Alamo Drafthouse: Ahead of the Rest

I read an entry on the Church of the Customer blog (http://customerevangelists.typepad.com) about one of Austin’s finest establishments, Alamo Drafthouse. The Alamo, as I lovingly refer to it, is one of my favorite things about this city, second only to its rich heritage of live music. I have often admitted to my friends my fear of having to watch movies without the company of their trademark Grilled Cheese and Sundried Tomato Sandwich if I ever have to move out of Austin. Regardless of how simple it sounds, the idea of serving good food and alcoholic beverages at a movie theater is one of the greatest innovations of our time.

The first Drafthouse opened in the late 1990’s in downtown Austin. Since then, the company has allowed franchisees to open Alamo Drafthouse locations all over Texas and even one in Virginia! Alamo Drafthouse prides itself on its ability to provide a unique experience to its customers. Like any other movie theater, they play most of the current movies, and to cater to the population of Austin, they also play many independent films. However, Alamo Drafthouse’s “Signature Events” are the company’s point of differentiation.

Ben McConnell, the author of “Fun is contagious,” described two of these events on the Church of the Customer blog. One was “Renegade Karaoke,” a bus ride during which customers serenaded people at random Austin locations. Thanks to a mobile sound system, this hilarious journey was videotaped, with the highlights to be screened as pre-show entertainment for movie showings at the various Alamo theaters. McConnell also mentioned a recent screening of an old Star Trek movie, at which attendees were promised an extended sneak peek at the new Star Trek movie which would not be released until this summer. A few minutes into the movie, though, these diehard fans were told that the movie was broken. Then, out of nowhere, appeared Leonard Nimoy, also known as “Mr. Spock,” who suggested that the audience be granted permission to see the new Star Trek movie in its entirety.

Events like the ones McConnell described show that Alamo Drafthouse is unique. In a fiercely competitive industry, it gives consumers more than enough reasons to establish deep loyalty with its brand. At what other movie theater can you go to a Caddyshack quote-a-long or watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy while feasting on nine hobbit meals? Alamo Drafthouse has completely changed the way people watch movies. They go above and beyond those national chains that see their duty as screening a movie and nothing more. When I went to see Adventureland a few weeks ago, Martin Starr, one of the movie’s stars, made an appearance. On the menu were Adventureland-specific food items like corndogs. Theater employees wore the same t-shirts as the characters in the movie who worked at a local amusement park. Last year, my roommate’s sorority took their new pledges to one of the Austin Alamos for a boy band sing-a-long. On Monday nights at the downtown location, The Ritz, you can see musically-focused documentaries for just a dollar.

The people of Alamo Drafthouse have discovered that a movie theater is not just a movie theater. Instead, it is a venue that could be used for so many other purposes, and I am continuously surprised at the events they put together. They are very in tune with their customers; at the premiere of the Sex and the City movie, the theater served cosmos. When I saw the ad for that event, I thought to myself, "What a perfect idea. Why hasn't anyone else ever thought of this before?"

Ben McConnell says that "Fun is contagious. Fun spreads. Fun inspires loyalty. Fun opens wallets." I absolutely agree. Alamo Drafthouse is always my first choice when I want to see a movie. Because food is also served, a typical Alamo experience is more expensive than going to another theater. However, shelling out a couple of extra bucks to tip the server is worth it, especially when they also offer the cheapest movie in town: $6.50 for students!

In 2005, Entertainment Weekly named Alamo Drafthouse "The Number One Movie Theater in the Country Doing it Right." The company is a great example of an entity that refuses to be constrained by the actions of its competitors. As a matter of fact, you could even say that they are in a league of their own, as they offer much more than the average American movie theater.

Converse v. Banana Republic Outline

For my paper, I plan to explore the role that music has played in advertising campaigns, specifically in the most recent efforts of Converse and Banana Republic. By comparing the execution of the campaigns, as well as the artists involved in each, I hope to gain insight on what kind of experience each brand was trying to create for their customers. I will also try to gauge the effectiveness of the two campaigns based on what was done and how compatible these actions were with the brand's image.

Note: I had some problems with formatting, so something is off with the font size and the outlined numbering system.

1. Music in Advertising (1-2 pages)
   
   1. Role of music
      
   2. Differences in high-involvement and low-involvement products
      
   3. Classical conditioning paradigm
      
      1. Gorn's experiment
         
      2. Other conclusions
         
   4. The ELM (Petty and Cacioppo)
      
      1. Changing and creating attitudes
         
         1. Central route
            
         2. Peripheral route
            
      2. Support from other studies
         
   5. Idea of musical fit (MacInnis and Park)
      
   6. Author's study on the effect of different but congruent musical styles
      
2. Celebrity Endorsements (1-2pages)
   
   1. Definition of "celebrity"
      
   2. Reasons celebrities are used for endorsements
      
   3. When they are most effective (products with high social risk)
      
   4. Processes of social influence
      
      1. Compliance
         
      2. Identification
         
      3. internalization
         
3. Converse (3-4 pages)
   
   1. Company background
      
      1. Wholly owned subsidiary of Nike, Inc. (My)
         
      2. Established in 1908
         
      3. Brief mention of financial data
         
      4. Converse as "heritage brand"
         
      5. Overview of product lines
         
      6. "Role in disrupting the status quo over the last 100 years" ("Advertising")
         
      7. Past cultural icons used
         
   2. "Connectivity" Campaign
      
      1. "My Drive Thru"
         
         1. Song downloads
            
         2. Music video
            
      2. Overall purpose
         
         1. Quotes from CMO
            
         2. "catalyst for creativity"
            
      3. Target market
         
      4. Agencies used
         
         1. Cornerstone
            
         2. Anomaly
            
      5. Paper doll graphics
         
      6. Artists in campaign
         
      7. Media outlets
         
         1. Television
            
         2. Outdoor/Transit
            
         3. Digital/Web
            
         4. Cinema
            
         5. Print
            
      8. Sense Experiential Modules
         
         1. Sensory
            
         2. Emotional
            
         3. Intellectual/Cognitive
            
         4. Physical/Behavioral
            
         5. Relational
            
      9. Benefit to musicians involved
         
      10. Reactions from music blogs (positive and negative)
          
          1. Stereogum.com
             
          2. Pitchfork.com
             
          3. PostAdvertising.com
             
      11. Survey results
          
          1. Demographics
             
          2. Familiarity with artists involved
             
          3. Perception of Converse brand
             
          4. Shortcomings of survey
             
4. Banana Republic (3-4 pages)
   
   1. Company Background
      
      1. Gap Inc.
         
         1. Founded in 1969 in San Francisco, CA
            
         2. Historical milestones
            
         3. Financial data
            
         4. Acquired Banana Republic in 1983
            
      2. Banana Republic
         
         1. Started as two-store safari and travel clothing company
            
         2. Accessible luzury brand
            
         3. "elevated design," "luxurious fabrications," "uncomplicated style"
            
   2. "City Stories" Campaign
      
      1. Overall purpose
         
         1. Tradition of city style
            
         2. Quote from CMO
            
      2. Focus on New York City and Brookyn
         
      3. Target market
         
         1. "the modern soul"
            
         2. Shoppers between 25 and 49 who "aspire to a city lifestyle"
            
      4. Agencies used
         
         1. AR
            
         2. Starworks: artist casting support
            
         3. Rock River Music: music aggregation and marketing
            
      5. Artists in campaign
         
      6. Media outlets
         
         1. Print
            
         2. Outdoor
            
         3. Online
            
         4. Direct Mail
            
         5. In-Store
            
         6. Virgin America's RED: first-ever branded channel for in-flight entertainment system
            
      7. Sense Experiential Modules
         
         1. Sensory
            
         2. Emotional
            
         3. Intellectual/Cognitive
            
         4. Physical/Behavioral
            
         5. Relational
            
      8. Reactions from music blogs (positive and negative)
         
         1. Stereogum
            
         2. Pitchfork
            
      9. Survey Results
         
         1. Demographics
            
         2. Familiarity with artists involved
            
         3. Perception of Converse brand
            
         4. Shortcomings of survey
            
5. Converse v. Banana Republic (2-3 pages)
   
   1. Successes
      
   2. Failures
      

Concerns:

• I will be deploying a survey after this outline is approved, so I will need someone to proof the survey. Also, like with all other surveys, the number of respondents is a concern. In addition, I do not know very many individuals that fall in Banana Republic's target demographic (ages 25-49), so my results may favor the Converse campaign, since more of my peer group falls into that target market and will probably be more familiar with those artists.
  
• Another concern I have with the survey is whether or not I need to form hypotheses before beginning. Should I wait to discuss the survey until after I summarize the two campaigns?
  
• I need to find another academic article about celebrity endorsements. The one I currently have may be outdated.
  
• I originally had the idea to incorporate some other campaigns into my paper, but after doing this outline, I feel like I have enough information to fill the required 10-15 pages. If not, I will use Adidas' current "House Party" campaign as a third example.
  

Sources:

"Advertising Campaigns: Converse 'My Drive Thru.'" UTalkMarketing. 7 April 2009 <http:// utalkmarketing.com/Pages/CreativeShowcase.aspx?ArticleID=11101&Filter=0&Keywords=&Order=LATEST&Page=1&Title=Converse_%E2%80%98My_Drive_Thru%E2%80%99>

"Banana Republic Celebrates Spring with Music-Inspired 'City Stories' Campaign." Press Release. Gap Inc. Jan. 2009. 4 April 2009 <http://www.gapinc.com/public/Media/Press_Releases/ med_pr_BRSpringAd012309.shtml>

"Company Fact Sheet." Gap Inc. 12 April 2009 <http://www.gapinc.com/public/About/abt_fact_ sheet.shtml>

"Converse Launches New Advertising Campaign Built Around the Hit Summer Track 'My Drive Thru.'" Press Release. Reuters 15 July 2008. 7 April 2009 <http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease /idUS116362+15-Jul-2008+BW20080715>

"Drivin' Thru Summer in My Chucks." Post Advertising. 11 July 2008. 7 April 2009 <http://www. postadvertising.com/post/2008/07/11/Drivin-Thru-Summer-in-My-Chucks.aspx>

Kamins, Michael A., Meribeth J. Brand, Stuart A. Hoeke, and John C. Moe. "Two-Sided Versus One-Sided Celebrity Endorsements: The Impact on Advertising Effectiveness and Credibility." Journal of Advertising 18.2 (1989): 4-10.

"Milestones." Gap Inc. 12 April 2009 <http://www.gapinc.com/public/About/abt_milestones.shtml>

"Our Brands- Banana Republic." Gap Inc. 9 April 2009 <http://www.gapinc.com/public/OurBrands/ brands.shtml>

Ben-Yehuda, Ayala. "Banana Republic to Kick Off Artist Ad Campaign." Billboard. 10 Feb. 2009. 9 April 2009 <http://billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i73b3660e2c6025e6cdb460b9fd283859? imw=Y>

My Drive Thru- Converse. 9 June 2008. 7 April 2009 <http://mnr.onthescene.com/converse/ mydrivethru.html>

Parpis, Eleftheria. "Converse Turns Up the Noise." Adweek. 14 July 2008. 7 April 2009 <http:// www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/agency/e3i5dab627a6e5e9f67f6c2ff46aaef1efe>

Polikarpov, Yana. "Banana Republic Tells 'City Stories.'" Adweek. 10 Feb. 2009 9 April 2009 <http:// www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/creative/new-campaigns/e3id86b3c6480b9377f51f2c980 c9a50817>

Zander, Mark F. ""Musical influences in advertising: how music modifies first impressions of product endorsers and brands." Psychology of Music 34 (2006): 465-480)