Val Morgan Upfronts: An Over 30s Digital Platform, Programmatic OOH & All The Major 2020 Movie Releases

B&T attended Val Morgan’s 2020 upfronts this morning and there were plenty of announcements out of the cinema, outdoor and digital operator. Here’s all the important info you need to know.

More blockbusters to draw cinema audiences in 2020

New releases of Fast & Furious 9, Top Gun: Maverick, Trolls World Tour, Wonder Woman 1984 and Minions: The Rise of Gru are just some of the blockbuster films set to attract more audiences to cinemas in 2020.

Val Morgan managing director Guy Burbidge said with cinemas delivering greater recall and resonance for audiences than any other AV channel, now is a better time than ever for marketers to invest in cinema advertising to build their brands.

Burbidge commented: “Cinema is known for attracting highly receptive and attentive audiences and recent findings from data and insights consultancy, Kantar, backs this up.

“In data aggregated from over 100 campaigns, cinema delivered greater top of mind awareness, or saliency, per dollar invested, than all 3 lead AV mediums; 2.6 times more than TV, 2.2 times more than video and 1.6 times more than social.

“In 2019 we’ve seen significant box office audience growth, in particular the notoriously hard-to-reach under 30 demographic has grown at an impressive 10 per cent YOY.”

With an incredible slate of content coming to the big screen in 2020, cinema is set to once again appeal to a wide range of demos.

With Val Morgan’s audience-led solutions, brands will be well positioned to connect with the right audience, at the right time, whilst leveraging the greatest and most highly anticipated content in the world.

Expansion of CineTAM

In a further move into data, Val Morgan announced the expansion of its CineTAM audience measurement platform.

When CineTAM launched in 2013, it broke new global ground and is still to this day, the most advanced cinema advertising measurement platform in the world.

Next year it will evolve into CineTAM Live, which will combine exhibitor ticket sales and de-personalised transactional data from a leading cinema loyalty programme, with insights from Roy Morgan’s Single Source database, to further enhance the platform.

Burbidge continued: “The update to CineTAM Live will provide our agency partners with easily accessible cinema audience data, including detailed demographic, product, attitudinal, helix and segmentation data in near real time. The benefits for campaign planning and optimisation will be significant.

“We will also be aligning ourselves closer to TV around audience delivery and TARP equivalents to enable easier cross-media comparisons and analysis, something brand owners have been crying out for.”

CineTAM Live will be made available for agency partners in 2020 through a variety of formats including a dashboard, an API feed, or a standalone Asteroid dataset.

Strengthening Val Morgan’s commitment to transactional trust, Val Morgan will also make a move toward transparent campaign delivery reporting and third-party verification via Seedooh’s independent platform, from Q1 2020.

Major 2020 film releases include:

· Cats

· The Gentlemen

· 1917

· Bad Boys for Life

· Bombshell

· Dolittle

· Like a Boss

· Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

· The King’s Man

· Sonic the Hedgehog

· Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears

· Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

· A Quiet Place Part II

· Trolls World Tour

· Mulan

· No Time To Die

· Black Widow

· SCOOB!

· Fast & Furious 9

· Wonder Woman: 1984

· Minions: The Rise of Gru

· Soul

· Top Gun: Maverick

· The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run

· Tenet

· Jungle Cruise

· The Eternals

· Coming to America Sequel

· Uncharted

· The Croods 2

Val Morgan launches publishing platform targeted at over 30s 

Val Morgan has announced that it will launch a new digital publishing platform, The Latch, in early 2020.

The Latch is set to provide entertainment, wellness and lifestyle content with a focus on audiences aged over 30.

Brian Florido said: “I’m very excited to announce Val Morgan will be launching The Latch next year.

“Val Morgan identified a gap for audiences over 30 and The Latch will allow us to speak directly to this increasingly important demographic.”

Curating entertainment, lifestyle and wellness content, The Latch will give audiences an in-depth understanding of the topics they care about and will connect advertisers to high value audiences across the entire Val Morgan network.

Florido added: “Whilst The Latch is primarily a digital publishing platform, our editorial and commercial partner content will be shared across Val Morgan’s cinema and outdoor networks, connecting brands to high value audiences where they watch, shop, train and refuel.”

Recently appointed executive editor of Val Morgan Digital, Amanda Bardas, will lead the team of writers and editors for The Latch, who will aim to build a following through witty, colourful and engaging content.

Bardas said: “The Latch will deliver thought-provoking content designed to unlock interesting conversations and educate without any fluff, click-bait or hyperbole.”

In 2018, Val Morgan formed a cross-platform partnership with Fandom – the world’s largest pure entertainment platform dedicated to fans of TV, movies and video games – which now reaches more than 1.4 million 13-29 year old’s each month in Australia, with average online dwell times of over 12 minutes.

Florido concluded: “This new platform will extend the incredible campaign work we’ve been delivering with Fandom, enabling brands to have richer conversations with their consumers via relevant partnerships, branded content and more immersive experiences.”

VMO introduces programmatic OOH 

Val Morgan Outdoor will formally introduce programmatic out-of-home advertising to Australia in early 2020.

The launch will be underpinned by the largest inventory of digital outdoor in Australia.

Paul Butler said: “VMO is 100 per cent digital with over 12,000 screens across Australia, making the business uniquely placed to pivot to a programmatic marketplace.

“Following six months of in-market beta-testing with selected clients, VMO has developed a robust platform designed specifically for programmatic trading, at scale, across all our outdoor assets.”

He added: “The market is at a tipping point and we expect programmatic trading to account for 5 per cent of VMO revenue within 12 months and to grow rapidly from there.”

“VMO’s programmatic approach will usher in a new era of outdoor advertising, delivering clients improved transactional simplicity coupled with superior audience targeting capabilities.”

Additionally, VMO is working with independent verification partners to ensure every client campaign is 100 per cent delivered.

VMO believes this further strengthens its position as the most trusted and transparent out-of-home network in Australia.

Butler added: “We will have a dedicated team in place to push the boundaries on programmatic campaign solutions in early 2020.

“Whilst the ability to better plan, buy and measure is a significant step forward for our industry, what is more exciting is the opportunity it opens for brands to deliver fresh, innovative creative campaigns.

“Digital out-of-home will become a genuinely dynamic creative opportunity.”

He concluded: “Take, for example, weather conditions, interest rate announcements or sports results that could trigger relevant brand messages or offers to specific audiences in targeted geographies, all in real time.

“This represents a quantum leap forward for the outdoor industry.”

Val Morgan reveals new group positioning

Val Morgan also launched its new positioning – Australia’s Attention Destinations.

Val Morgan group director of strategy and marketing, Paul MacGregor said: “For 125 years, Val Morgan has delivered advertising messages, content and experiences into destinations where consumers actively choose to spend their time.

“Whether it be a cinematic experience, being entertained as they burn a few calories, while they shop and refuel, or binge on the latest fan inspired news, the Val Morgan network is uniquely placed to make advertising more engaging and more impactful – giving brands the attention, they deserve.”

Guy Burbidge said: “With a network of over 2,000 cinema screens across metro and regional areas, Val Morgan offers advertisers unrivalled access to audiences who are primed to pay attention, with cinema proven to deliver greater top of mind awareness than all three lead AV mediums.

“Our new brand positioning is testament to Val Morgan’s ability to deliver campaigns that deliver strong memorability and drive brand growth.”

Val Morgan Outdoor (VMO) managing director, Paul Butler said: “The VMO network spans 12,000 screens across major shopping centres, health clubs and petro-convenience locations and is capable of reaching over half of the Australian population every week.

“The VMO network is 100 per cent digital and is designed to maximise audience attention and minimise wastage for brands.”

Val Morgan Digital managing director, Brian Florido said: “I’m very excited to announce that Val Morgan will be launching a digital publishing network, ‘The Latch’, for older millennials, with a focus on entertainment, wellness and lifestyle content that’s gender-neutral, smart, expansive and informative.

“The Latch will give audiences an in-depth understanding of the topics they care about and will connect advertisers to high value audiences across the entire Val Morgan network.”

MacGregor said: “Val Morgan will continue to invest in delivering the most advanced digital screen network in Australia in 2020, and beyond.

“Combine that with some of the best content on the planet and you have a truly powerful proposition for advertisers across Australia’s Attention Destinations.”