Deluxe movie theater chain Gold Class Cinemas launched an e-mail marketing campaign August 8 inviting members of its loyalty program to free Eat, Pray, Love cooking demonstrations tied to the film’s settings. The e-mail blast was created internally.
Members who attend the events, which will run through this month, can watch Italian, Indian and Bali food prepared live by Gold Class Cinemas’ in-house chef. They will also be able to sample the cuisine — Pizza Margarita, Curried Chicken Salad and Basil Fruit Salad for dessert — and participate in a question-and-answer session with the chef.
Mark Mulcahy, VP of marketing at Gold Class Cinemas, said the company will conduct numerous food preparation events in each of its markets. The film theater chain has two cinemas in Chicago and locations in Redmond, WA; Austin, TX; Dallas, TX; and Pasadena, CA. Gold Class may add more events based on their popularity.
Mulcahy said several of the cooking nights have already sold out. The film premieres August 13.
Gold Class Cinemas has 137,000 loyalty program members to date, adding roughly 8,000 new members each month. Joining the program is free.
The campaign and events are intended to retain existing database members, said Mulcahy. However, he said he expects membership to increase due to the viral word of mouth about the theater chain’s offerings.
“We’re offering a food and film experience,” he said. “It’s about showmanship — making it fun for people to go to the movies. People need that escape.”
Mulcahy added that Gold Class Cinemas wants to differentiate itself in the marketplace with events such as these.
