SOURCE: Integrated Media Measurement Inc.

March 31, 2008 09:00 ET

Horton Hears Who... Went on Talk Shows to Promote His Movie

Just-Released Data Links Appearances of Film's Stars on Talk Shows to Ticket Sales; Identifies Star Who Sent the Most Moviegoers Into Theatres

SAN MATEO, CA--(Marketwire - March 31, 2008) - Horton may have heard a Who, but he also heard the sound of people buying tickets to see his movie the first week it opened. The movie generated positive pre-launch buzz thanks to numerous appearances by the film's stars on daytime and late-night talk shows during the weeks leading up to its opening.

According to data released today by Integrated Media Measurement Inc. (IMMI), a leading provider of consumer behavior data to media companies and advertisers, 5.6 percent of people who saw one talk show appearance by one of the film's stars went to the theatre to see the movie.

"Horton Hears A Who" stars Jim Carrey, Steve Carell and Carol Burnett promoted the animated film on television talk shows such as "Oprah," the "Today" show, "Live With Regis & Kelly" and "Late Night With Conan O'Brien."

"The is the first data to show a definitive connection between the appearance of a celebrity on a talk show and ticket sales, and then to quantify that connection," said Amanda Welsh, head of research for Integrated Media Measurement Inc. "Using our mobile phone technology, we can track which panel members saw the talk show appearances and then whether or not those same people actually went to see the movie thereby measuring the effectiveness of the publicity campaign."

Who was the star whose television appearances drove the most people into theatres? Steve Carell, with four percent of people who saw the funnyman on a talk show actually going to see the movie. The data showed that 1.8 percent of people who saw either Jim Carrey or Carol Burnett on a talk show went to see the film. The research was implemented through a research panel built by IMMI that mirrors U.S. Census results for fundamental demographics in key markets. IMMI provides thousands of panel members in key markets with a mobile phone, asking them to carry it with them wherever they go. The mobile phone is equipped with a technology that creates digital signatures of all the audio media (television, radio and movies) to which it has been exposed. IMMI can determine viewing audiences, as well as certain types of consumer behavior based on a timeline of when the media was viewed or heard.

Integrated Media Measurement Inc. (IMMI) is the developer of an end-to-end media measurement system that links media exposure to consumer action. Using a mobile-phone-based digital monitoring system, IMMI tracks almost all media 24/7 and helps businesses evaluate the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns. IMMI is based in San Mateo, Calif. More information is available at http://www.immi.com.