Sat, June 07, 2008
The weakening dollar and what may very well be a US recession - the perfect blend of market conditions that make the international tourist a very tempting figure for live entertainment productions.
Looking at the New York market, last years jump in international tourism from 9% to 16% shows that this is a market that needs to be paid attention to. Doing that though has proven to be a daunting task to date. Let's start with the basic obstacles.
First, there is a communication barrier in that the ticketing systems are not well prepared to deliver the conversion process in their foreign language and currency. So, even if you communicate through your advertising in-language, you are sending them into a conversion process that they may not understand. Second, how do you plan to reach them? We've seen some very targeted media placements work, but finding specific sites in language is a difficult task - simply because of the language barrier. Not speaking the language will make it very difficult for your marketing and advertising teams to identify which websites you should be working with and the types of marketing arrangements you can organize.
Next, assume you were targeting the UK and Canada where language wasn't the issue. First problem that often arises for some productions is that when they advertise in those countries (particularly the uk), they are competing with the local production for that show. That has turned into major headaches for us. This is by far one of the most frustrating issues in marketing theatrical productions - there is often not one true cohesive brand. They might share a logo but their business objectives, marketing plans and overall customer experiences are worlds apart.
And, finally, you have to look at what you have to offer international tourists. Does your show have a theme that speaks to particular cultures? Do you need to speak English in order to enjoy the show? If so, does your show offer ShowTrans?
All of these variables need to be looked at carefully before you create specific international tourist outreach initiatives.
Our view on all of this is that you need to set realistic goals and understand that even with the weak dollar, its the domestic tourist who is an easier prospect to engage. Translating content and spending resources to chase international audiences may end up being costly. With shows already on very tight budgets, those marketing dollars are often severely needed towards domestic tourist outreach.
Second, don't focus too much on trying to find an advertising solution. There are existing marketing channel relationships with your FIT travel outreach efforts. Expedia and Travelocity are two you should be exploring but there are others beginning to sprout up. These are often commission based agreements which allow you to hedge your risk as you only pay on performance.
Finally, I think its a limited view to gauge your international marketing efforts solely by sales. If you can effectively engage international tourists researching what they want to see when they come to New York City, you have to believe this is having an effect on your walk-up sales.
In the end, as with all marketing, it comes down to product, price, place and promotion and how this mix matches with your target market. And, when you have a limited budget to spend your resources, only you can tell how your international tourist outreach fits into your overall marketing plan.
For those of you haven't seen the recent League report which covers the Broadway industry, definitely order a copy. In the meantime, take a peek a the info from the NYC Tourism Board.
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