How HAQM Ads taps into the "ripple effect" to help boost engagement and purchases

The magic of movies extends far beyond the screen, creating fan communities and influencing not only merchandise sales but also cross-category consumption.

HAQM Ads partnered with Crowd DNA to explore what we dubbed “the ripple effect”—the influence of movies on purchasing behaviors beginning from the pre-release excitement and ending in true fandom. Through our study of 3,000 respondents, we uncovered that this “ripple effect” creates opportunities for brands to engage with audiences throughout their full-funnel entertainment journey.

Movie magic isn't fleeting—it creates lasting connections that span years and generations. Our research found that movie fan respondents maintain an average 10.4-year connection with their favorite films.¹ But what makes someone watch a movie in the first place?

It turns out the reasons are as layered as the stories themselves. For most fans, it’s about escapism and entertainment (88%). Others turn to films for personal growth and new perspectives (60%), while many see movies as a way to spark conversation and share experiences (53%).²

This desire for escapism and entertainment also aligns with genre preferences, which differ between in-theater and at-home viewing. In theaters, audiences tend to favor high-energy genres like action, adventure, and sci-fi. At home, preferences shift toward more personal or reflective content such as documentaries, romance, and comedy.³

And what does the in-theater vs. at home viewership breakout look like? We found that it wasn’t a true break at all, and both at-home viewing and the theatrical experience play a crucial role in fan engagement, providing valuable experiences. HAQM Ads and Crowd DNA analyzed three distinct cohorts: infrequent theatergoers (2–5 times/year), frequent theatergoers (6–11 times/year), and avid theatergoers (12+ times/year). Across all theater-going customers, 83% or more also watch movies at home at least weekly.⁴ Similarly, 77% of at-home movie-watchers went to theaters in the past year, demonstrating that theater and home experiences fulfill different needs.⁵

Looking at our research, we found that movies are driving customer purchases across multiple industries, regardless of viewing preferences, genre choices, or theater attendance.

Across our respondents:⁶

• 81% participated in movie-related activities including listening to the soundtrack of a movie, exploring behind the scenes content, and collecting physical copies of the movie
• 36% have purchased movie-related toys and games
• 33% have purchased movie-related clothing and costumes
• 33% have purchased posters and wall art
• 61% combined their recent theater experience with food or drinks at a restaurant/bar

At HAQM Ads, we’re fueled by customer obsession—so we needed to explore this topic from the lens of the customers who shop, stream, and listen across HAQM properties in Spanish. These customers only see advertising in Spanish and, as such, are reachable via in-language ad solutions.

Our study included 530 respondents who self-identified as Spanish-speakers. Our analysis revealed that the power of movies for our Spanish-speaking respondents reflected the same patterns as our general market customers, with 93% driven to watch movies for escapism and entertainment and 70% spending money on movie-related products or experiences in the past two years.⁷

Among this group, 38% reported spending money on movie-related products or experiences to create lasting memories, and 42% said they were likely to buy a product featured in a movie.⁸

The takeaway? Including Spanish-language creative in cross-category campaigns related to movie fandom has the potential to drive additional impact.

HAQM Ads full-funnel solutions allow brands to tap into multiple touchpoints along the fan journey, including:

• Prime Video for content discovery and streaming
• HAQM.com for merchandise and related products
• Twitch for community engagement and live events