Seems the movie theatres have decided that it’s best to have the foxes watching the hen house. In an interesting move, Regal Cinemas has decided to build customer loyalty by giving their best customers devices to tattle on fellow movie patrons!
Here we see the idea in all its glory. It seems someone has come up with the idea to make this tattling behavior be part of the loyalty program for Regal Cinemas. Along with extra points for being a loyal patron, it seems that someone has figured out that pushing the equivalent of a movie ejector seat is good for business.
The way it works is that Regal Cinema loyalists are given a hand-held device with four buttons they can push to send a signal to the staff of ushers and managers. These are the buttons: there’s one each for sound, picture, piracy or other disturbance.
Sound and picture I get. This is an early warning device.
Other disturbances I think will be the funniest one to be enacted — because now not only do we have two talkative teenage girls (for example), but also an usher coming in, finding the tattler and then “shushing” the disturbance. Not sure how this will work, but I’d give five bucks to see it.
The button for piracy is interesting. I’ve never seen anyone in a theatre trying to make copies, but this obviously is prevalent otherwise there wouldn’t be a button for it.
Now, personally, I think this will run its course in a few months. I give Regal Cinema props for trying something new…but beyond the novelty period of carrying one of these things in and the few people who will push the buttons to see what happens, I just have a hard time figuring the “loyalty” pay off in this. And I’m just not sure that turning your best customers into cops is exactly a move to improve the movie-going experience for them.
Guess we’ll all have to go to the movies to see. Race you to the popcorn stand!
Tags: customers, customer_loyalty, Jeanne_Bliss, Movies, movie_theaters, patrons, Regal_Cinema
I can see how this could benefit both consumers and the theaters… Theoretically, it will help improve the moviegoing experience without increasing fixed costs (such as would happen if the studios had to employ one person specifically to monitor each screen for each movie).
However, one must ask — What do the tattlers get out of this whole gig?
The article mentions they get “credits” for items purchased at the concession stand and/or box office, but it does not specify how quickly they accumulate. If one must participate 10 times to get a free movie, then it seems like it will take awhile to gain popularity.
I wonder if they tested these devices before launching this program? Can you imagine the kids (aka teens) using them as prank tools?
Perhaps, this will act as a deterrant? On the other hand, capital punishment doesn’t seem to deter the murder rate, so…
Elaine – The article said they did test the devices, and I got the sense that they were not being handed out indiscriminately. I assume that means they won’t be given to those who would be inclined to abuse them.
Why does this whole project make me think of the Milgram experiment?