New app allows smartphone interaction in cinema

Digital Cinema Media (DCM) has partnered with Yummi to develop cinime – a mobile application that enables cinemagoers to use their ‘little screen’ to interact with the big screen.

Cinime aims to create a ‘dynamic new media experience’ that enables brands to entertain and engage people before and after the cinema.

In the UK, 46% of people aged over 15 own a smartphone (TGI, 2013), while smartphone penetration amongst the 3.3 million average weekly cinemagoers is 60% (FAME 2013).

The average dwell time in the cinema foyer of smartphone users is 15 minutes before the film begins, while 50% of respondents are interested in doing some form of integrated activity with their phone in the cinema (FAME 2013).

Drawing on DCM’s brand and content representation of almost 3,000 screens on behalf of Odeon, Cineworld, Vue and more than 150 independent cinema owners, cinime is designed to enable cinemagoers to opt-in to receive bonus content when they are in the right mind-set and the right environment.

The cinime app harnesses image recognition and audio watermarking technologies to deliver and unlock brand and film-related content on smartphones.

It has been developed using Yummi’s technology platform ‘phonix’, which combines a series of background detection technologies to sync and trigger content without the need for a 3G or internet connection.

The platform also includes a full campaign management system, making it ‘easy for advertisers and agencies to use’.

“Cinemagoers are a highly valuable, mobile-literate audience with common passions – film and the unique cinema experience,” said Joe Evea, Commercial Director at DCM.

“At DCM, our aim is to make cinema as essential for brands as it is for filmmakers, and we believe the cinime app will forge greater opportunities for brands to entertain and engage cinemagoers through the big screen and beyond.

Evea added that the cinime app has been developed to ‘enhance’ and ‘complement’ the cinemagoing experience, rather than interrupt it.

“Cinime has been developed by cinema for cinema, for use before, during and after the cinema visit, but crucially not during the movie itself,” Evea said. “All rewards and content triggered via the audio-watermarking technology remain locked until after the film has finished.”

AJ Simpson, Chief Commercial Officer at Yummi, said: “As well as the opportunity to work with the UK’s leading cinema advertising company, Yummi is proud to bring a new piece of technology to the partnership that will revolutionise the way consumers engage with brands in the cinema. This is an exciting product and an exciting partnership.”

The first cinime trial is now underway in selected DCM represented cinemas in the UK, with further roll-out planned throughout 2013.