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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.
Thu, August 09, 2007
Brace yourself for the slew of rip-off pitches coming from the mobile advertising space. Mobile marketing is booming – and here come the vendors trying to capitalize on the hype. We’ve been doing a lot of mobile marketing campaigns over the past year in and out of the theatrical space and are beginning to see some clear trends in what is working and what you need to beware of.
Here’s a few frequently asked questions we get. Hope this is helpful.
Is text messaging a viable messaging outlet for live entertainment?
If implemented correctly, it certainly can be. It’s relatively inexpensive and most people have text messaging capabilities. The challenge is crafting a larger interactive strategy that utilizes text messaging effectively to help you reach your marketing goals. And, yes, it does tend to perform better among younger audiences.
How does text messaging fit into the larger interactive marketing strategy?
Text messaging really should be just a piece of your overall interactive marketing strategy. You can use text messaging as a channel for collecting email addresses, running surveys, driving web traffic, analyzing offline advertising/marketing effectiveness, and building larger customer profiles. It’s much more valuable to your marketing initiatives than it appears. You just need to define what your goals are before launching the campaign.
What makes a consumer want to participate in a text messaging campaign?
Text messaging is no different than any other marketing outlet – you need to give a consumer a reason to participate. A strong call-to-action with a clear value proposition is what ultimately drives consumer response. In short, you need to give them a reason to text in and if you are expecting to reach new audiences it can’t just be offering the chance to receive news about your production. Give something that is of value to them – a discount, make them laugh, etc.
What are some big pitfalls to text campaigns?
First, if you are using a third-party provider, make sure you own the data you are receiving. I’ve seen a few contracts that say if you end the agreement with that provider, the data is theirs and you need to pay a maintenance fee to access it. Make sure you get it in writing.
Second, if you plan on continuing to send text messages outbound, you need to have a clear strategy of what you will be sending and how often. You need to clearly communicate this to the consumer. The mobile phone is a very important piece of consumers' lives – sending marketing messages to people has to be treated very carefully.
Hope this helps. Any questions on any of this, you know where to find me.
In the meantime, here’s an interesting piece on the current state of mobile usage. It’s a quick, good read.
Read On
Wed, March 28, 2007
Having been aggressively testing mobile marketing over the past year, it's clear to us that this new form of marketing will be making its way into theatrical marketing plans in the near future. While it may not be right for all shows, we've seen it work in the live entertainment forum quite well as a powerful marketing channel. On the flip side, we've also seen it be a huge waste of money.
For example, we've seen in-theatre interaction rates as high as 20% with venues of 5,000+ patrons (that's an insane statistic in case you missed it!). That means 2 out of every 10 people in the venue said - "sure, I'll text in." For some productions, we can't get 20% of the audience to even applaud! We've seen other productions yield a varying response of 1% - 12% which isn't so hot. As for integrating mobile marketing with print and outdoor advertising - some did OK, but most did not.
At the end of the day, it's all about the messaging, the technology platform and, most importantly, what is the consumer getting out of the interaction. Moreover, it's important to define what your production is getting out of running the campaign (i.e., sales, awareness, etc.) and how it's working into your larger CRM (customer relationship management) solution so you are maximizing your advertising dollars.
Without clearly defining the goals, you are shooting in the dark.
At a recent conference at South-by-Southwest, mobile marketing was an issue, front and center, for many media folks.
"According to The Mobile Marketing Association there are more than 235 million mobile phones in the United States, a fraction of the more than two billion users worldwide. Nearly 60 percent of mobile users in the U.S. have sent a text message; six billion SMS messages were passed in 2006, more than 300 times the total at the end of 2000. The promise of increasing usage had SXSW attendees and investors looking at opportunities to push feature content and advertising through the mobile Web. User-generated content created and delivered through mobile phones and functions that leverage GPS were also discussed."
Would love to hear your thoughts on the topic and any success or failures you are seeing.
Click here to read the full story.
Tue, March 13, 2007
Just a quick heads-up for those of you trying to hit the NY Magazine crowd. According to Media Post, “New York magazine's Web site, Nymag.com, is making its listings of nearly 5,000 restaurants and bars available via mobile phone. The service, powered by mobile company Juice Wireless, is being sponsored by Sony through the end of March, at which point Visa Signature will begin sponsorship. New York foodies and baristas can text GONYC (46692) with the name of a particular restaurant or bar to find its address, phone number, and whether the magazine's critics have picked it as a favorite. They can also text the type of food and neighborhood, Zip code, or borough to retrieve up to 12 choices, beginning with critics' picks.
Why aren’t Broadway productions or other live events listed here? We put the call in already and voiced our opinion. Will check back.
Click here to read the full story.
Tue, January 02, 2007
Yes, mobile marketing is on the rise. But, according to a new study, “while Americans are big spenders when it comes to entertainment content and services for consumer electronics such as the Xbox, Apple's iPod, personal computers and high definition TVs, they show less enthusiasm for purchasing entertainment services created for their wireless mobile devices. According to the survey, 47 percent of respondents in the key demographic age group of 18 to 24 year-olds complained that mobile data services are 'too expensive.'”
On the flip side of the equation, text messaging in particular is on the rise. According to the article, “close to half of survey respondents indicate that they sent or received at least one SMS message in 3Q '06. According to the study, SMS subscription plans have already surpassed the 50% mark, and American consumers spend an average of $3.70 per month for data services.”
Click here.
Fri, May 26, 2006
OK - so this is probably a stretch to suggest that the touring markets should aggressively jump into the mobile marketing space. That's not what I'm advocating here.
But, we did come across an interesting article that stresses the importance and direction of where marketing at the local level is probably heading. And, for touring markets that rely very heavily on recruiting local audiences, this is something you should be aware of.
The article below from Clickz simply talks about the emergence of advertising platforms for mobile phones.
Fact is, Google and many of the other plays are aggressively looking to get into the mobile phone space. According to the WSJ, twice as many cell phones are in use than PCs worldwide. So, it's not a stretch to believe that mobile marketing is the future. The question really remains - when will it really be here.
All theater marketers should give a quick read through this article.
Thu, May 11, 2006
According to a new study, mobile web campaigns may be ahead of their time. After researching a sample of mobile phone users, the study says:
"Although the 'mobile Internet' is the future, it is not ready for prime time yet. Mobile content, such as news, games, music, and video-clips, was considered to take far too long to download. Even those few who did start to get into downloading things to their phone quickly hit a wall, running out of storage capacity."
We would guess this trend will change over time as technology and connectivity advances but, for now, proceed with caution.
Click here to read more from the study.
Wed, March 22, 2006
How do we attract younger audiences to attend theatre?
A new report sheds some very interesting light on this topic and introduces us to the 13-18 year old SuperConnector.
Take a look at what the a report by GenWorld suggests:
"Globally, teens aged 13-18 are very concerned about the world and their own future. These concerns have made them self activists, creative, and highly adaptable to emerging technologies.
Fifty-six percent of these teens are SuperConnectors according to the GenWorld study. This group has an active lifestyle and uses multiple means of connectivity at any given time. Connectivity tools at this generation's disposal include such lean-forward mechanisms as cell phones, text messaging, the Internet, e-mail, instant messaging and search engines. Even when they're taking part of lean-back media, the group finds new levels of engagement."
In short, it's a difficult task to hit this market through advertising especially on a typical Broadway budget.
Click here to read more about the very critical market that will emerge as the theatre audience of tomorrow.
Mon, November 14, 2005
With the rapid growth of cell phone usage, there is a large opportunity on the horizon for enterainment marketers. Google and many other companies are jumping into the game to offer free content which would be available on cell phones.
At the touch of a few keys on your phone, you could find local entertainment options. We are currently looking into opportunities into this new space and will keep you posted as we learn more.
Click here to read the complete story.
Thu, September 08, 2005
- A recent report projects 55 percent of the total U.S. at-home users are connecting to the Internet via broadband. Keep in mind that this doesn't mean that they don't connect via alternative methods (i.e., mobile, PDA, etc.) (more)
- A student's mobile phone bill ranges from $41 to $60 per month, but 57.5 percent of students are on family plans and don't pay the bills themselves. This backs the concept of mobile (cell phone) marketing to this audience. (more)
- So, why the big increase in online ticket sales? It could be tied to the improvements in connectivity. Broadband users spend 50 percent more than dial-up users. Or, maybe it's because our audience is getting much more comfortable with the technology. (more)
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