Monthly Archives: March 2017

My Five Ways to Improve the Movie Theater Experience

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Going to see a movie at the theater has always been an experience. However, over the past several years that experience has been taken to an entirely different level. These days you can get food and beverage service at your seat or sit in an oversized recliner. You can sip a cocktail at the theater’s bar or sprinkle several different seasonings on your popcorn. You can reserve your exact seat ahead of time or rack up points on your theater rewards card. Yes, people who work in the cinema industry have seemed to have done everything possible to make watching a movie in the theater a desirable entertainment option.

Well, not everything.

As someone who goes to the movie theater more than your average American, I have a few suggestions on how a night at the cinema could be enhanced even more. In tonight’s blog post, I give you my five ways to improve the movie theater experience.

Grab your popcorn because I have five ways that the cinema industry could make going to the movies even better!

List Actual Start Times – It goes without saying that the previews before the feature presentation have spiraled out of control. Depending on the theater, the “upcoming attractions” could last anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Because of this ambiguity, the start time on the ticket is worthless. If the movie is supposed to start at 6 p.m., does that mean it will really start at 6:15 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.? For those of us trying to plan and who are completely okay with missing the previews, an honest answer of when the movie will actually start would be very much appreciated. I propose that in parenthesis after the “official” start time, there is also a time listed of when the feature film will actually begin. If the movie started at 8:30 p.m. and previews lasted for 25 minutes, it would be noted like this: 8:30 p.m. (8:55).

Cell Phone Areas – Sometimes when watching a movie, there is an absolute necessity to respond to a text message or check your email. For those of us who are considerate enough to not take out our phone for everyone to see the annoying glow, there should be another option. I propose that theaters install modest areas at each corner in the auditorium for theater patrons to go to. If you know what an Old Navy dressing room kiosk looks like (small space with a curtain), this is what I am envisioning for the auditoriums. People could politely walk inside the “in-theater device area” and check their phone while not annoying other guests and, most importantly, not missing any of the movie.

Opt Out Option – We have all experienced that feeling. You sit down to watch a movie and within 10 minutes you know it is not for you. Deciding on whether to sit through a movie you aren’t going to like or to walk out and basically throw away $11 is a common dilemma. I would encourage theaters to give us another option. How cool would it be for cinema management to give us 30 minutes to decide? After the half hour is up, patrons can make the final choice to either watch the rest of the film or opt out. If the choice to opt out is made, the customer can choose to pay half price for a different movie along as it starts within the next hour. It makes going to a movie you aren’t so sure about much less of a gamble.

Community Chat – Have you ever had that experience before? I am talking about when you sit through an incredible movie and you seem to bond with the packed house of strangers watching it with you. The bond that establishes is real! I think it would be a great idea for one of the major movie chains to start putting a unique code on the back of each ticket. That code would be inserted by the movie patron into an app designed by the chain. Once the code is punched in, the customer would be connected to a message board forum. Within that forum would be everyone else from that specific showing of the film that also inserted the code. From there, the dialogue would take off. Attendees could discuss the film, give feedback on maintenance that needs to be done in the auditorium, and call out rude people. The forum would not go live until the final credits started to roll. Who knows, this could possibly turn into the first ever movie theater social media dating app!!

Ticket Stamp Graphic – After I watch a movie in the theater, I usually take a photo of my ticket and post it to Instagram along with a short review. I think it would be an awesome idea for movie theaters to send a personalized graphic to the mobile device of each attendee at the end of the film celebrating the fact that they watched the movie. It could be a fun and engaging design that would contain elements on both the movie watched and the theater visited. How could this not be a genius marketing move for the theaters? The ticket stamp graphic would give complete control to the cinema to put its creative twist on it. It would be a perfect mix of an “I Voted” sticker and a Snapchat geofilter. I would absolutely share to social media (and this blog) the graphic that would be sent my way.

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Let me say this: I love going to the movies! But because I enjoy them so much, it makes me think that much more about what can be done to improve the experience. These five ideas I mentioned could be very easily implemented. What do you think? Don’t Blink.

National Oreo Cookie Day

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This morning, our director of creative services here at Coastal mentioned to me that today is National Oreo Cookie Day. He alerted me about the holiday to be funny because he knows my harsh opinion on gimmicky “national” days. However, no matter how much I say I hate the concept of a National Pancake Day or National Peanut Butter Lovers Day, I do admit that I have stooped to creative lows by using these occasions as blog material.

Today I want to pay the ultimate homage to the Oreo cookie by dusting off a blog post I wrote four years ago. Specifically titled Premium vs. Generic: Make The Right Decision, I wrote about a handful of products that can be substituted for a generic brand with no big taste/performance difference. Evening out the post, I also listed a second handful of products that, in my opinion, should never be substituted with a knockoff brand. At the very top of the list was the Oreo cookie.

Let me wish you a happy National Oreo Cookie Day!

There is simply no replacing an Oreo. It is one of a kind. While we can all pay a dollar or two less and buy an imitator chocolate cookie sandwich, it falls so short of the Oreo standard that it isn’t even funny. It just takes one nibble to figure out the truth. An Oreo will perfectly crumble and send a wave of freshness and chocolatey delight through the taste buds the moment the teeth make impact with it. The white filling of an Oreo is fluffy and delicious to eat by itself. An Oreo dipped in milk absorbs it in a way that achieves the desired sogginess yet doesn’t lose the hallmark flavor.

On the other hand, a knockoff cookie sandwich is bland and contains no special crunch. The filling is thin and tastes/looks artificial. Milk simply seems to run off the cookie wafers, failing to retain the beverage and produce a softened and refreshing version. There is no comparison at all.

The Oreo cookie stands by itself and it just isn’t the taste. The smell is distinctive. I could have my frozen yogurt topped with “Oreos” at an ice cream parlor and I would immediately know with a quick flex of my nostrils whether the place actually put on crushed Oreos or a knockoff. I could pick up an Oreo package at the supermarket and feel the distinctive texture of the cookies inside and contrast that with a generic package. I could look at a plate with two cookies on it, an Oreo and an imitator, and laugh at how superior the real thing looked to the wannabe.

The Oreo just carries with it a different standard, one that extends to the entire family of flavors. Just like with Pop-Tarts and potato chips, the Oreo cookie has gone through a major flavor expansion throughout the years. You can now purchase cinnamon roll Oreos, red velvet Oreos, mint Oreos, cake batter Oreos, etc. But it doesn’t matter if you are eating an Oreo cookie with golden wafers or an Oreo cookie with cookie dough filling, the freshness and quality is still there. The formula that Nabisco has for its most popular snack is in the same league as the formula that KFC has for its fried chicken.

Although I hate to say it, let me wish you a happy National Oreo Cookie Day! Although this type of recognition probably isn’t necessary, an Oreo cookie is pretty special. Don’t Blink.

A Weekend of Nesting

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We have just about reached the final countdown for the debut of our daughter. Although the official due date is April 7, smart people who have medical degrees have told us chances are good that she might come a couple weeks early. That means we could very well be parents this month! With the greatest day of our lives quickly approaching, we took some major steps to prepare ourselves this weekend.

A few months ago when my sister asked through a group message if Sidney was “nesting” yet, I thought Miranda was a victim of autocorrect. Unless it had something to do with birds, I had never heard the term in my life. But as the time went by, I became quite familiar with the word and everything that went along with it. While I have watched and helped Sidney “nest” over the last several weeks, it seemed as if our “nesting” (sorry for all the quotations) became more intense over the past two days.

Yesterday, my in-laws came over and the four of us combined to prepare the house for a newborn baby. I scrubbed toilets and my father-in-law mopped floors downstairs. But it was upstairs where the major work went down. Sidney and her mom deep cleaned the nursery, guest room, and top level bathroom. They also did the monumental task of going through all the baby shower gifts and sorting, opening, and placing them. They then came downstairs and also cleaned the areas where I might have missed. At the end of the day we had a sparkling house and a beautiful baby-ready nursery.

Our nursey and home are both ready for a newborn.

Today, Sidney and I started to “baby-proof” our main vehicle. Sidney completely vacuumed out the Toyota RAV4. We then took it through the car wash. When we arrived home, we installed the car seat base and placed the actual car seat on it. We then fastened the baby mirror to the head rest of where the car seat is. Finally, we put on the window shades that will keep the sun off of our daughter. A little later in the day, I met with our neighbor’s son-in-law who is in law enforcement. He checked the car seat base to make sure it passed inspection. He gave us his approval along with some tips on how we can be sure that it is always secure.

After our baby is born, we will be able to take her home from the hospital because our car is ready to go!

With so much necessary work completed this weekend, Sidney just told me, “Okay, she can be born now!”

As I write this, Sidney is sleeping on the couch next to me. She has reached the point where she is now very ready to become a mom.

Sidney has reached the home stretch and is in that not very fun stage of constant discomfort. With some major tasks now off our list, how can you blame her? I can only hope that the remaining time goes quickly for her. Big thanks to my in-laws for the tremendous help they gave us this weekend. Don’t Blink.

Castle on the Hill Thursday Rundown

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One of my favorite months of the year is here. Happy March to you all! Now let’s get down to this week’s Thursday Rundown…

Update on Grocery Store Promotion – In October, I described a fun promotion put on by Lowe’s, the grocery store that Sidney and I shop at. For every $10 spent, you received a stamp that you put on a board. The more stamps you filled your board with, the greater selection of prizes you could choose from. Well, the game ended this past week. We ended up cashing in our 37 stamps for a paring knife. I had never been so excited for an eating utensil in my life.

We enjoyed doing the Lowe’s stamps promotion.

Making the Bed – Quite frequently, sports personalities will try to fill their three hour shows with silly debates not related to sports. This morning, the show I listen to on my way to work discussed the practice of making the bed. Both guys said that making the bed is a waste of time and that it is only done to “prove you are not a slob.” I couldn’t disagree more. I think hopping into a neatly made bed is 100% more comfortable and refreshing than slithering into a bed that is in the same state from when you threw the covers off that morning. If I somehow forget to make the bed when I wake up, I will make it that night one minute before I get back in it to go to bed.

Lion – This past Sunday, I went to the theater to watch “Lion.” Knowing that it was up for several Academy Awards, I was expecting a lot. Although the story itself was very interesting and although the ending was pretty special, I wouldn’t think for a minute to give it Oscar consideration. In the middle of the movie I asked myself “Umm…okay, what is the big deal with this movie? There has to be something more than this.” If you need a decent Redbox to watch I would recommend “Lion” (when it comes out) but it was not a good theater movie and definitely not a film deserving of the highest honor in Hollywood.

I went to the theater to watch “Lion” this past week.

ACC Tournament at Coastal – The HTC Center, our arena on campus, is hosting the 2017 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament. The entire 15 ACC schools are in our area to compete for the automatic bid to the Big Dance. But we don’t just have the teams here, we have the mascots, bands, spirit squads, and fans of these institutions as well. It is a festival-like atmosphere at the HTC Center and the second you walk inside you know you are in the middle of a high quality sporting event. It is a really cool deal that we are the destination for so many big name schools.

The HTC Center at Coastal Carolina University is hosting the 2017 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament.2017 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament

Ed Sheeran – My wife is making me an Ed Sheeran fan! A year ago I would not have been able to pick him out from a lineup nor identified his voice if given a few songs to select it from. But he is starting to grow on me. My favorite current song is “Castle on the Hill.”

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Have a great month, everyone! Sidney and I know that something very special could happen this March for us. Don’t Blink.