Paying for Pure Experience

This afternoon, I read an article in USA Today about a new trend in movie theaters that really drove home for me the power of experience for the consumer. Movie theaters across the country are expanding their services to include live entertainment including sports events, award ceremonies and opera presentations. The article focused mainly on the return of the theater as a community center, but what struck me was the money people are paying for something they get for free at home.

It spoke about an Oscar night event at one theater where patrons paid $250 to come to the theater, walk a red carpet (surrounded by hired paparazzi) dressed to the nines and view the Oscars together in the movie theater. Similar events include live HD feeds from the Metropolitan Opera, an upcoming NBA All-Star game, and the inauguration of President Obama. The Met shows operas on PBS and NPR and the All-Star game and inauguration were on TV that most Americans receive for free. Yet they are shelling out almost $20 to experience these events on larger screens or with an audience. Despite the sophistication of home theater systems, there is still a different element added by a 52' screen and theater surround sound. One woman who brought her husband and children to see the inauguration in her local theater talked about wanting to experience the event within a community and not alone at home.

I think this is a very clear depiction of what Gobe is talking about in terms of providing emotional experiences and services. The desire for this is so strong for consumers that they are willing to pay money for something they are already paying for (in cable for example) or at the very least are getting free through an antenna. I think it also illustrates a potential contradiction with some of Brooks' ideas of American culture to see people paying high prices to experience things as a community and choosing that over their own privacy.