UCLA ExtensionSneak Peak Focus Group Recap

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Table of Contents

Topic Slide Number

Background, Objectives and Approach 3

Perceptions of Sneak Preview 8

Fluctuations in Different Quarters 12

Reasons to Choose Sneak Preview 19

Social Media Options 25

The Perfect Wednesday Experience 28

Satisfaction with Sneak Preview 30

Results 32

Next Steps 34

Suggestions 39

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Background

With the purpose of assisting Sneak Preview with their problem of “filling seats,” UCLA Extension market research class agreed to conduct an exploration of the Sneak Preview experience from the members’ perspective. One main concern is that Sneak Preview’s main patrons are an older audience, but would prefer to attract a younger crowd.

In order to better understand these elements in the mind of the member and gain deeper insight into their relationship to Sneak Preview, the market research class conducted a focus group.

Based on inputs from this qualitative phase, the UCLA extension market research class has identified a host of strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, and threats.

Suggestions for a follow up quantitative study will be a part of this report as well so Sneak Preview can continue their research to improve membership.

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Research Objectives

• Understand current members’ perceptions and attitudes towards Sneak Preview:

– Understand feelings on the overall experience– Comparison of quarters and movie selections– Perceptions of the current audience

• Identify the top reasons the members attend

• Explore areas of value and improvement

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Research Approach – Focus Group

• One focus group of 11people was held on March 14, 2012, at the venue.

• Conducted research with a diverse audience to ensure that we gained perspective and insight from a number of key constituencies

– Person 1: Female Age: 25-40 2 year membership– Person 2: Female Age: 50-65 1 year membership– Person 3: Male Age: 35-50 5 year membership– Person 4: Female Age: 25-40 3 year membership– Person 5: Female Age: 50-65 20 year membership– Person 6: Female Age: 50-65 3 year membership– Person 7: Female Age: 50-65 4 year membership– Person 8: Female Age > 65 4 year membership– Person 9: Female Age: 50-65 12 year membership– Person 10: Female Age: 50-65 1 year membership– Person 11: Male Age: 50-65 1 year membership

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Sample Demographics

Age Mixed, with majority of 50-65, one older person, and two in the 25-40 range

Gender 9 females and 2 males

Ethnicity Mostly Caucasian, 1 Asian, 1 Hispanic

5 pack member 1 person

Full Quarter member

10 people

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Reminder

Qualitative research is meant to elicit consumer opinion and insights and should be considered directional in nature, not projectable.

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Perceptions of Sneak Preview

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• Respondents had mostly positive comments about the venue

– Good location

– Clean bathrooms

– Good sound system

– Convenient parking (also meters are free after 7pm)

The Venue

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• Respondents’ negative comments

– The angle of incline on the seats isn’t great

o Hard to see the bottom of the screen; A problem seeing subtitles

o No guarantee on the view of the movie because someone tall or with big hair can always sit in front of you

o Some people unnaturally sit in the very front of the theatre on purpose

– Not many dining or dessert options within walking distance

– No hearing assisted devices

The Venue

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• Most people recognize that the majority of the audience members are much older and already have white hair

– Older members view this event as a more social experience, often meeting up with friends before the film to get food together or carpool

• For the younger members who do come, it does not seem to be as social

– Most younger members work, so they come straight from work with no time to get dinner ahead of time

– Their line of work is involved with the film industry so they have more personal reasons for attending

Current Audience

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Why do we see a dramatic fluctuation in membership over different quarters?

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• Fall is the most popular quarter. Members attribute that to the timing of the academy awards.

• Winter quarter is the next most popular, with Spring and Summer being the least popular

• Long-term members are well aware of the release patterns of movies and have their own personal favorites

• The members understand that the strength of the films within a quarter rely heavily on who is the moderator

• The attendance of different quarters correlates to the popularity of the moderator and the members’ perception of that moderator’s connections and film choices

Quarters

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• The members feel that the moderator can make or break a season, which influences their purchase choices

• The focus group was split in their answers to the types of movies they preferred. – Some wanted more Blockbuster films– Some came specifically to see independent or foreign films

• They enjoyed these knowing that the moderator hand picked the film• It is something they would not know how to seek out themselves or

watch in the conventional theatre

• General comment about the moderator– The audience does not like it when the moderator analyzes the

movie beforehand; they want to come to their own conclusions first

Moderators and Movie Selections

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• One focus group member just purchased the five pack and liked the option because it can be hard to predict a work schedule, and sometimes they would have to miss a screening.

• The 5 Pack provides flexibility with scheduling and attendance at the films

• This options also makes it very important to have an easy way for members to know what the upcoming movies are

The 5 Pack!

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• For the members who bought the whole season, some enjoyed not knowing which movies were going to be shown: they like the aspect of surprise

• For the members who bought the 5 pack, knowing which movies will be shown is essential

• The current website and phone system is outdated and unreliable

Upcoming Films- Knowledge is Power

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• Most members took advantage of every discount they could, from senior to Osher

• One focus group member mentioned that the $10 discount from early bird to regular isn’t large enough to really sway her purchasing decision

• Only one person answered “How did you hear about us?” – They saw the link to the Sneak Preview class from the

Osher website

Discounts and Awareness

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• All focus group participants expressed frustration at how difficult it was to find out what film was playing next– Website is not updated in a timely manner– The automated phone system can get confusing; one focus group member was

passed around from person to person within the system trying to find out about the next movie

• Although moderators do a good job of stating upcoming movies at the end of current films, those that do not attend the previous weeks film will not have heard the announcement

• Focus group members expressed interest and excitement for a consistently updated website with information on the film, guest speaker, and a clip of the movie trailer

Notification of Upcoming Films

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Why do people attend Sneak Preview?

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• They, or a member of their family, are in the film industry

• The Q & A

• To see movies they wouldn’t normally seek out or know how to find on their own

• A nice break between the work week

• Trust the program because of its association with UCLA Extension

Why do they attend?

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• Good venue and easy parking

• Social event, for friends and family

• Current UCLA students in the international program who want to see US and independent films

• Faith in the moderator picking the movies; Confidence in seeing top picks for independent or foreign films

• Like the variety of films

Why do they attend?

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• Every focus group member agreed that the Q&A at the end of the screening was a huge draw for Sneak Preview– Although, at the event we attended, we noticed many people did not stay for

the Q&A after the movie

• Guest Speakers– Some participants commented that its not always necessary to have the actor,

director, or writer of the movie for the Q&A. – In the past, audiences really enjoyed the Cinematography and Costume

Designer guests just as much– Having more than one guest speaker usually livens the Q&A and is more

entertaining for the audience

Question & Answer

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• It is important that the moderator be engaging, ask good questions, and leave time for questions from the audience

• The attendees are aware to not ask negative questions, since the guest is usually there as a favor to the moderator

Question & Answer

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• Older audience members do not like to drive after dark, and sometimes cannot sit for long periods of time

• Audiences cannot hear the guest speaker if they are not speaking into the microphone well enough

• If the attendee was upset by the movie for various reasons, they will usually not have an interest to stay and hear more about the movie

Reasons for not staying for the Q&A

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Social What?

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• Although many guest do appear to have smart phones, there was a distinct lack of connection to social media and its possible incorporation with Sneak Preview amongst the focus group members

• A suggestion that Sneak Preview use social media to engage with patrons was mostly dismissed, with the exception of the younger participants

Social Media

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Some ideas of interest in social media connections

• Possibility to vote on recently screened films that they liked

• The ability to follow their favorite moderator

• Place to summarize the movie and share thoughts about it

• A way to connect with other people active in the film industry

• A way to vote on which upcoming films they would like to see

Social Media

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Describe your perfect Wednesday night with a Sneak Preview film?

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• “Getting ready, my friend comes over, we go to dinner somewhere nice near our home, then go to Sneak Preview, stay for the Q&A, then discuss the movie on our way home and into the next day”

• “Getting out of work early enough to grab dinner at Kate’s nearby before the movie. Lots of people from Sneak Preview go there.”

• “Grabbing dessert after the movie, but unfortunately there are no nearby dessert options.”

The Perfect Wednesday Night

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Would you recommend Sneak Preview to a friend?

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YES!

A unanimous….

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Results

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• Going into the focus group we had one main concern that the majority age of the Sneak Preview patrons (“white hairs”) hurt the potential for growth with the younger audience

• The results showed that most younger participants in the focus group were aware of the drastic age difference in the other patrons, but didn’t seem to mind

• Results show that the older average age isn’t as much of a hindrance to attract a younger crowd than it is a hindrance against the moderators being able to attract films

The Main Concern

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Next Steps

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• The focus group revealed many interesting theories from the Sneak Preview members

• The next step would be to gather additional quantitative research to confirm the ideas presented

Additional Quantitative Research

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• Assisted hearing device

• Subtitles and the ability to see easily in the theatre

• Film selection and moderator preferences– Rate each quarter and/or moderator

• Discounts and price points– What price points of discounts would be significant

enough to encourage more early bird purchases

Additional Quantitative Research

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• Reasons for leaving the Q&A

• Social Media– What would members be interested in

• Website and Phone System– Confirm what information members would want

available on the website and phone system

Additional Quantitative Research

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• If Sneak Preview wants to target a younger audience, more information is needed from them.

• An additional focus group, or form of qualitative research, with only younger members is recommended– Analyze need to attract a younger audience– Location, time, tone of movies, socializing, etc.

Additional Qualitative Research

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Suggestions

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• Targeted banner ads with ESPA on the internet– Add onto existing Facebook page– Will raise awareness of Sneak Preview and

strengthen its reputation by highlighting its association with UCLA

• Discounts, promotions, and special offers targeted to weaker quarters

Suggestions

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• Based on the split responses to the movie selection preferences

– Option to make all seasons equal with a variety of types of movies

– Option to purposely target non-blockbuster (independent and foreign films) during the weaker seasons to attract a new audience

Suggestions

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• Use big name films (like The Artist), and directors and actors to promote Sneak Preview– Possibly show film clip of the Q&A to attract

audiences and put on website

• Target UCLA Extension International Students

• Target UCLA and surrounding Film and Theatre students

Suggestions

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• Centralize how people can be informed about upcoming films. Be more proactive about alerting the audience

– Email, text blasts, or social media postings

– Update website frequently

Suggestions

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Thank you!