Incentivizing Cinemagoer Choice of Cinema: The Roles of Neutral Information Source and Facilitating Aspect (Published)
Despite the overwhelming presence of foreign dominated distribution and exhibition of films in Nigeria, leading potential viewers to lack access to objective reviews or information that highlight the quality of local films, cinemagoers have to contend with the problems of ease or facilitating aspect that include that of screening schedule and titles of films. Nevertheless, it is not empirically established if source of neutral information and facilitating aspect influence cinemagoer choice of cinema in the Nigerian context. To achieve these objectives and establish a framework of cinemagoer choice of cinema, this study used multiple regression analysis to test the formulated hypotheses with the aid of SPSS Version 20.0 software at 5% level of significance. Findings from a convenience sample of 323 cinemagoers who attended neighborhood cinemas on weekends in Awka metropolis, Anambra State, Nigeria show that the two stimuli investigated, namely source of neutral information and facilitating aspect influence cinemagoer choice of cinema. More importantly, facilitating aspect has more influence than source of neutral information. Overall, the study concludes that the issue of neutral information sources for cinema and facilitating aspect in cinema context should be taken very seriously. In consequence, the study recommends that neutral information sources should be able to balance the objective reviews or information that highlight the quality of both foreign and local films and cinema operators should always employ appropriate facilitating aspect strategies to boost revenue.
Keywords: Choice, Cinema, Source of neutral information, cinemagoer, facilitating aspect