enacted by public health. Then, a large offensive was deployed by the Association des propriétaires de cinémas québecois: in addition to traditional advertising efforts, a strategic influence campaign was deftly designed and masterfully orchestrated by Maison Made in.
The mandate
Alongside the theatrical release of two Quebec feature films (Flashwood and Mon cirque à moi) and two French films (Divorce Club and La bonne épouse), distributed by Films Séville, AZ Films, MK2 Mile End and Entract Films, Made in‘s objective is to inform the province’s public about the reopening of movie theatres and to encourage them to go back to the movies alone, as a couple or with their families.
To do so, the agency created an original and differentiating influencer campaign. Targeting mainly Quebecers aged 20 and over, culture and art lovers, this campaign took place exclusively on Instagram. Influencers were recruited to share their experience of going back to the movies, focusing on the fun, accessibility and safety of this activity. As an added bonus, they were asked to share with their community their impressions of the film they saw and the acting of the actors it featured.
The deployment
In addition to promoting the return to theatres, the influence campaign emphasized the importance of encouraging the re-launch of culture by viewing Quebec and French-language productions from the outset, in full compliance with health regulations.
This campaign was articulated in two phases. Firstly, the influencers were asked to create stories on the spot, following the viewing of a chosen movie (between August 12 and 22, 2020). And secondly, they recorded an entertaining video of the movie theater they were sitting in, along with an informative caption about the general movie relaunch (between August 20 and 24, 2020).
Results and conclusions
Made in’s knowledge of the Quebec market and its good relationships with content creators made the initiative a success. By recruiting influencers with a passion for culture and cinema, whose subscribers are mainly in the 25 to 34 age group, we ensured that we reached our target audience. Then, by focusing on moms as well as singles and couples, we were able to present the cinema as an outing adapted to all situations (couples, singles and families).
In the end, through highly authentic content, the recruited influencers were able to offer significant visibility to the movement to revive cinema in Quebec. The combination of Instagram stories and videos also helped engage the targeted communities. A campaign that proves, once again, that influence generates visibility, impact and notoriety. Another notable box-office success for Maison Made in!
