marketing plan 2016-2017 season subscription campaign
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Marketing Plan 2016-2017 Season Subscription Campaign
for the Portland Playhouse
CharissaHurtAAD610
Wednesday,March16,2016
Introduction
PortlandPlayhousewasfoundedin2008andoccupiesthebuildingofanoldChurch.
Mission:PortlandPlayhouseisdedicatedtoproducingquality,intimate,performancesinwhich
theinteractionbetweenartistsandaudienceisparamount.Weholdtheatretobeaspacein
whichpeopleofallsocial,economic,racial,sexualandpoliticalbackgroundscancometogether
tocelebratethecomplexityofoursharedhumanexperience.
Throughtheirshort,yetwelllived,historythePortlandPlayhousehasmanagedtomakea
strongimpactintheircommunity,andasaresulthasseentheircommunityrallyaroundthem
intheirtimesofneed.AccordingtothePortlandPlayhouse,“wecontinuetoseeknewwaysto
engagewithourneighbors,andtodeepentherelationshipbetweenwhatwedoonstageand
what’shappeninginthelivesofouraudiences”(PortlandPlayhouse,“missionandhistory,”
2014).Therefore,itisevidentthatthePortlandPlayhousehasastronglevelofsupportwithin
theircommunity.
EconomicScan
Whateconomicfactorsareinfluencingtheorganization?Trends,ChangesandConcerns:
AccordingtotheTheatreFactspublication,fortheatrecompanieswhosebudgetsare
below$1million,they“areinclinedtobemuchmorereliantoncontributedincome,
particularlyfoundation,federalandlocalgovernmentsupport”(TheatreFacts,2014,p.5)and
theyexperience“farlowersubscriptionandsingleticketincomerelativetoexpensesthanthe
industryaverage”(TheatreFacts,2014,p.5).Thesecompaniesputmoreoftheirresourcesinto
artisticpayrollandoverheardcosts(TheatreFacts,2014,p.5).However,unlikemostsmall
theatrecompanies,Corribtheatre,however,doesnot“offercomparativelyfewproductions
annuallyandoperatewithpositiveworkingcapital,”butinstead,offersfewproductionsand
operateswithanegativeworkingcapital(TheatreFacts,2014,p.5).
Inexaminingtheir990’sforthepastthreeyears,thePortlandPlayhouseisfinancially
stableandisseeingeconomicgrowthbothintheirrevenue,andintheirexpenses.Theirmost
recent990,from2014,reportsatotalincomeof$807,624,whichisanincreasefrom2013
wheretheyhad$678,085inrevenue,and2012,wheretheyhad$471,282inrevenue.Their
revenueissplitfairlyeveningbetweendonationsandgrants,andprogramservicerevenue.The
programservicerevenueincludestheirticketsales,whichfor2014weretotaledat$309,035.
Thisshowsthattheyareabletoselltheirshowsfairlywellandhaveastrongrevenuebasefrom
ticketsales.This,therefore,showsthattheyhaveastrongaudiencethatislikelytorespond
welltoaseasonsubscriptioncampaign.
DemographicScan
AccordingtotheUnitedStatesCensusdata,thePopulationofPortlandasofApril1,
2010was583,789.Theestimateforthe2014populationwas619,360.Ofthepopulationof
Portland,76.1%areCaucasian,andthesecondhighestreportedethnicityisHispanicorLatino
at9.4%.Portlandhasahighrateofimmigrantscomparedwiththerestofthestate(13.8%vs
9.8%)andasaresult,theyhaveahigherpercentageofthepopulationthatspeaksalanguage
otherthanEnglishathome.Interestingly,too,theyalsohaveahighlyeducatedpopulation
(43.8%ofthepopulationhasabachelor’sdegreeorhighercomparedtotherateof29.7%at
thestatelevel.Portlandhasahomeownershipratethatislowerthanthestatelevel,whichis
indicativeofatransienttypeofcommunityandacommunityinwhichrentalratesarehigh
(UnitedStatesCensus,“QuickFacts,”2010).
Accordingtothe2012SurveyofPublicParticipationintheArts,non-musicalplayshave
thelowestpercentageofparticipants.Thesurveyindicatesthatsince2008,thepercentageof
participantshavenotonlydecreasedinnon-musicalplays,butalsoinmusicalplays.15.2%of
adultsattendedatleastonemusicalplayin2012,whileonly8.3%ofadultsattendedatleast
onenonmusicalplayin2012(SurveyofPublicParticipationintheArts,2012,p.16).Thisisa
significantdecreasefornonmusicalplaysfrom12.3%participationin2002to8.3%
participationin2012(p.16).Furthermore,thesurveyindicatesthatofthosewhoattendnon-
musicalplays,themajorityareCaucasian(10.1%),andover55(SPPA,2012,p.17).Inaddition,
themajorityofthosewhoattendnon-musicalplay(20%),hadattainedagraduateleveldegree
(SPPA,2012,p.17).ThisisaninterestingcorrelationwiththeCensusdataforthePortlandarea
thatidentifiesahighproportionofPortlandresidentsashavingobtainedagraduatelevel
degree.
PortlandPlayhouseseekstotargetadiverseaudience.TheUSCensusdatashowsthat
thecityofPortlandhasthehighestrateofimmigrantscomparedtotherestofthestate.Asa
resultofthisdata,itisevidentthattherearediverseaudienceswaitingtobecultivatedin
Portland.However,themajorityofpatronsattendinganon-musicalplayareCaucasian,and
this,therefore,presentsachallengeforthePortlandPlayhousetoengagewithotheraudiences
andtobreakthestereotype.
CulturalScan
Furthermore,Portlandisacitythatisfilledwithartsrelatedactivities.Forthem,not
havingabuildinghasn’tbeentoomuchofaproblemsincetheyhavebeenabletoproducetheir
showsatlocaltheatresaroundtownsuchastheCohoorthePortlandActorsConservatory
Theatre.However,thismeansthatthereisalotofcompetitionforthemtoconsiderwhen
creatingamarketingplanandstrategy.
SWOCAnalysis
ProductStrengths
• Theyprovideauniqueandpersonableproduct
• Seektopresentaculturallydiverseproduct
• Intimateperformancespacethatengagestheaudienceandconnectsthemwiththe
performers
Weaknesses
• Lackofbrandingwithproduct
• Lackofunificationwithshowsthatareproducedinaseason
• Convolutedseasonticketpackagethatisdifficulttofind
Opportunities
• Unifyshowsthroughseasonannouncements
• Reallyrevitalizeseasonticketingtogeneratemoreawareness
Challenges
• Alotoftheirplaysarenewer,therefore,gettingtheattentionandsupportofan
audiencecanbedifficult.
Price
Strengths
• ComparedtoothertheatrecompaniesintheareaPortlandPlayhouse’spricesareon
par
• Seasonticketholdersreceivea30%discountoffoftickets
• Easyaccesstoticketpurchasingonwebsite
Weaknesses
• Seasonticketpurchasingisn’twelladvertised
• Theyhavedifferentseatingsections,butticketpricesdon’tvaryfortheseatingsections
• Nostudentorseniorticketpricing
Opportunities
• Diversifyticketpricingbasedonseatingareas
• Addinseniorandstudentticketpricestoattractotheraudiences
Challenges
• Ticketpricesarealreadysodiverse(weekdays,weekend,opening,preview,etc.)
PlaceStrengths
• UniquevenuelocatedinaChurch
• Small,intimatespacepromotesengagingtheatreperformances
Weaknesses
• Drivingpast,youmightnotknowit’satheatre
• Locatedinaresidentialareawhereparkingislimitedtostreetparking
Opportunities
• Increaseoutdoorsignagetopromotevisibility
• Sinceitisaresidentialarea,thereistheopportunitytoengagethecommunityinthe
workthatthetheatreisdoingandtocometothecommunityforimmediatesupport
Challenges
• Parkinginaresidentialareawherethereisalreadylimitedstreetparkingprovesa
challengeforpatrons
• Isolatedfromthedowntownarea,soitcouldbedifficulttopartnerwithotherarts
organizations
Promotion
Strengths
• StrongpresenceonFacebookandsocialmedia
• Goodfollowingonsocialmediawithvariouslevelsofinteraction
• Differentsocialmediachannelsthatarebeingkeptuptodate
Weaknesses
• Websitecouldusesomecleaningupsoitiseasiertofollowandfindinformation
• Blogtabisn’taccessibleorkeptuptodate
• Seasonsubscriptionsarepromotedwellonsocialmediaortheirwebsite
Opportunities
• Makewebsitemoreaccessible
• Integratetheblogportionofthewebsiteintosocialmediaandotheraspectsof
marketing
• Highlightseasonsubscriptions
Challenges
• Limitedstaffing,therecurrentlyisn’tastaffpersondedicatedtomarketing
• Updatingablogregularlyisalotofwork,andwithlimitedstaffingitposesasignificant
challenge
CurrentMessaging
Sinceitsfoundingin2008,PortlandPlayhousehasbuiltastrongbrandforitselfon
socialmediasitessuchasFacebook,andInstagram.TheirFacebookhastransformedfrom
somethingthatlacksprofessionalismandconsistency,toaFacebookpagewithconsistentposts
andthatcreatescontent.However,thereisstillroomtocreatecontentandcuratecontentthat
drawstheonlookerbackintothemissionoftheorganization.PortlandPlayhousedoesagreat
joboftellinguswhattheyaredoing,buttheycandomoretobrandtheirworkandmarketitto
theirvariousaudiences.
Currently,theydohaveaseasonsubscriptionoption,however,itisnotwelladvertised
andthatisoneareainwhichtheycouldstrengthentheirmarketingandunitetheshowsin
theirseasoninordertogivetheirpatronsastrongsenseofwhatisbeingprovidedandwhat
optionsareoutthere.
MarketingPlanAsaresultofthisneed,IproposeaseasonsubscriptionmarketingplanforPortlandPlayhouse.
Thismarketingplanisbasedonanexperientialmarketingstrategythatwillbrandtheseason
withacommonthemeandidentitytodrawuponformarketingpurposes.Thehopeisthatby
marketingastrongandunifiedseasonandputtinganidentifiableseasonsubscriptionpackage
outthere,thatwillnotonlyallowthestaffofPortlandPlayhousetoanticipatehowmany
patronsarecomingtotheirshows,andplantheindividualmarketingeffortsforeachshow
accordingly,butalsoexpandtheiraudiencebeyondtheareaofNorthEastPortland,byatfirst
attractingtheirregularpatrons,thenfocusingtheirmarketingeffortsonotherareasof
Portland.Thebenefitofaseasonsubscriptionisthatitprovidesaudienceswhowouldn’t
normallyparticipateinaparticulareventwithanincentivetodoso,becausetheyreceive
discountedticketsforanentireseasonandhavethoseticketspurchasedaheadoftime,
accordingtoyourschedule,andthereforehavehadfirstpickatseatsbeforesalesgopublic.
Strategies
Asmentioned,theseasonsubscriptionmarketingplanisframedaroundanexperiential
marketingstrategywiththeideaofpullingcommonthemesfromeachoftheplays.Asaresult,
varioustaglinesthatattractspecificaudiencesandcausethemtoidentifywiththeseasonand
thepieces.
Experientialmarketing,bydefinition,isausefulstrategytogenerateinterestinabrand
orproduct.Whencreatinganexperientialmarketingstrategy,itisimportantforthe
organizationtokeepinmindnotonlythetypeofexperiencethattheproducthastooffer,but
alsowhytheaudiencemightbeinterestedinthatexperienceandproduct.This“requiresthat
theorganizationsystematicallystudycustomers’needsanddesires,perceptionsandattitudes,
preferencesandconcerns”(Bernstein,2014,p.50).Furthermore,theexperientialaspectsofa
product“meettheconsumer’sneedtoconstructanidentity”(Turi&Brunet,2009,p.75).
Theseneedscanbethebenefitsthatacustomerseeksfromattendingandevent(Bernstein,
2014,p.61).Or,theycanbethesocialfactorsthatacustomerseeksfromanevent(Bernstein,
2014,p.62).Byinvestigatingtheseneedsandincludingtheminamarketingplan,the
organizationcanutilizetheexperientialaspectofaproducttoaugmentwhatitisofferingtoa
customer(ROMp.75).Asaresultofthis,“Itisimportantforartsmanagerstoalwayskeepin
mindthattheorganization’ssuccessisafunctionofthethoughtsandemotionsthetarget
patronsattachtotheorganizationanditsofferings”(Bernstein,2014p.50)
Experientialmarketingisasignificantfactorinartsbasedmarketing.Withthis
marketingtechnique,marketersfocusonmarketingtheexperiencethatthepotentialpatron
willbeapartofandhowthatwillaffectthem.Experientialmarketingisoftenusedtoattract
audiencesandpatrons.Furthermore,withtheadventofnewtechnologiesthewaythatwe
experiencemarketinghasshifted.Weexperienceasenseofbeing“constantlyconnected”
(Nanseletal,2009,p.187)
Therefore,itisthehopethatbyframingtheseasontroughanexperientialmarketing
strategy,thePortlandPlayhouse’saudienceswillfeelconnectedtotheseasonanddrivento
becomeaseasonsubscriber.
Proposed2016-2017Season
Belowisaproposedsetofplaysforthe2016-2017seasonforPortlandPlayhousefor
thepurposesofthismarketingplan.
PlaylandbyAtholFugard
100SaintsYouShouldKnowbyKateFodor
MarionBridgebyDanielMacIvor
Lettice&LovagebyPeterShaffer
Eachoftheseplaysdealswithsomesortofpersonalgrowthandpersonalrelationship.They
coverfamilyproblems,friendissues,andracialtensions.Therefore,potentialtaglinesforthe
seasonmightinclude:
“Loss&Belonging”
“Recovery&Healing”
“Friendship&Tragedy”
MarketingMethods
Theproposedmethodsforthe2016-2017seasonsubscriptionmarketingplaninclude:
• DirectMail
Eachofthesestrategiesislinkedbytheexperientialmarketingstrategy,andwiththesame
launchdate(whentheseasonisannounced)inordertogeneratethehighestlevelsofattention
andexcitementpossible.
TheFacebookstrategyismeanttobeintegratedintocurrentFacebookmarketing
strategies.Theideaistoreachouttothecurrentaudienceandtoharnessenthusiasmoverthe
comingseasonandtocreateunitywithintheseason.
DirectMail
ThismethodisthemethodthatwillrequirethemosttimeandeffortforPortland
Playhouse.However,itcouldachievethehighestreturnoninvestmentsincepeoplearestill
likelytorespondtosomethingthatisphysicallytangible(Worth,2016,p.150).
LikewiththeFacebookstrategy,theideaisthatmarketingforthe2016-2017season
canbeseamlesslyincludedintomonthlyemailupdates.Phrasesmightinclude“don’tforget
aboutourfabulous2016-2017season!”“Hereare10reasonswhyYOUshouldbeasubscriber,”
“HaveYOUpurchasedyourseasonticketsyet?”“Purchaseyourseasonticketsnowandreceive
anextra15%discount!”(Referencetoearlybirdsubscriberproposition.Detailsbelow).
AddedIncentivestoMotivatePatronstoSubscribe
Furthermore,inordertoprovideanincentiveforpatronstopurchaseseasontickets,
thePortlandPlayhousecanofferanearlybirdsubscriptiondeadlinewhereifpatronspurchase
theirseasonticketsbyacertaindate,theycanreceiveanadditional15%offoftheirtickets.
Tohelptobuildandexpandtheiraudience,thePortlandPlayhousecanoffertheoption
forseasonticketholderstobringafriendtoashow(afriendwhohasneverbeentotheir
theatre)asanaddedoptiontotheirseasonsubscriptionpackage.
Moreover,forthosewhosefirsttimeitiscomingtothePortlandPlayhouse,theycan
opttoentertowintwoticketstothenextproduction,asawayofpromotingtheircontinued
patronage.Aswell,totrackhowmanyfollowersandpatronsareclickingonthelinktothe
seasonsubscriptionpage,thestaffatPortlandPlayhousecanusebit.lytonotonlyshortenthe
url,buttogainanunderstandingofwhattheresponseistothenewmarketingstrategy.
SampleTimelineforthePromotionofthe2016-2017SeasonandSeasonSubscriptionOptions.
April30,2016
Announcenewseason!
• PostSeasonplays,dates,andposterdesignsonFacebook
o Highlightseasonsubscriptionopportunitiesandprovidealinktothewebsite
o MakeitclearthatthedeadlineforearlyseasonticketpurchasingisAugust15.
• Sendoutemailtoallmembers,previouspatrons,volunteers,etc.
o Announcenewseasonintheemail
o Highlightseasonsubscriptionopportunitiesandprovideinformationonhowto
purchaseseasonticketsaswellasalinktowheretopurchasethem.
• SendDirectMailwithseasonsubscriptionpackage
o Includeaseasonbrochurewithinformationoneachshow,includingdates
o Includeinformationonhowtopurchaseseasontickets,includinganaddressed
envelopeinwhichaudiencescanmailacheque.
May15,2016
• PostonFacebookaboutPlaylandbyAtholFugard
o Postanimageoftheposterfortheshow
o Addashortteaserdescriptionfortheshow
o Providealinktopurchaseseasontickets
May31,2016
• Sendoutamonthlyemailupdate,incorporateintotheupdateashortpieceabout
Playland,byAtholFugardandinformationonhowtopurchaseseasontickets
June15,2016
• PostonFacebookabout100SaintsYouShouldKnowbyKateFodor
o Postanimageoftheposterfortheshow
o Addashortteaserdescriptionfortheshow,excitesocialmediaaudiencesabout
theshowbyprovidingearlydetailsaboutwhowillbeinvolved
o Providealinktopurchaseseasontickets
June30,2016
• Sendoutamonthlyemailupdate,incorporateintotheupdateashortpieceabout100
SaintsYouShouldKnowbyKateFodorandinformationonhowtopurchaseseason
tickets
July15,2016
• PostonFacebookaboutMarionBridgebyDanielMacIvor
o Postanimageoftheposterfortheshow
o Addashortteaserdescriptionfortheshow,includeinformationaboutthe
playwright
o Providealinktopurchaseseasontickets
o ***Remindaudiencesthattheyhaveamonthbeforetheearlybirdsubscription
deadlinecloses.Highlighttheperksthatcomewithearlybirdticketpurchasing.
July31,2016
• Sendoutamonthlyemailupdate,incorporateintotheupdateashortpieceabout
MarionBridgebyDanielMacIvorandinformationonhowtopurchaseseasontickets
• Includereminderaboutearlybirddeadlineforseasonsubscriptionpackages
August15,2016
• PostonFacebookaboutLetticeandLovagebyPeterShaffer
o Postanimageoftheposterfortheshow
o Addashortteaserdescriptionfortheshow
o Providealinktopurchaseseasontickets
o Includereminderthatitisthelastdayforearlybirdseasonticketpackages
August31,2016
• Sendoutamonthlyemailupdate,incorporateintotheupdateashortpieceabout
LetticeandLovagebyPeterShafferandinformationonhowtopurchaseseasontickets
• Mentionthateventhoughtheearlybirddeadlinehaspassed,thereisstilltimeto
purchaseseasontickets(untilSeptember31!)
September15,2016
• FacebookandEmail
o PostonFacebookandsendoutanemailstatinghowexcitedeveryoneisforthe
startofthe2016-2017season,andthataudienceshaveuntiltheendofthe
monthtopurchaseseasonticketsandbeapartoftheexperience
Implementation
PortlandPlayhousecurrentlydoesn’thaveaspecificstaffmemberinchargeof
marketing,however,theyaredoingagreatjobofupdatingtheirsocialmediaplatformsand
engagingtheiraudiences.Theideabehindthismarketingstrategyisthatthemajorityofthe
languageandphrasingcanbecuratedduringtheseasonplanningprocess.Furthermore,the
socialmediaposts,andemailingcaneasilybeintegratedintothecurrentsocialmediaposts.
Therefore,themainideabehindthismarketingstrategyisthatitcanbeseamlesslyintegrated
intocurrentmarketingmethods.Thebulkoftheeffort,therefore,wouldbeplaceduponthe
audienceservicesmanagerinkeepingtrackofsalesandhowtheaudiencesarerespondingto
thenewmarketingefforts.Torepresenttheprocess,aninfographichasbeenputtogetherand
canbefoundonthenextpage.
InfographicforSeasonSubscriptionProcess
DesiredOutcome
ThegoalbehindthemarketingstrategyisforthePortlandPlayhousetoultimately
createmoreawarenesssurroundingtheirseasonandtheshowsthatareapartofit.Aspartof
the2016-2017seasonmarketingplan,itisthehopethattherewillbemoreunitytotheseason
andthatthePortlandPlayhousecancreateaplatformwherepatronscanlookforwardto
shows,andlookbackonwhichshowswereperformedintheseason.Furthermore,thegoalis
thatthePortlandPlayhousewillhaveabetterestimateofhowmanyticketsaresellingforeach
showgoingintotheseasonandwillbeabletoconcentratetheirmarketingeffortsforthe
showsaccordingly.Lastly,thegoalisthatthe2016-2017seasonsubscriptioncampaignwill
allowthePortlandPlayhousetoexpandtheiraudiencesbeyondtheNortheastareaofPortland
sinceseasonticketsoftenprovideanincentiveforpatronstogoseeshowsthattheynormally
wouldn’t.
Evaluation
Theseasonsubscriptionmarketingstrategywillbeevaluatedusingthefollowing
methods:
60%responserate(audiencesengagingwiththecontentandclickingonthelinks)
50%ofseasonticketsalescomefromearlybirdsales
20%ofseasonticketholdersarebringingnewfriends
15%ofnewaudiencemembersarecontinuingtocomeseeshows
Itisthehopethatthroughcontinuedefforts,thesenumberscanincreaseandthenew
audienceswillbecomeregularaudiences.Asaresult,PortlandPlayhousewillbeabletoexpand
itsaudiencesandreach.
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