Meerkat Movies, a new customer rewards programme from comparethemarket.com, launches today in replacement of Orange Wednesdays.
Developed in partnership with Cinema First, the industry body representing UK cinema operators and film distributors, the promotion will be the biggest of its kind ever in the UK.
The deal – which opens to new comparethemarket.com customers on Friday 3 April – offers 2 for 1 cinema tickets every Tuesday or Wednesday for a whole year. To qualify, customers must buy a qualifying product via the company’s price comparison website, whilst existing customers will be allowed early access to the offer.
Replacing “Orange Wednesdays”, which ran from from 2003 until last month, the sponsorship deal comes as cinema admissions are expected to cross the 170m mark in 2015, the highest number in years.
“This deal represents a meeting of minds,” said Barry Jenkins OBE, chair of Cinema First. “Cinema First exists to persuade more people to go to the cinema, whilst comparethemarket.com has realised the potential to tap into the big screen experience as a loyalty programme, to reward their existing customers and attract new ones.
“The comparethemarket.com team bring with them an incredibly strong track record and huge creativity in customer engagement and as the stars align around an incomparably strong film slate over the next few years, today represents a genuine watershed moment for UK cinema.”
Comparethemarket.com Marketing Director, Mark Vile, added: “Entering the world of film with Meerkat Movies is a hugely exciting development for us. This is the biggest step change for the brand since launching the Meerkat Toy Collection in July 2011 and signals our commitment to rewarding customer loyalty.”
Karen Stacey, CEO at Digital Cinema Media, said cinema has become a more “flexible” medium in recent years and is experiencing new levels of growth and innovation.
“Comparethemarket has recognised the power of the big screen and their huge commitment is testament to the strength of our compatible audiences, which are early-adopting, socially connected and first in the queue when a new film is released,” she said.
Tickets for the offer will be redeemable through a code on the Meerkat Movies app, which is available to Apple and Android users.
