Cinéma Cinéma is the new brand representing three of Montréal’s most beloved cinemas: Cinéma Beaubien, Cinéma du Parc and Cinéma du Musée (this month’s Member of the Month).
Last month, the group launched a revamped visual identity that is bold, dynamic and playful that can be seen across touchpoints, from social media to pre-show advertisements. They also created a centralized website.
Èva Morin, conseillère aux communications for Cinéma Cinéma, takes us through the genesis of this ambitious project.
Please tell us about the process of bringing the three cinema brands together.
Cinéma Beaubien, Cinéma du Parc, and Cinéma du Musée have been operated by the same management team since 2018. Discussions about officially merging the 3 cinemas had been ongoing for years, but fears that the cinemas would lose their distinctive character and questions about organizational structure kept the project in the “drafts” folder.
When Roxanne Sayegh joined as Executive Director in the fall of 2022, the project became more of a reality, especially after an audience survey conducted in 2023 revealed that unifying our brand and centralizing certain communication channels would have a positive impact on our audiences.
We therefore decided to prioritize the project in our 2024-2026 strategic plan, and officially began mapping out the various steps and checkpoints in order to make it happen. Throughout the project, we always kept our goal in mind : make our exceptional venues stand out while keeping alive their individuality.
During the beginning stages of the project, DeuxHuitHuit, our design and digital partner, perfectly articulated our brand DNA : offering outstanding films in cinemas with a neighbourhood feel, and creating gathering places where culture, community and emotion meet. This was the launching point for everything that came after.
One year later, we launched Cinéma Cinéma, which includes a revamped visual identity that is bold, dynamic and playful that can be seen in all of our checkpoints, from social to our preshow advertisements. We also created a centralized website, where clients can discover all of our film and event programming in a single location, rather than 3 distinct websites.
What is the history of the three cinemas?
Each cinema has its own story and heritage, and is located within three distinct neighbourhoods that come with their own personalities and audiences.
Opened in 1937, Cinéma Beaubien is Montreal’s oldest cinema that is still in operation. Located in the Rosemont neighbourhood, it was saved from closure in 2001 through citizen action. This beloved theatre has been successful since then thanks to its quality programming, presenting Quebec productions, francophone and international cinema, as well as children’s films.
Inaugurated in 1977 in Plateau Mont-Royal, Cinéma du Parc is an iconic haven for cinephiles. International productions, retrospectives, documentaries and festivals make up its bold, eclectic programming. It’s one of the rare places in Montreal where one can see films in their original version with subtitles. Recently revamped, it is now one of the most beautiful cinemas in Quebec.
In collaboration with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Cinéma du Musée has been enriching the museum experience and the downtown cultural scene since 2018 with crowd-pleasing programming in a prestigious setting.
How did the decision to undertake this project come about?
While discussions about creating a central entity had been ongoing for years, the project plans intensified in 2023 after an audience survey highlighted the opportunity to present ourselves as a group in order to consolidate our offering and reach new audiences.
How did you seek to understand your audience?
An extensive study, featuring a survey and discussion groups, was conducted in the spring of 2023 as a way to understand our audiences’ perception of our cinemas, and to identify opportunities for growth and reaching new viewers. We partnered with Habo, a consulting firm specializing in culture and entertainment, to ensure that the research was tailored to our industry.
What did you hear back?
The study allowed us to confirm insights we had an inkling on, such a motivation for coming to the cinema and overall customer satisfaction, while also uncovering that the major opportunity for growth was to emphasize our standing as a group of cinemas, rather than 3 separate entities. Positioning ourselves as a united front would only add to each cinema’s already very positive reputation, and encourage audiences to discover our entire offering, rather than sticking to their favorite cinema out of habit.
How did you source the right partners?
We were set on working with partners who knew our cinemas and had experience working with other cultural institutions with similar structures as ours. Seeing as the project involved developing a brand identity and an entirely new website, our main partner needed to have solid expertise in both design and digital. We considered ourselves very lucky during our search – as beloved institutions in Montreal, there was a high interest in working with us!
After many rounds of meetings and proposals, we decided that DeuxHuitHuit, a digital design studio with plenty of experience working with cultural partners throughout Quebec, was the perfect fit. Their collaborative approach was essential throughout the project and helped us structure our (many) thoughts and feelings regarding the new entity’s name, look, and overall experience.
What are the successes you’ve seen come from this launch?
The most obvious success is the launch of Cinéma Cinéma’s website. Seeing the film and event programming of our 3 cinemas in one location has been a game changer since day 1. We have gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback from our clients for the ease in which they can learn about what is happening in our cinemas.
“The arrival of Cinéma Cinéma is the affirmation of our group identity, and this banner is part of a structuring approach for our theatres. It benefits our diverse clientele who are now able to better understand the links between our cinemas and to easily access a centralized offer.” – Roxanne Sayegh, general manager
One month later, we are proud of the hard work put into this project and know that this investment will help us grow and reach new audiences!