Alamo Drafthouse's USP: Respectful Enjoyment

If you can't sit in a theater to watch a movie without sipping a locally-brewed beer, go to Alamo Drafthouse.
If you can't watch a movie without texting, avoid Alamo Drafthouse.

The brainchild of Tim and Karrie League, Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse is a fast-growing chain of movie theaters that serve food and drink. Last year alone, the company debuted 8 new locations.

Alamo Drafthouse says it's "a lifestyle entertainment brand with an acclaimed cinema-eatery." In other words, it differentiates itself on more than one dimension--dimensions that are meaningful to the target audience.

Its objectives are:

• To share the movies loved by the founders with as many people as possible
• To be a cultural center for each community it serves
• Encourage viewership of classic, "golden era" films
• Encourage viewership of foreign films
• Encourage young and college-age viewers to become movie buffs
• Help local video stores survive in the spirit of community cultural spots
• Help save 35mm movies
• Help save VHS movies

A key unique selling proposition of Alamo is respectful enjoyment of movies. No texting or talking allowed during the movie, no rowdy youngsters (kiddies are most welcome at special children's screenings). When customers attend a screening at Alamo, they can be sure of a quality movie-going experience. No wonder movie-loving customers (the target audience) are fiercely loyal.

Of course Alamo is heavy into social media, including its own blog and Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube (a must-see is its "no talking allowed" video with more than 2 million views).