Like most people, I was very surprised when I heard that AMC Theaters’ CEO, Adam Aron told Variety he was considering allowing texting during movies in order to attract the millennial movie-goer.
When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don’t ruin the movie, they hear please cut off your left arm above the elbow.
You can’t tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone. That’s not how they live their life.
Upon hearing this, my first thought was, “I certainly won’t go to any theater that allows texting.”
Apparently, I’m not the only one as social media sites lit up with criticism of the idea:
This prompted the theater chain to respond directly to their customers stating via Twitter:
AMC also released a detailed letter in which they acknowledge that the overwhelming majority of their customers do not want texting in theaters, so they will ditch the idea. (the full letter from the CEO is below).
While some people are criticizing the theater chain for backpedaling, I applaud the brand for listening to their customers and quickly assuring them that they’ve been heard. This is one of the greatest values of social media – the immediacy of opinions shared enable brands to respond quickly and change direction when required.
Good for AMC! I’m glad to know my theater experience will not be marred by cell phone lights. Here is the full letter from Adam Aron, posted on Twitter.
