How Studio Movie Grill Produced a Blockbuster 49x ROI After Launching SMS with Attentive

Premiering Attentive’s mobile-first marketing platform to support the shift to digital ticket sales

The movie theater industry is going through a major transformation, shifting from traditional box office sales to a digital-first approach—a trend that Studio Movie Grill (SMG) is experiencing first-hand. Between 65% and 75% of the cinema eatery’s tickets are now sold online, well in advance of showtimes, according to Vice President of Brand & Marketing Ted Low. 

This surge in online sales points to a broader trend toward mobile-first consumer habits, where convenience and immediacy are the priority.

Because of this shift, SMG partnered with Attentive to launch their SMS marketing channel enabling them to reach their customers where they are: on their phones.

In the entertainment world, capturing your audience's attention at the perfect time with the right message is critical to drive maximum attendance and revenue. Text messaging gives SMG a real-time connection to consumers, allowing them to promote movies, special events, and exciting deals, and see the impact right away.

“When I know I need eyeballs on a movie title and CTA, I use text because I'm more confident they'll see the message faster than other digital communication channels."
- Ted Low, Vice President Brand & Marketing, Studio Movie Grill

SMG focuses on KPIs like market share and attendance to measure marketing success, paying close attention to "eater percentage" and "per-person dining spend" to assess the profitability of their cinema-dining model. The main goal of their SMS campaigns is to drive ticket sales, which are essential for filling seats and indirectly boosting in-theater food and beverage revenue. 

"SMS is a great channel for timely promotions that help fill our theater seats, especially when we want to boost ticket sales and attendance for movies that might not have the public’s attention."
- Ted Low, Vice President Brand & Marketing, Studio Movie Grill

Rolling out the red carpet (and rewards) to drive long-term loyalty

Establishing a strong and engaging subscriber list is a crucial first step for any successful SMS program. To achieve this, SMG collaborated with their dedicated Client Strategy team who provided customized insights and recommendations for program optimization. 

SMG began by utilizing Attentive's patented two-tap sign-up technology that simplifies the sign-up process—resulting in fast and compliant growth of their subscriber list.

SMG uses a compelling incentive to encourage sign-ups: a complimentary small popcorn, which can be redeemed during the subscriber's next movie experience (making it the more attractive offer for customers who may be considering other theater options).

The effectiveness of this approach is clear: a list growth of over 100,000 subscribers in just a few months.

The next step was gaining deeper insights into their subscribers and growing their loyalty program. Attentive provided a seamless way to achieve this: After signing up, subscribers receive a welcome message with their free popcorn, plus a link to the theater’s "SMG Access" loyalty program page—making it easier for subscribers to enroll, share their data, and deepen their relationship with the brand. The popularity of the welcome series offer is clear with a CVR of above 50%. 

In a win-win situation for both the brand and movie-goers, subscribers who also become loyalty members enriched SMG's customer insights and gained access to exclusive "VIP" experiences in the future.

"By using Attentive's sign-up units to collect email and SMS opt-ins, we're able to gather crucial information that transforms anonymous visitors into identifiable prospects. Then, our welcome flow facilitates a smooth transition into joining our loyalty program, effectively bridging the gap from being an unknown visitor to becoming an engaged member."
- Ted Low, Vice President Brand & Marketing, Studio Movie Grill

Studio Movie Grill uses SMS to fill theaters now and later, making sure moviegoers always get the best seats in the house

SMG’s strategy revolves around two key tactics: driving immediate ticket sales for movies that are "Now Playing," and developing long-lead campaigns to build buzz for highly anticipated releases and special events. 

When it comes to driving immediate action, SMG has mastered the art of targeting the "laggard audience," aka potential movie-goers who’ve shown interest but haven't purchased tickets yet. 

They’ll send promotional messages a day or two before a movie premieres. But they’ll also throw in special perks such as waived online booking fees or discounted tickets through third-party platforms (e.g., Atom Tickets, Fandango) to drive conversions.

During peak times, like opening weekends or special holidays, SMG announces ticket sales well in advance to capture as much of the market as possible. The entertainment brand makes use of movie-related visuals to catch subscribers' attention, and get them excited about the up-coming experience. A prime example of this approach is their MMS campaign for Valentine’s Day, a popular occasion for couples to celebrate with a night at the movies and some in-theater dining. They wanted to make sure potential customers had plenty of time to buy tickets and secure their seats before they sold out.

"We want to make every communication feel like an exclusive invitation."
- Ted Low, Vice President Brand & Marketing, Studio Movie Grill

Texting is the ticket to ‘reel’ results

Studio Movie Grill's SMS marketing program with Attentive has delivered remarkable results, currently boasting an all-time ROI of 49x.

Their welcome journey, which includes a direct link to join their loyalty program, stands at an impressive 57% CVR, with an 88x ROI. 

Furthermore, specific campaigns have achieved up to an 11% CTR and 20% CVR, highlighting just how effective SMS is in driving engagement and profitability for their cinema-eatery.

Looking ahead, SMG plans to engage loyalty program subscribers with more creative methods and build partnerships, particularly with movie studios. With these collaborations, SMG intends to provide loyalty members with early access to tickets and exclusive screenings.