Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

With so many entertainment forms available for consumers to choose from, movie theater operators have good reason to worry about the future. At least one research shop says industry ticket sales and revenues were down in 2010. Many theater operators and production companies hope that the 3D segment will be an exciting enough alternative to get consumers to pay extra to see movies in this format. But research indicates that the ticket premium being charged for 3D may put off consumers.

The gradually improving economy has some business sectors cheering. But the good news hasn’t extended to all types of businesses. For example, consumers have been slow to return to casinos. The American Gaming Association’s (AGA) new G2E SmartBrief survey points to strategies that casinos are taking to try to improve business.

Earlier this year, I blogged about the growing value of virtual goods – expected to reach $1.6 billion in the U.S. for 2010. A new report shows that this business is booming on a global basis. To a large extent, the hypergrowth is being fueled by younger consumers and by the rising use of smartphones and social networks.

Is sports marketing back? Recent research by IEG shows that the improved fiscal health of the financial services and automotive industries means that marketing dollars are again flowing into sports sponsorships. The 4 largest major sports leagues anticipate ending 2010 with a total sponsorship funding of $2.28 billion. According to IEG, this marks a 7.6% increase over last year.

Sports franchise owners might not be doing enough to protect their brand. As the interest in sports grows globally, threats to trademarks are increasing and copy-cat merchandising programs continue. But property owners are also facing new threats like “online brand hijacking.” How big is this problem?

As consumers turn to video games for entertainment, marketers have shifted some of their ad budgets to this format. Doing so reaches more consumer eyeballs, especially the hard-to-reach demographic of younger men. This increased exposure to brands and product names via video games is translating to higher sales for marketers according to a Nielsen Company study on this topic. .