In this Q&A interview, Fandango's VP of sales speaks about how to increase the visibility, immediacy and accessibility of movies with a direct access strategy.
Dan Mohler is the VP of sales for online movie ticketing service Fandango. He leads a team of ad sales professionals who are responsible for increasing revenues through strategic partnerships with national major advertisers and increasing partnerships in other categories, including automotive, telecommunications and package goods. He brings more than 20 years of sales and sales management experience in traditional and non-traditional media. Recently, he spoke with Entertainment Spot about a new initiative to use advertising to enhance the moviegoing process.
Jodi Harris: Fandango announced that it will be powering sales of movie tickets through online, rich media rollover ads by PointRoll. How does the new program work?
Dan Mohler: Most moviegoers already know to go to Fandango for their movie tickets, but the new PointRoll ads offer the fastest possible way to buy a movie ticket for those who are not already on the site. Within the ad, moviegoers will have immediate access to their local theater information. When they click on the theater listing, the ad will display available showtimes, and when they click on a showtime, they are deep-linked to the Fandango ticket-purchase process.
Harris: Tell us about the ads themselves. What will the content consist of?
Mohler: These are roll-over expandable ads. Upon expansion, the ad may display artwork, trailers, mobile content, showtimes, photos, interactive features and theater listings for the film that the ad is promoting.
Harris: What goals was Fandango looking to accomplish with this partnership, and what does Fandango bring to the table for PointRoll? Also, what do the studios and theater chains achieve that they didn't have the ability to do before?
Mohler: It's all about the consumer and making it easier for film fans to get access to the movies they want to see. As the nation's largest movie ticketing site, with over 14,000 screens wired for online ticketing across the country, Fandango brings its brand equity and majority market share to the table, providing our theater and showtime content.
These special ads offer the most direct way to purchase a movie ticket online, and capture moviegoers at that point at which a moviegoer is most engaged and interested in a property. Advertising becomes a point of sale. The exhibitors and studios will benefit from the speed and ease of ticket execution.
Harris: How does this deal fit in with Fandango's efforts to become entrenched in the movie going experience, as well as the company's overall branding strategy?
Mohler: Fandango has always been associated with making the moviegoing experience as convenient as possible. PointRoll's rich media ad technology will further that entrenchment, reinforcing Fandango as the premier brand for ticketing.
Harris: What has been the response from movie studios about this idea? Have any movie studios signed on to use the service yet?
Mohler: We are in discussions with all of the studios, and we'll have more announcements coming soon.
Harris: Who is the target consumer for this type of campaign? How do you see this initiative affecting consumers' movie attendance?
Mohler: The target consumers are moviegoers who may not realize tickets are already on sale for movies they've been anticipating. The compelling PointRoll ad content will enable them to take quick action and buy tickets in advance. While the ads will facilitate impulse purchase, it's more about offering an easy ticket-purchasing process.
Each Fandango/PointRoll ad is a winner on two fronts:
- At a point when moviegoers are most excited about a film, the engaging rich media content will grab their interest. It's what our friends at PointRoll term the "lean-forward" mode.
- The easier call to action will spark the consumers' intent to purchase tickets in advance.
Harris: How do you intend to measure success of the campaign for Fandango? How do you anticipate that this program will help studio marketers measure ROI?
Mohler: If moviegoers get to more movies because of the campaign, we will be successful. The studios will measure success by incremental ticket sales.
Harris: Are you concerned that your website partners will suffer as a result of fewer users having to go to fandango.com to purchase their movie tickets?
Mohler: The Fandango/PointRoll ads are more about attracting and engaging movie fans outside of movie content in ways that can convert them into buyers. These ads broaden the reach for movie content, beyond movie brand sites and movie information sites, and for the fans, the ads will increase the visibility, immediacy and accessibility of the movies themselves.
Jodi Harris is the editor of Entertainment Spot. Read full bio.