Chris Hand

Internet advertising effectiveness

Online advertising has experienced phenomenal growth since its inception in 1994. This empirical study investigates the impact of seven creative characteristics of banner ads on the effectiveness of online advertising using a multiple regression model. A random sample of 209 banner ads was drawn from a sampling frame of advertisers, provided by an advertising agency specialising in internet advertising for the gaming industry. The findings of this study are broadly consistent with past research into online advertising efficiency, indicating that the creative characteristics of effective banner ads in the online gaming arena include: a larger size, absence of promotional incentives and the presence of information about casino games. In contrast, banner features such as animation, action phrase and presence of company brand or logo were ineffective in generating clickthroughs. Contrary to expectations, long messages on banners were associated with higher click-through rates.

Searching for the picture: forecasting UK cinema admissions using Google Trends data

This article investigates whether Google Trends search information can improve forecasts of cinema admissions. Using monthly data for the United Kingdom for the period 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2008, we examine various forecasting models that incorporate Google Trends search information. We find clear evidence that Google Trends data on searches relevant to cinema visits (as opposed to searches for specific films) do have the potential to increase the accuracy of cinema admissions forecasting models.

Increasing returns to information: further evidence from the UK film market.

A sample of 153 films from the UK top 15 chart is examined to test the hypothesis of increasing returns to information. The results are consistent with those presented by De Vany and Walls, suggesting that increasing returns to information is a general feature of the film market.

The Distribution and Predictability of Cinema Admissions

Using a time series data set covering the period 1936–1999, this paper investigates the statistical distribution of cinema admissions and attempts to produce a forecasting model using the ARIMA methodology.

The time factor in re‐branding organizations: its effects on staff knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in UK charities

Purpose – As staff are vital to successful re‐branding, particularly in the charity sector where restricted budgets limit reliance on external marketing, it is important to understand the impact of re‐branding on staff. This study aims to examine the effect of time on staff knowledge, attitudes and behaviour and, in addition, the interaction of time with seniority, tenure and level of support for re‐branding.Design/methodology/approach – The paper first explores the literature from both the for‐profit and non‐profit sectors. A quantitative study was undertaken in nine leading, UK charities that had re‐branded two, three and four years ago; n=345. The data were analysed using one‐way and two‐way ANOVAs.Findings – A negative relationship was found between time since re‐branding and the three constructs of knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. But this consistency was not mirrored by a consistency in the impact of interaction effects.Practical implications – Re‐branding is not a one‐off event. To sustain its b...

A classification model based on goal programming with non-standard preference functions with application to the prediction of cinema-going behaviour

This paper presents a goal programming model that allows for the flexible handling of the two group classification problem. The goal programming model is based around the concepts of non-standard preference functions and penalty function modelling. An extension to a generalised distance metric case is given. The inclusion of multiple levels of classification based upon different levels of certainty is incorporated into the model. The model is tested on a real-life data set pertaining to cinema-going attendance and conclusions are drawn both in the context of the methodology and of the application.

The Lure of the Multiplex? The Interplay of Time, Distance, and Cinema Attendance

Models of cinema demand have tended to employ aggregate data and focus on price and income as key variables. Surprisingly, the effects of travel time and location have not been formally investigated. The authors do so, following developments in the environmental economics literature, by presenting estimates of individual travel cost models for multiplex and nonmultiplex cinemas. A key finding is that travel time has a significant negative effect on nonmultiplex cinema trips, but that this does not hold for multiplex trips; reasons for this are advanced. In the case of multiplex cinema trips, a range of phenomena relating to minimising time-cost uncertainty are shown to be significant. The authors also contribute to an explanation for the ‘overscreening’ phenomenon observed in the United Kingdom and the USA, which has led to the closure of some relatively recently built multiplexes.

Vote Clustering in Tournaments: What Can Oscar Tell Us?

ABSTRACT: Awards such as the Oscars provide a valuable measure of a films cinematic quality. This article reviews the frequency distribution of Oscar and Golden Globe nominations and wins between 1983 and 2000 to determine whether an underlying relation can be found. This study finds that, as with the distribution of box office revenues, the distribution of awards across films is skewed and can be approximated by the Yule distribution. This would imply that, as far as film awards are concerned, success breeds success. Because this phenomenon appears in 2 separate tournaments with different electorates, it is suggestive of a common opinion-forming process.

How stable is the seasonal pattern in cinema admissions? evidence from the UK

Conventionally, the seasonal pattern in a time series is taken as exogenous. However, two recent studies from the US have suggested, the seasonal component in box office revenue may in part be endogenously determined. Films that are expected to do well tend to be released at times of peak demand. Hence, the seasonal pattern may reflect both the underlying seasonal pattern and the market expansion effect of the films; evidence from the US suggests the former dominates the latter. This article investigates the same issue for the UK using a structural time series model. We find that, although the seasonal pattern varies over time, we are unable to reject the hypothesis that the seasonal factors are constant. This is consistent with findings from the US.

Online and store patronage: a typology of grocery shoppers

Purpose Grounded on approach/avoidance behaviour theory, the purpose of this paper is to develop a typology of grocery shoppers based on the concomitant perceived advantages and disadvantages of shopping online and in store for a single cohort of consumers who buy groceries in both channels. Design/methodology/approach A survey design was employed using a sample of 871 UK shoppers who had purchased groceries online and offline. The survey instrument contained items that measured the perceived advantages and disadvantages of grocery shopping online, and items relating to the perceived advantages and disadvantages of grocery shopping in traditional supermarkets. Items were selected from the extant literature and subjected to content and face validity checks. Cluster analysis was used to develop typologies of online and offline grocery shoppers. The inter-relation between the two typology sets was then examined. Findings The results of the research provide several insights into the characteristics, perceptions and channel patronage preferences of grocery shoppers. In particular, profiling e-grocery shoppers on the basis of their concomitant perceptions of shopping online and in store suggests that the choice of whether to shop online or in store may be driven not by the perceived advantages of one channel vs the other, but by the desire to avoid the greater disadvantages of the alternative. These perceptions differ somewhat between different consumer groups. Originality/value This study makes a noteworthy contribution to the internet and general shopping literature by providing a profile of grocery shoppers based on their concomitant and often conflicting perceived advantages and disadvantages of shopping online and their perceived advantages and disadvantages of shopping in traditional supermarkets. The use of a single cohort of consumers overcomes the bias in previous studies that employ separate cohorts of online and offline shoppers and reveal important insights into the complex perceptions and behaviours of multichannel grocery shoppers.