| |
 |
 |
Sun, November 29, 2009
There is so much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving season. Personally, I’m celebrating my first holiday at home with my newly born son. Professionally, I have the most incredible staff around me and, at the same time, I have the most forward-thinking, open-minded client base I’ve ever had since forming Situation Interactive.
This past January, I posted a story on my views on what 2009 will bring in the live event marketing space where I said the following...
“There is a one major reason I see to be optimistic for what 2009 will bring – that is, there is a new sense of urgency that will bring action to key issues in our industry. This is the year that removes excuses, delays and reasons to put off big problems for later – with hardship comes a new found focus, a ‘sense of urgency’ for positive change.”
While the Broadway industry typically gets a bad rap for being resistant to change, you can consider me an optimist while I call that old adage one big stack of bologna. I’d like to profile just a sampling of initiatives that I thought reflected the spirit of positive change and innovation that stood out to me over this past year. While there were a ton of awesome campaigns, the following initiatives stood out to me as they reflected executions of change that I think will be here to stay for quite some time.
Broadway Goes Green
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you mix passion with work ethic. I stand in awe at the progress of the Broadway Green Alliance. Aside from the actual mission of trying to make Broadway a greener place, I was equally impressed by the commitment of those that came together to make it actually happen. Susan Sampliner, Seth Greenleaf and many folks associated with the League should be very proud and we, as an industry, should try and find ways to duplicate this ability to take an idea or concept and execute it with passion. On Wednesday, December 9th from 11am - 1pm you can deposit your e-waste (broken cell phones, computers, printers, and dry batteries) in the center of Times Square (in front of the TKTS booth) to show your support for the Broadway Green Alliance's one year anniversary.
Broadway Ticketing Embraces Mobile Outlets
Mobile devices clearly represent the future of live event marketing and ticketing. But, what many people don’t know – “the future” is actually now. Under the direction of Jennifer Tattenbaum at Telecharge.com, thousands of tickets were purchased on mobile devices this past year on the Telecharge mobile platform. No aggressive marketing, no major industry outreach – simply a smart mobile site and the proactive commitment by Telecharge to offer their consumers options in how they can transact with Broadway. Kudos to the folks at Telecharge. Take out your mobile device and visit www.Telecharge.com to check it out.
Variable Pricing Comes to Life in Box Offices
Sure, there is still a lot of work needed to better maximize the pricing structure for Broadway, but this past year pushed forward the discussion of true variable pricing. While this will be a topic of discussion that will evolve over the coming years, the folks at the Shubert’s really made the discussion a bit more concrete by placing digital screens in the lobby to allow for better variance in pricing of full-price tickets. Positive change has to happen somewhere, so I’m happy to see shows coming together with the theatre owners to come up with proactive solutions to maximize key revenue potential.
Audience Rewards Brings New Hope to Future Audience Development
There will always be tons of skeptics on any new industry-wide program for selling Broadway tickets, so when Audience Rewards was launched I can imagine a ton of eye rolling and the rumblings of “another one?” At its face value, Audience Rewards is a points exchange platform that allows consumers to use points to purchase Broadway and live event tickets. Well, this program is much different than anything you’ve seen before and you need to keep an eye on its development over the coming years. First, all three major theatre owners are on board with the program. Second, from my understanding, it’s a well-funded initiative with hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in making the project a success. Third, they have brought in an experience executive team that is outlining a much broader vision that can open this up well beyond just the selling of Broadway tickets. If done right, Audience Rewards will capitalize on maximizing national live event customer data to drive incremental sales, build brand loyalty with the overall Broadway category and create opportunities for enhanced glue with Broadway and the touring productions. It represents much, much more than simply buying Broadway tickets with rewards points.
Social Media Has Taken Flight
Name a show that doesn’t have some kind of presence on at least one of the main social networking platforms like Facebook or Twitter? Well, this past year most (if not all) major musical productions now have social media as a part of their overarching marketing plan. Kudos to guys like Ken Davenport who through BroadwaySpace.com has heavily promoted the idea of brands thinking more social or other agencies like Art Meets Commerce who continue to promote the importance of bringing content to where our consumers are. I see no slow down in this trend over the next three to five years although, if history has taught us anything, we can be sure the way the conversation is structured on how best to use social media is bound to change.
These are just a sampling of some ideas to me that illustrate the spirit of innovation and positive change that is in full-swing on Broadway and across the country by very talented people across all facets of the industry.
Do you have any examples of innovation or positive change from this past year that inspired you? How about change you hope to see this next year?
Sat, April 25, 2009
We have so much data floating around our office at the end of a quarter, I’m like a kid on Christmas morning (yes, I realize I’m a complete nerd). Each quarter, we do a deep dive analysis into survey data of Broadway ticket buyers and it gives us a moment to step back and better understand the changing consumer behavior of those we are marketing to. We break out the data by age group, experience in attending theatre, geography, etc. – but, for the sake of this article, I want to share with you some top line data we received about the core audience many theatre marketers are going after, the 45-54 year old.
This past quarter, we had approximately 1,500 participants and about 450 of them were in the 45-54 year old age segment. These surveys were all completed online but it’s important to note that people who purchased by phone also do get the email survey in their confirmation.
For fun, let’s create a character called Ethel (which I know my friend Debbi likes to call her) who will represent this age segment. This is what Ethel had to tell us…
- I am most likely to see a show with my partner (29.6%). I am also used to bringing along children (21.8%) – by far the most likely across all age groups to do so. I am typically least likely out of all age groups to bring a group of friends (12.1%).
- I have most likely seen 2-4 shows this past year (42.5%) or even less than that (0-1 shows at 21.3%).
- I am most likely to buy online (77.8%) but still not averse to ordering by phone (12.9%)
- “Interest in the story or music” is my primary motivator in buying tickets (35.7%) and I am more likely to care about reviews than my younger counterparts.
- I am most likely to pay $101 - $135 per ticket (41.1%) but I do get those discount offers you send via email that allow me to purchase between $51 - $75 per ticket (27.4%). I am least likely across all age groups to buy in-between at the $76 - $100 price point which may reinforce the point that my seat location is important.
- I am most likely not to buy any merchandise (35.4%) but if I had to, I would take the cast recording (33.6%), a T-shirt (23.8%) or the souvenir book (21.2%).
- I am not interested in many of the special incentives currently being offered (30.3%) but if I was interested, I’d select a parking discount (15.4%) or a restaurant discount (14%).
- I do use my mobile phone to text message (69.7%) and do often take pictures with it (46.6%).
- I am not likely to be part of a social networking website (38.2%) but when I do use one it’s far and away Facebook (86.4%).
- I’m also most likely across all age groups to use LinkedIn (20.1%).
How well are you talking to Ethel? I will try and do these breakdowns more often across different age groups as I personally actually find them interesting to do.
Wed, January 21, 2009
Over the past quarter, we ran a survey online that aimed to dive deeper into theatergoers’ behavior and preferences online. While there is a lot of information we took from the research, I pulled out two specific focuses of the research that I think many of you would find interesting. The first bit of information surrounds social networking and usage by website and age group. In short, is it just younger audiences connecting through social networks and which social network do they actually prefer – MySpace or Facebook? The second bit of information is on text messaging usage by age group. The real issue we were trying to understand here was do older audiences feel comfortable text messaging.
Before I share the data, here are a few important points about the survey. We had a little over 1,250 surveys completed in full. We offered no incentive for those to complete it and it ran across a variety of Broadway show websites along with email lists to past ticket buyers. The surveys were completed in October through December of 2008.
Onward with the information…
Social Networking Usage of Theatergoers
The first bit of research I wanted to share was some information we learned on the social networking front. Social networking, particularly Facebook, is a very hot topic right now and will continue to be over the next year. So, we wanted to dive in and see what actual ticket buyers are doing in the social networking space.
When we asked the 1,250 folks, “Are you part of a social networking website such as MySpace or Facebook?”, 45.3% answered “Yes” while 54.7% said “No.” Interesting, huh? Well, let’s make it a lot more interesting by looking at the age breakdown by usage.
Social Networking Usage by Age
18-24 years old (95.3%)
25-34 years old (71.1%)
35-44 years old (48%)
45-54 years old (30.5%)
55-64 years old (21%)
So, before I continue, let’s keep in mind that these percentages are most likely higher than the ‘average person’ because these people are completing the survey online (meaning they are more online savvy to begin with). With that being said, these numbers pretty much paint a direct correlation by age and usage of social networks. No major surprise to me here – but, the big question you must ask yourself is if the usage percents are high enough to justify you using investing in participating in the social nets in a way that justifies the expense. When I say expense, I mean the time, commitment and actual costs that are required to have a meaningful presence.
Finally, one more bit of research that I think you’ll find interesting on this topic. When asked which social network that they used, a whopping 83.4% said Facebook with MySpace coming in a far second at 37.6%. There was nothing even close after that and we listed at least another ten so-called popular social networking platforms.
Beware of the hype surrounding social networking – it’s the Wild West right now as there are a lot of false promises and, quite frankly, ‘scare tactics’ that your brand needs to be on Facebook. The reality is, your marketing plan and goals will determine that – not hype. Know “the what” you are getting into first and fully understand “the why” before jumping in – I’ve seen it backfire in a bad way if you don’t.
Text Messaging Usage of Theatergoers
You know my stance on mobile marketing, so I couldn’t possibly offer up some research that didn’t include data on mobile marketing. When asked, “Other than making phone calls, which of the following do you use your cell phone for?” take a look at the % of respondents by age that say they use their phone for text messaging.
Text Messaging Usage By Age
18-24 years old (92.3%)
25-34 years old (84.9%)
35-44 years old (81.3%)
45-54 years old (69.5%)
55-64 years old (52.4%)
So, it’s not just kids text messaging. The bigger question here is which mobile marketing concept/application makes the most sense for which age group. I have my hunches here based on campaign performance we’ve been seeing as of late, but want to do more research to try and support those hunches.
I hope you found this helpful. There was a lot of other interesting information we have from the survey which we will be talking about in client meetings over the coming weeks. We will have (what I think will be) even more interesting data to share next quarter as we expand our research efforts. If there are specific issues or research you would like to see from us, please don’t hesitate to send me a note. Your feedback is helpful.
Tue, September 02, 2008
This topic has been discussed plenty of times in ad meetings over the years – during high tourist seasons, is running TV advertising an effective way of reaching tourists while they are in NYC, particularly in their hotel room? Is advertising on the Today Show during the month of December an effective way of putting your brand in front of those tourists who may purchase tickets to your show? {Personally, I think this is crazy talk – but that’s not the point of this story.}
To help shed light on the viability of reaching consumers outside the home, The Nielsen Company recently debuted its first rating results for TV viewership outside the home. According to Wendy Marquardt, president of Zenith Media who partnered on the project, “In a mobile society, viewership isn't just about people sitting in the living room gathered around the set. Nielsen's Out-of-Home service is part of our commitment to the full understanding of video, in the home, out of the home, on the net and on personal media devices.”
Here’s how they do it – using a combined panel of 3,000 participants across six local markets plus an additional 1,700 national panelists for an effective sample size of 2,500 panelists, they track exposure to media outside the home through panelists carrying a mobile phone that tracks the audio signatures of media and matches those signatures to IMMI's database. The technology seems pretty kick-ass to me.
This seems pretty interesting to me and I would be very interested to see how some of the popular programs like The Today Show rate through this kind of tracking.
Read more
Mon, July 28, 2008
Mobile marketing, while clearly an emerging channel that we will all want to explore, has serious legal issues that you must be aware of before marketing to consumers. We have spent a lot of time, money and resources with our law firm, mobile vendor and client's working through the various legal issues and it has really paid off as we have clearly begun to see numerous case studies of successful campaigns for live entertainment. Here is a good, quick read that gives the top line review of key issues that you need to be aware of. At the end of the day, when you are talking to people on their mobile device your message needs to be expected, welcomed and relevant more so than probably any other medium.
Read On
Wed, June 18, 2008
Last week, Steve Jobs announced details about the new iPhone due out next month. In a nutshell, it’s going to be faster, cheaper and have advanced functionality making it the one device that ultimately has the most potential for marketers looking to target consumers. We are expecting more people to browse the web ‘on-the-go’ using their phone. We are expecting more consumers to use applications that utilize the GPS locator functionality, which may then allow advertisers to target consumers based on their physical location. We are expecting consumers to watch richer, longer-form video content as connectivity speeds increase.
We are huge fans of the mobile market opportunities and kudos to Apple for continue to pave the way in the space.
Read more about the new release here and potential opportunities for your brand.
Read on.
Mon, April 28, 2008
Slick website. Sexy ad units. Entertainment brands sure do love to talk – but how well do they listen? That’s the question we all should be focusing on.
The Internet age is about listening. Every click, forward, reply, IM and text message a consumer sends is defining your brand. A new study helps illustrate this stating that, “74 percent of respondents choose companies or brands based on customer service experiences shared by other Web users on the Internet. Eighty-one percent of those polled said they believe blogs, online rating systems and discussion forums give consumers 'a greater voice' in customer service. However, only 33 percent of respondents felt that companies take customers' opinions seriously.”
For entertainment brands, I think the one area that needs to be better focused on is that we aren’t selling just what’s on stage – we are selling an experience. We are selling an experience that begins at the ticket buying experience all of the way through to the ‘thank you’ message that is sent when they return home. And, it’s safe to say, that consumers want to be heard throughout that entire process.
Entertainment brands can’t expect to really control what consumers post about your production on blogs, message boards and social media outlets. But, there is enough research that will show that if you proactively offer to give them a voice along with making their overall experience with the production a good one, it will help offset any complaints they might have with what’s on stage. This might be as simple as a survey after the production or by allowing consumers to post reviews on your website. There are many ways to ‘listen’ – it’s making the commitment to doing it and wanting to hear what consumers have to say that makes it worthwhile doing.
If people’s experience before going into the theatre and after the theatre are enjoyable, you would have to believe this pays dividends in consumer feedback. What more can you do?
Read On
Sat, April 26, 2008
So, you walk up to your bus stop, scan your phone and through GPS it tells you how far the next bus is from picking you up.
This is the concept being tested at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. The idea, I think is brilliant. It’s useful and should be easy to use. So, why hasn’t this been a runaway success? Well, for many of the same reasons many mobile campaigns are facing challenges. Not because consumers don’t want to interact with services via mobile device – it’s because there are unnecessary boundaries in the way. First, in this case, there is a software issue. To get the bar code scanner on your phone you need to download software for it. This is a big ‘no-no’ if they expect masses to use this service. Second, is the lack of understanding of cost. There is a cost to using the service and, for many, people aren’t sure what that actual cost will be. There is too much of a risk.
Both of these hurdles to using the program come down to key issues I have with the phone carriers. Data plans are both too expensive and often too confusing for consumer to know what you are paying for. Second, a streamlined software/reader will need to be put in place if we ever expect to use the mobile phone as an effective device to reading bar codes.
It’s a shame. I think consumers are starving for ways to make their life easier and would be more than happy to use their mobile phone. There are just a few unnecessary boundaries which I am optimistic will get out of the way soon enough.
If you have a select group of people (like subscription theater’s, etc.), you might be able to get your patrons to download software for their phone if you could create applications that make their experience a better one. It will be a challenge though. For now, we are bypassing the ‘scanning’ by having consumers ‘text in’ for services which seems to have work well so far.
Read more about Case Western case study here.
Read On
Tue, January 15, 2008
So, tonight a group of friends will come together at your show for a ‘girls night out’.
One of those folks will share video footage they shot on their mobile device from that night out with a friend… that friend will add an MP3 file soundtrack of the evening - then passes it to another friend… this friend edits the footage by adding some photographs and passes it on to another friend… this is a prime example of the fundamental concept of how circular entertainment works. And, yes, it’s happening tonight at your show.
Sound at all familiar? If not, it probably will soon as a result of a global study into the future of entertainment, predicts that up to a quarter of the entertainment consumed by people by 2012 will have been created, edited and shared within their peer circle rather than coming out of traditional media groups.
What does this mean for productions? It means that you need to create and provide content that can be made accessible for consumers to create this entertainment - video, photos, mp3’s, etc. Give them an mp3 to put over their photo slide shows. Give them video content to mash-up with their own video. Whatever you do – don’t think you can’t stop it from happening with the hopes of control your brand identity. It’s a counter-productive exercise.
Read more here – it’s quite interesting.
Read On
Mon, January 14, 2008
Here’s a striking piece of data that symbolizes how quickly the mobile device is becoming a viable marketing channel. Before you read this tidbit of information – consider the iPhone only makes up 2% of smartphones worldwide!
According to the NY Times, “on Christmas, traffic to Google from iPhones surged, surpassing incoming traffic from any other type of mobile device, according to internal Google data made available to The New York Times. A few days later, iPhone traffic to Google fell below that of devices powered by the Nokia-backed Symbian operating system but remained higher than traffic from any other type of cellphone. The data is striking because the iPhone, an Apple product, accounts for just 2 percent of smartphones worldwide, according to IDC, a market research firm. Phones powered by Symbian make up 63 percent of the worldwide smartphone market, while those powered by Microsoft’s Windows Mobile have 11 percent and those running the BlackBerry system have 10 percent.”
To us – this is not just about the iPhone. It’s about mobile usage overall. It’s the simple point that if you give consumers a mobile device and platform that is easy to use and easy to surf the web – they will use it. I believe there are a variety of new phones that will step up to the plate with some exciting new technologies. We, as an industry, have to be ready to embrace it. I, for one, am looking forward to it!
Read On
Sun, January 13, 2008
Keep it dead simple, make it personal and give people a reason to pass it on. Those are three simple rules which many industry folks are sticking to when creating viral marketing campaigns. Makes total sense to me. The following article is a great read on viral marketing and highlights some great examples of what has worked and what has not. From the smashing success of ‘Elf Yourself’ and ‘Simpsonize Me’ to the not-so-successful ‘Action Hero’ campaign by Verizon and the ‘Pet Moustache’ campaign by Burger King, you can see some of the clear distinctions in what worked versus what fell flat.
Happy reading.
Read On
Sat, January 12, 2008
Here is a new advertising opportunity that may be an interesting way for live entertainment productions to reach its target audience. Advertising via podcasts.
This past week, a company by the name of Wizzard Media unveiled a new technology that allows advertisers the ability to "dynamically" insert advertising messages into breaks in both audio and video podcasts. It will enable ad messages to be placed organically within the natural programming of the podcasts as opposed to just the the kind of "pre-" or "post-roll" spots that now appear at the beginning or the end of programs. So, in the middle of a podcast you may begin to hear more advertising than you are used to.
Overall, I like the concept of it. Podcasts are generally a good way to target niche audiences and I would assume the costs would be reasonable. The biggest issues I’ve always had with advertising through podcasts has been the cost structure and tracking capabilities. Is there a cost-per-view, cost-per-acquisition or simply a fixed cost. Just because somebody downloaded the podcast in no way means they actually watched or listened to it.
Tons of questions but tons of potential opportunity. Will keep you posted if anything comes of it.
Read On
Tue, December 18, 2007
Between the stale pretzels and the dixie cup of water, there’s some new entertainment making its way on to your future flights. It’s Internet access!
This has been discussed for quite some time but it looks like there is hope that this will soon be a reality on most flights in the somewhat near future.
This is potentially a very strong place for Broadway, Las Vegas and touring productions to connect with tourists before they arrive in market in a targeted fashion. A few airlines including Jet Blue are beginning to run test programs to allow Internet access while on board. This would be a great opportunity for productions to show these incoming tourists footage from the show, special incentives to book when they arrive and all of the necessary ticketing information.
According to Henry Harteveldt, an analyst with Forrester Research, “I think 2008 is the year when we will finally start to see in-flight Internet access become available, but I suspect the rollout domestically will take place in a very measured way. In a few years time, if you get on a flight that doesn’t have Internet access, it will be like walking into a hotel room that doesn’t have TV.”
This is potentially a tremendous marketing opportunity that we are keeping a very close eye on. The one major threat I see aside from the technology limitations that they still need to overcome, is that if this is successful many of the larger entertainment properties with much bigger budgets will scoop up the limited inventory that will become available (i.e., hotel chains, etc.). We shall see.
Read On
Mon, December 17, 2007
I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but it’s clear that consumers are having a much larger impact on the way brands are both built and shaped. Whether they loved your show or hated it, they want their voice to be heard and will voice their opinion. Just take a look on the NYTimes.com, TripAdvisor, Goldstar or any other number of websites.
Here’s some good news though – according to a new study, 87 percent of the reviews posted by consumers are generally positive in tone. Brad Fay, chief operating officer of the Keller Fay Group that conducted the survey, said "online reviewers tell us they want to reward brands that perform well. This should encourage companies to be more comfortable with inviting consumers to talk about their experiences."
Personally, I think 87% is a bit high (and overinflated), but from a variety of research reports I’ve seen the percentage is consistently significantly higher than those that post negative reviews.
What should you take from all of this? Well, create productions that consumers enjoy and you will be rewarded for it. :)
Read On
Sat, December 15, 2007
For productions seeking to reach a younger demographic, the idea of advertising in online and video games is becoming a hot topic of discussion. The article below speaks of the four primary options advertisers have to reach their target audiences through video games: branding, interaction, engagement, and sponsorship. All of these options offer unique opportunities for advertisers but the tricky part is identifying which one will offer your creative messaging a way to truly connect with the consumer. Click on the article below to read about some specific examples.
The most promising piece of information I pulled from the article is that, “an overwhelming 86 percent of gamers questioned stated that they'd welcome an increase of in-game ads in the hope that it would lower the game price. Even if a price decrease doesn't result from ads, a third would still support video-game ads because they lend a real-world touch to the virtual one. The relevance and authenticity of in-game ads have players poised and ready for their games to enter the real world.”
Any research we get here that we can report, we will pass on. My gut is that the expense of advertising a production in-game will be tough to swallow for many producers.
Read On
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Signup 
About 
Archives
