Cinema makes a statement for brand safety

Cinema advertising to become even more transparent: Through a close collaboration between the Cinema Advertising Association FDW, the IVW, and the Weischer Group, the automated playback of cinema advertising will now be recorded and reported.

Hamburg, May 22, 2023  – Since 1959, the IVW (Information Community for the Determination of the Distribution of Advertising Media) has been recording the annual attendance figures for all screens in German cinemas, providing valuable insights into the acceptance of cinemas and their film offerings. Now, the IVW is expanding its offerings, significantly increasing transparency within the cinema industry. Since January 2023, the IVW certifies the playout of cinema advertising based on new technical cinema standards.

This makes it possible to trace the playback of each individual cinema ad within the system. The automated documentation includes detailed information about the ad, the exact time of its playback, as well as the location and name of the cinema and the screening. “While transparency of advertising environments in digital media is by no means guaranteed, cinema ensures a safe and brand-compliant playback,” says Stefan Kuhlow, CEO of Weischer.Cinema. “Maximum transparency with maximum impact – cinema remains the most robust currency in the entire media mix.”

This data collection is technically made possible through a collaboration between the IVW and Weischer.Q. The service provider, part of the Weischer Group, specializes in developing innovative solutions for the automation of the cinema advertising medium. The IVW has now set up direct access for Weischer.Q to the cinema advertising playout system, allowing for automated and random sampling of logfile reports to be retrieved and analyzed. “The IVW sees itself as a neutral auditing company and has been an important authority in the advertising market for many years,” says Dr. Kai Kuhlmann, Managing Director of the IVW. “The collaboration with Weischer now leads to even more transparency in the cinema industry. In addition, it is also an important step for our organization in the digital transformation.”

The certifying authority for this certification is FDW Werbung im Kino e.V., the interest group of cinema advertising marketers in Germany. The FDW played a crucial role in realizing the project with its initiative. Stephan Birkenholz, Chairman of the FDW, states, “The certification is both an examination and a quality seal for cinema. We demonstrate how reliably and precisely advertising is played out in cinemas.”