Marcus Theatres launched the Magical Movies Rewards loyalty program on March 30, attracting 215,000 members in its first month. The Magical Movies Rewards program offers $5 in rewards for every $100 spent, along with perks such as no fees on online and mobile ticket purchases, free refills on fountain drinks, and free popcorn on Tuesdays. The program is free to join online or through Marcus mobile app.
Marcus Theatres, the fifth-largest theater chain in the U.S., owns or operates 685 screens at 55 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Ohio.
Ann Stadler, Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Marcus Theatres participated in a compelling Q&A with Loyalty360 to discuss the new program.
What factors prompted the launch of the Magical Movie Rewards customer loyalty program and what makes it unique?
Marcus Theatres® launched the Magical Movie Rewards loyalty program to further enhance the movie-going experience for customers. The program allows members to earn points and access special offers. The rewards are then redeemable at the box office, concessions, or at the many Marcus Theatres’ food and beverage venues. These venues include Big Screen Bistros, which provide in-theatre dining; Take Five Lounges with chef-inspired menus; and Zaffiro’s restaurants and Zaffiro’s Express outlets with Thincredible® pizza–and more.
One especially unique twist is how the CEO is taking loyalty personally and getting very involved in the program. Each month, one lucky rewards member will receive a personal call from Rolando Rodriguez, president and CEO of Marcus Theatres. This month’s winner will be awarded 1,000 points (50 reward dollars) just by getting the call! Prizes will change over time, encouraging continued customer involvement.
What are your goals for the program?
Connecting with our guests is extremely important at Marcus Theatres. With the Magical Movie Rewards program, we are committed to better understanding our customers and providing them their ideal movie going experience. We are making every effort to customize our communications and offers to reflect the different interests of our guests. As a result, we have partnered with Movio, a global leader in data analysis for the cinema industry.
With its best-in-class analytics and campaign management platform, Movio will allow for these targeted communications with loyalty members. The software helps provide insight into customer preferences, attendance habits and general demographics, which is essential to delivering an enhanced film-going experience.
Was customer feedback a factor in the launch? If so, in what way?
A loyalty program was introduced as a test in a few key markets before kicking off Marcus Theatres’ Magical Movie Rewards program circuit wide, this March. With the feedback from the test program, we better understood the needs of our consumers and the importance of customizing the loyalty program as well as its communication and offers. It’s programs like these that allow Marcus Theatres to continue to be a leader in providing the ideal movie-going experience for guests.
What metrics will you use to measure success of the program?
As we begin to personalize and customize the Magical Movie Rewards program, consumers’ response and engagement will be the true measures of success. Do they like being a member? Are they taking advantage of the unique offers that membership brings?
We are excited about the interest we have seen in the loyalty program with more than 230,000 members registering to date. However, creating the ideal movie-going experience for guests is our greatest priority.
How do you define customer loyalty?
At Marcus Theatres, we make our customers our priority. We aim to provide the programs, comforts and amenities that create the preferred movie experience for guests. By doing so, we further build guest loyalty. Essentially, loyalty is trust. Our goal is for consumers to trust Marcus Theatres to provide the ideal movie-going experience every time they set foot into one of our theatres. So we continue to bring innovative offerings to market. These offerings include signature food and beverage options and the UltraScreen® DLX (Dream Lounger eXperience), which combines massive screens, immersive Dolby® Atmos™ sound and comfortable DreamLounger℠ recliners.
As a marketer, what things/challenges keep you up at night?
In our industry, our product–movies–changes weekly. We want to make sure that we are always maximizing the opportunities for our guests to understand the many entertainment options available to them. Staying on the cutting edge of promotion, education and information requires commitment, creativity and attention to detail. You don’t get a second chance to open a movie.