Theatre Managing3

8/6/2019 Theatre Managing3

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/theatre-managing3 1/40

Theatre Sub sc ript ions in a Chang ing World

Amy S. Ka issa r

Sub mitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirem entsfor the d eg ree of Master of Fine A rts

in the Division o f TheatreSc hool of the Arts

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITYMay 10, 2005



A Very Spec ial Thank You To:

Ben Came ron o f Thea ter Comm unic a tion Group

Steven Cha ikelson of Co lumb ia University

Ken Kaissa r

Harriet Singer

Bonnie Burke

Rac hel Smith and Ka thryn Mo roney



Amy Singer KaissarThea tre Sub sc ript ions in a Chang ing World

1

SECTION THREE: FINDING SOLUTIONS 2 CUSTOMER SERVICE 3 FLEXIBILITY 5 THREE PLAY PACKAGES, MEMBERSHIPS, FLEX PASSES AND MORE 8 ADDING VALUE 16 TECHNOLOGY AND SUBSCRIPTIONS 24 TACKLING THE NEW ACQUISITION 27 TACKLING THE RENEWAL 34 AUDIENCE ABUSE! 37




2

SECTION THREE: FINDING SOLUTIONS

In set ting o ut to resea rc h this thesis, the p lan was to d isc over the

pa nac ea . But a mission to find that o ne strate gy tha t c an undo a few

years of a ttrition, is one doomed to fa il. For just a s the re is no single

prob lem fac ed by reg iona l thea ters subsc rip tion ma nagers, there is no

one -size fits a ll solution to the a ilme nt. But there a re a number of mini-

solutions tha t ea c h tac kle a d ifferent pa rt of the prob lem . This sec tion will

explore ea c h o f those mini-solutions tha t a thea ter could use to

reinvigora te its sub sc ription base.

The 2003-2004 Performing Arts Research C oa lition (PARC) Study

which looked a t the va lue of the p erforming a rts in Americ an com munities

rep orts tha t “ the findings [of the stud y] are extrem ely enc ouraging . They

reve a l an a rts aud ienc e fa r la rge r and mo re d iverse tha n c urrently

believed , c om parab le in size to a ud ienc es for mo vies and sports.1” So if

the a udience is that b ig, how c an thea tres enc ourage a greater level of

commitment?

By fully exploring the issues in their own c ommunities, thea tre

c om panies c ould p ic k and c hoose solutions from those d isc ussed in this

1 Kop czynski, Ma ry and Ma rk Hage r. (2003, Marc h). “ The Va lue o f the Performing A rts in Five Com munities: AComp arison o f 2002 Household Survey Data for the Greate r Metropolitan A reas of Austin, Boston, Minneapo lis-St. Pau l, Sa rasota , and Washingto n DC.” Performing Arts Resea rch C oa lition . Page 6.




3

sec tion and end up with a stra teg y to c om bat the ir ow n losses. Throug h a

c om bination o f imp rove d c ustom er servic e polic ies, creative a nd flexib le

tic keting p lans, ad ded subsc rip tion-only value, and tec hnolog ic a lly savvy

purchasing options, theaters could entice lapsed subscribers back and

wo o ne w sub sc ribers to the o rganiza tion.

Customer Service

Ben Ca meron, Exec utive Direc tor of the Thea tre Comm unica tions

Group points out tha t p eop le pa tronize restaurants, know ing tha t the

restaurant isn’ t g rea t, just bec ause of the servic e a nd/ or co nvenienc e. I

c an’ t even c ount the numb er of mea ls I’ ve eaten a t the d iner ac ross the

stree t, even though the food is ove rc oo ked a nd the p la tes oc c asiona lly

d irty, just bec ause the y know my na me and wha t my “ usua l” is, they

oc c asiona lly throw in a free c oo kie, and they’ re ac ross the stree t.

The impo rtanc e o f custome r servic e a nd c onvenienc e c anno t be

underestima ted . One d rama tic example o f custom er servic e w inning a

subsc ribe r wa s told by a wo ma n abo ut a New York thea tre c ompa ny to

which she w as a new subsc riber. When asked why she had joined she told

the fo llow ing story: She to ok her da ughter to see a show (one tha t in the

end , she thought was dec ent, but not exc ep tiona l). In the midd le o f the






5

know his name and his number, and he ma kes sure their experienc e is a

positive one. This is a position tha t I urge a ll thea tre c om panies to adop t.

Danny Newma n says tha t “ it is spec ific a lly the . . . box office tha t is

d irec tly responsible fo r the suc c ess or fa ilure of our rela tions with tho se

peo p le w ho are so imp ortant to us, our sub sc ribers.2” Just think if a ll

theatre c ompa nies c ould hit these p a trons with a o ne-two punch. One –

a positive and friend ly first experienc e with the b ox offic e whe n they

purc hase their first ticket to the theatre. Two – the ir la ter persona l

experienc e w ith the Customer Experienc e Manage r whe n they subsc ribe.

Custom er servic e sa tisfac tion ra tings wo uld shoot through the roo f.

Flexibility

“ It is interesting to note tha t museum s, whic h ha ve h igherattenda nce rate s than d o a ny of the p erforming arts, havegrea ter flexib ility in terms of the hours they are o pen a nd thema teria l they o ffer.3”

Certa inly museum s a re the arts orga niza tions mo st easily a b le to be

flexib le. They have e ver c hang ing d isp lays, ma ny c an house m ultip le

exhib its simultaneously, and they are g enerally op en a ll day. It would , of

c ourse, be imp ossible for a thea tre to have o ngoing p erformanc es a ll day

2 Newman, Danny. (1983). Subsc ribe Now ! New York: Thea ter Com munic at ions Group . Pag e 87

3 Mc Ca rthy, Kevin F. and Kimbe rly Jinnett. (2001) A New Framework for Building Participation in the Arts . SantaMonica: Rand.




6

long and financ ia lly p rohibitive for even the la rge st theatres in the c ountry

to p rod uc e m ore than five to seve n show s a yea r. But while the

performing a rts c annot m imic the built in flexib ility o f the visua l arts,

performing a rts orga niza tions c an signific antly inc rea se the flexib ility o f

their sc hed uling and tic ket excha nge p olic ies.

Every thea tre ne ed s to loo k at the sc hed uling c onstra ints of its

ta rge t subsc ribers and wo rk to b ring the performanc e sc hed ule in line with

the aud ienc es nee ds. Is the a im to win bac k the AARP c row d? Then

perhap s ma tinee heavy sc hed uling is the a nswer. Is the ta rget young

professiona ls who live in the sub urbs? Then p ush the 7pm m id-week show

so they c an c ome straight from wo rk and not have to c ommute on their

day off. Is the g oa l to p ush for c olleg e a nd graduate sc hoo l students?

Then how a bout a 9pm c urta in that a llow s for a la te d inner and som e

drinks first? Every c om munity ha s d ifferent sc heduling nee ds, but the 8pm

c urta in doe sn’ t fit a ll sc hed ules any mo re.

To c om bat the barriers to subsc riptions c aused by the inc rea sed

pac e o f life in this c ountry, co mp anies must strive to ma inta in flexib le

exchange p olic ies. There is no way around the increa se in administra tive

hours tha t a re req uired by an increa sing ly flexib le p lan. But w hile a

thea tric a l orga niza tion with a fulltime sta ff of 50 c an a fford grea ter

flexib ility tha n c an a n o rganiza tion w ith a fulltime sta ff of five , it is essential




7

for a ll subsc ription ho uses to strive to keep c ustome rs ha ppy b y

ac c ommod a ting b usy sc hed ules.

Two c om panies with strong subsc ription b ases me ntioned flexib le

exchanges as an imp ortant fac tor for their subsc ribers. Harry Mc Fadden,

Direc tor of Marketing a t the New York Thea tre Workshop, says tha t his

subsc ribers love the ir excha nge p olic y which a llow s ticket exchanges up

to 24 hours before the show . And the G oodma n Thea tre prom ises

“ flexib le” exchange p olic ies prom inently in subsc rip tion broc hures.

The Oakland Ang els, a baseb a ll team, sta rted Tic ket Excha nge w ith

Ticketm aster. This inge nious p rogram a llows season tic ket ho lders (who

hold a s ma ny as 80 tic kets to ho me game s as op posed to the 5-6 held by

thea tre subsc ribers) to resell tickets to the g ame s they can’ t a ttend . For

the sa le, the sea son tic ket holder rec eives c red its toward o ther tickets4.

Here’ s how a simila r p lan would wo rk in thea tre. Subsc riber Jane has

be en c alled out of town on business and c an’t a ttend the p rod uc tion a t

Thea tre X. Since the show is c losing befo re she gets home , she c an’ t

exchange he r tickets for another night. Instea d, she g oe s online a nd offe rs

the ticket fo r auc tion. Single-Ticket Buyer Jill purchases the ticket. Thea tre

X has not o nly ma de extra mo ney on the sa le (they’ ve sold the same sea t

tw ice ), but the seat is now still full, c onc essions are b eing sold, and a new

4 Lansner, Jonat ha n. (2004, June 20). “The O rang e C oun ty Reg ister, Ca lifornia. Jona tha n Lansner Co lumn.”Knight Ridd er Tribune Business New s . Pag e 1




8

aud ienc e member has been brought throug h the doo r. Subsc riber Jane

bene fits by e xc hang ing her tic ket for “ c red it” which she uses to g et a n

extra ticket to the ne xt p rod uc tion. She b rings her friend Jane t to that

show and voila – anothe r pa tron through the thea tre’ s doo r. No money

lost, and two new potentia l sub sc ribe rs. Brilliant !

Three Play Packages, Memberships, Flex Passes and More

The old subsc ription p lan is outd a ted in othe r ways as we ll. For ma ny

ta rget subsc ribers, picking a Tuesday night series ten months in a dva nc e

just doe sn’ t wo rk. Thea tres a round the c ountry are find ing innova tive w ays

to red esign their offe rings. It’ s out with the old and in with the new.

One pop ular approa c h for theatres offering five o r mo re show s a

year is the Three Play Pac kage . Comb a ting the a ll or nothing ide a, this

p lan a llow s interested parties to p ick three p lays out o f the ent ire sea son.

For the subsc riber, it’ s a g rea t way to try out a subsc rip tion a t a low c ost,

and , for the theatre, it’ s a g rea t wa y to woo a pote ntia l subsc riber.

Unfortunately, while the p lan doe s b ring in mo ney a t the b eg inning of the

sea son, it doe s nothing to guarantee an aud ienc e fo r tha t “ risky” p lay

which these mini-subsc ribers a re likely to avoid like the p lague. If a thea tre

is ab le to c onve rt these tria l sub sc ribe rs to full sub sc ribe rs, the p lan




9

suc c eeds as an a ud ienc e expa nsion too l. But, should the thea tre fail to

c onve rt them q uic kly, the Three Play Pac kage is a risk to the full

subsc rip tion p lan sinc e it undermines the a ttrac tiveness of the full offering .

One of the mo st p op ula r p lans with pa trons is ac tua lly not a

subsc rip tion b ut a me mb ership . Memb ers pay a fee to join at the

beg inning of the sea son a llow ing them to p urc hase tickets a t a d isc ount

before they go on sa le to the g enera l pub lic . Memb erships are p erhap s

the most flexib le for the p a tron whe n it com es to sc hed uling but, like the

mini-subsc rip tion, do not p rotec t tha t off-bea t play b y the unknown

author, and might not provide ad eq uate mo ney to the com pa ny at the

sta rt o f the season. However, nume rous New York City sub sc ribe rs who

have d rop ped othe r subsc rip tions have c onfided to m e in interviews tha t

one of the few they ha ve reta ined is Linc oln Cente r (a memb ership

thea tre) due in pa rt to the unend ing free dom of this p lan.

One of the simp lest inc rea sing ly po pular “ new ” p lans offe red is the

Pay Now Boo k Later op tion favored b y the Manha ttan Class Com pany

(MCC) a nd Prima ry Sta ges. In Pay Now Boo k Later, sub sc ribe rs order the ir

full subsc rip tion (and pay for it) a t the sta rt o f the sea son. How ever, they

are no t loc ked into a sc hed ule. A few we eks before tickets go o n sa le to

the ge neral pub lic , subsc ribers ge t a phone c a ll (or ema il or d irec t ma il)

letting the m know tha t it’s time to book their tic kets. They a re the n a b le to




10

c a ll the box office a t any time to req uest sea ts. While th is p lan doe s not

a llow the subsc riber to sit in the same sea ts for eve ry show, a nd it c ould

po tentia lly shut them o ut of a po pula r pe rforma nce if they d on’ t b ook in

time , it doe s a llow the busy ind ividua l to purc ha se a subsc ription w ithout

fea r of a sc hed uling p rob lem . Add itiona lly the Pay Now Boo k Later plan

ge ts a ll the m one y to the thea tre up front and mo re o r less guarantees the

aud ienc e fo r a ll show s (sinc e the y’ve a lrea dy pa id for them a ll).

For la rger c ities with a wide selec tion in theatrica l organiza tions I

p rop ose the Theatre Lover Pass as a w ay for two thea tres to work tog ethe r

to introduc e interested theatreg oe rs to the ir work. For instanc e, a c lassic a l

thea tre a nd a thea tre foc used on new work c ould m arket Thea tre Lover

Old a nd New . A mid-size theatre a nd a fringe thea tre c ould work tog ethe r

to offer Thea tre Lover Uptown Downtow n , and so on. Using the Three Play

Series at ea c h thea tre, suc h a pass wo uld ena b le a subsc riber to

purc hase a six show sea son. By limiting the offe ring to two theatres (as

op posed to a sking pa trons to p ic k two the atres from ten o r eleven) the

c hoice is less ove rwhe lming for the p urc haser and the a c c ounting is

simp ler for the thea tres.

While m any g roups have tried multiple venue flex passes in the past,

very few suc h prog rams have a c tua lly worked. In fac t, ma ny suc h plans

have not eve n ma de it off the d rawing bo a rd. Examp les inc lude a ttemp ts




11

by Linc oln Center (inc lud ing b a llet, op era a nd thea tre), the city of

Chica go , the ANTIC thea ters of New York City and mo re. Anec dota lly, the

mo st c om mo nly g iven rea son for the fa ilure of the se p lans is ac c ounting.

A p atron pays one pric e for the p ass but then uses it a t three or four

orga niza tions ea c h with different ticket p rice s. Perhaps they do not eve r

visit two of the orga niza tions offe red , pe rha ps they visit one orga niza tion

four times. In the end , de c id ing w hat p erc entag e o f the proc eed s ea c h

organiza tion rec eives is an un-navigab le w eb of a c c ounting. In the

simpler Thea tre Lover pa ss offered here, two thea ters dec ide in a dva nce

how ma ny tic kets the subsc riber gets to e ac h orga niza tion, how ma ny

pe rforma nces are inc lude d , whic h p rod uc tions are inc luded , and how to

sp lit the p rofits; thus simp lifying the ac c ounting.

There a re a few a rts orga niza tions tha t ha ve espec ia lly interesting

prog rams which a re worthy of note. These inc lude Critic Credit at the

Pasadena Playhouse, Rep ea t Offende rs a t the Sled geha mm er Thea tre in

San Dieg o, and Sound Chec k a t the St. Louis Orc hestra.

Critic Credit is the c rea tion o f Josep h Yoshitomi, the Custome r

Experienc e M anager at the Pasadena Playhouse. This ingenious prog ram

enc ourag es subsc ribers to try out the thea tre by o ffering them the

eq uivalent of a money b ac k gua rantee w ithout ac tually giving the

money ba c k. Should a pa tron not e njoy a pe rforma nc e, he or she c an g o




12

to the box offic e a t intermission a nd req uest a “ c red it” in the fo rm o f

tickets to another show in the sea son. This extra tic ket c an b e used a t a ny

prod uc tion d uring the sea son. Althoug h initia lly conc erned about a buse

by the a ud ienc e, Yoshitomi rep orts tha t very few subsc ribers have a c tua lly

req uested the “ c red it” while ma ny have c omm ented o n the gua rantee

as som ething tha t enc ourag es them to re-subsc ribe.

Rep ea t Offenders , at the Sled geha mm er Thea tre, is a p rog ram tha t

enc ourages subsc ribers to introd uc e friends to the the atre. Repeat

Offenders are subsc ribe rs to a pa c kage that a llows them to c ome to a

show as ma ny times as they wa nt. Along with the ir tickets, Rep ea t

Offenders get tw o “ First Offender” passes which a llow them to b ring

friend s to the shows for free . After the First Offender passes are used up ,

the sub sc ribe r still c omes as many time s as they would like for free, but

friend s have to pay. This forwa rd thinking prog ram enc ourages pote ntia l

subsc ribers to c om e through the doo r to “ try out” the theatre.

The streng th o f this p rogram is no t tha t it lures lapsed sub sc ribe rs

bac k or new subsc ribers in. In fa c t, out of 204 rand om ly surveye d

thea tregoers only five listed the possibility of seeing shows multip le times as

an entice ment to subsc ribe5. The a dva nta ge is tha t this p rog ram

enc ourag es singles (a ha rd to c ap ture ma rket d ue to the unc omfortab le

5 This op tion scored least ap pe a ling to a ll survey seg me nts. For d eta ils, see Sub sc ribe r Survey results in Ap pe nd ixII.




13

soc ia l situa tion of a ttend ing thea tre a lone ) to subsc ribe b y introd uc ing the

possib ility of b ring ing a last minute da te fo r free . And , mo re imp ortantly,

this p rog ram has the potent ial to esta b lish rela tionships with unlimited

numbers of p otent ial new subsc ribers brought to the theatre fo r the first

time as First O ffend ers.

Sound Chec k at the St. Louis Orchestra is not a sub sc ription p er se,

but a p rog ram tha t d eve lop s tom orrow ’s subsc riber. Sound Chec k, allows

students age d 17-30 to p urc hase tw o student tickets in advanc e p ulled

from the best sea ts ava ilab le6. When it c om es to younger pa trons the

thea tre, as an industry, see ms to be d oing everything in its pow er to

ensure tha t they will no t deve lop the hab it o f subsc rib ing. In g enera l,

thea tre p rofessiona ls talk a go od ga me ab out a rts in ed ucation and do a

dec ent job of b ringing students to spec ia l matinees. There a re any

numb er of programs out there whic h capitalize on the theory tha t peop le

who freq uently attend the a rts as c hild ren a re m ore likely to a ttend the

arts as adults. But the re a re not ma ny a na log ous prog rams to deve lop

subsc rip tion ha bits in young adults. In fac t, we do the op posite of

enc ourag ing subsc rip tions. Look for a mo ment a t the typica l student

tic ket polic y. Often c a lled “ student rush,” these c hea p tic kets a re

ava ilable only on the d ay of the show and if purc hased at the bo x offic e.

6 Miller, Sarah Bryan. (2004, Sep t. 26). “In Sea rch o f Aud ienc es.” St. Louis Post-Dispa tc h (Missouri). Section:Newswa tch, pa ge B01.




14

To this student, thea tres are saying , in effec t, “don’ t p lan in ad vanc e”

wherea s the St. Louis Symp hony’s novel prog ram doe s two things: one , it

enc ourag es this younger gene ra tion to p lan in a dva nc e a nd two, it

p rom otes the idea of thea tre a s a soc ia l eve nt by allow ing students to

bring a friend . Although no t forma lly a subsc rip tion p lan, it is c ertainly

wo rth exploration by any thea tre c om pany interested in long range

stra teg ic p lanning.

The final sub sc ription p lan c overed in this ana lysis is ac tua lly no t a

new one . It’ s stra ight from the page s of Sub sc ribe Now!, that tome that

subsc rip tion mana gers just c annot esc ape. In it Mr. New ma n suggests tha t

sub sid ized sub sc riptions be offered to kids, seniors, stud ents, low income

ind ividua ls, etc . with c orpo ra tions paying the b ill7. In an Ed itorial in

Americ an Theatre, Ben Came ron a rgues:

Orchestras reg ularly fight for endow ments and ta lk abouthow “ every c itizen . . . deserves to he a r the g rea t symp honicworks” . . . How ever, few of us stood and sa id , ‘we b elieveevery c itizen, every c hild , de serves to see Shakespea re andthe g rea t thea tric a l wo rks performed by a live theatrecompany.” 8

Fighting for an end ow ment is the sub jec t of a nothe r paper, but fighting to

ge t eve ryone in the d oo r is the stump speec h tha t should b e g iven to

c orporations interested in ha ving an impac t on the ir comm unities. How

7 Newma n, Danny. Subsc ribe Now . Page 214.

8 Cameron, Ben. (1999, July/August). “Numbers and Consequences.” Ame rica n Thea tre . Page 4.




15

nob le to offer the Me rrill Lync h Elde rs Thea tre Sub sc ription Series. Even on

a loc a l level the b enefits a re many. Wha t if instea d of sponsoring tha t little

lea gue tea m a c om pany introd uc ed the Joe’ s Pizzeria 9th Grade

Subsc riptions Series? The thea tre w ould be happy to put Joe’s log o o n the

fliers that g o hom e to Mom and Dad and they co uld even o ffer spec ia l

Tee -shirts with the theatre’ s log o on one side and the p izzeria ’ s on the

othe r, or noteboo ks (for use as a “ thea ter log ” for this student a ud ienc e).

All of the se logo d riven benefits to the loc a l c orpo ra tion serve to inform

the p ublic (and more spec ific ally, mom a nd da d) that Joe is giving b ac k.

This is a g rea t ma rketing opportunity for Joe to rally the c om munity a round

his p izzeria . Why no t sup port the loc a l business tha t sends your kids to

theatre?

Most subsc ription sa les are ma de on the basis of a pa ir of tickets. It

wo uld be m uc h mo re c ost effec tive fo r a c amp aign to sell subsc rip tions in

15-20 ticket b loc ks. With c orpo ra tions purc hasing b loc ks of subsc rip tions

eve ryone w ins. The thea tre ha s a gua ranteed audienc e (and if it’ s

students they’re simultaneously building future subscribers) and its money

up front; the subsid izing c orpo ra tion is p rom ot ing itself having a positive

imp ac t on the c ommunity; and a who le g roup individua ls who wo uld

neve r othe rwise ha ve the op portunity to subsc ribe, now c an.




16

Adding Value

There is mo re c om petition to day than eve r before for every hour of

leisure time. And there are tw o basic approa c hes to sc hed uling ac tivities

for those limited hours: one c an p lan ahea d and sign up for a host of

events including thea tre, music , or da nc e sub sc riptions, boo k clubs or

c lasses, and sea son tic kets to one ’s favorite sports teams, thus ensuring

pa rtic ipa tion; or one c an c hoose spo ntaneity and instea d ma ke d ec isions

c loser to the a c tua l da te o f eac h event, lea ving o pen the p ossib ility of

sta ying in. Essentia lly, our ta rget sub sc ribe r c hooses a t the beg inning of

ea c h sea son ho w involved he / she w ill be.

A suc c essful subsc ription c amp a ign d ep end s on c onvincing

ind ividua ls tha t p lanning a head is essent ia l. This c an be d one by ad d ing

signific ant va lue to the subsc rip tion p lan. “ Ad d ing va lue” is a c om mon

buzz term when d isc ussing the ma rketing of the sea son ticket . The va lue

previously a sc ribed to a subsc rip tion is no longer as high a s it onc e was.

The ease o f purcha sing tic kets a ll a t onc e w ithout g oing to the b ox offic e

is no longer a p rec ious c om mo dity. Ad d itiona lly, the va lue o f the

subsc riber d isc ount ha s been signific antly unde rc ut by the a bundanc e o f

d isc ounts widely ava ilab le to thea tric a l events. So now , thea tres must




17

identify and prom ote those o ther values tha t will persuade ta rget

ind ividua ls to sign o n the dot ted line. This must b e done by increa sing

those things tha t make an ind ividua l feel imp ortant while d ec rea sing the

dep end enc e o n those things to w hic h a n individua l must c om mit. This

sec tion will exp lore wa ys for theatres to add va lue through g roup

subsc rip tions, c hildc a re, c orpo ra te subsc riptions and ac c ess to a rtists.

In ta lking to lap sed sub sc ribe rs one quickly d isc overs an interesting

trend . While they drop sub sc ript ions for a host of rea sons inc lud ing

prod uc tion qua lity, c om fort and loc a tion of the thea tre, sc hed uling

c onflicts, family hea lth and so on, there a re tw o subsc riptions tha t pa trons

ra rely drop : the one to the thea tre tha t is c onsistently sold out (w here the

patron m ust subsc ribe to see the show) and the subsc ription the p a tron

purc ha ses with a group of friend s.

One subsc riber expla ined tha t he has drop ped eve ry single

subsc rip tion he ha d (inc lud ing The Roundabout Thea tre, City Op era a nd

the M etropo litan Op era) excep t one. He a nd his wife subsc ribe with five

othe r c oup les to the New York Philha rmonic. After 20 yea rs of histo ry with

this orga niza tion he ha s no thoughts of d rop p ing his subsc ription (even

thoug h, anothe r subsc riber from the same group added , ma ny of the

group d islike several conc erts ea c h yea r) – it’ s just too m uc h fun to get

together as a group of twe lve for dinner and a c onc ert.




18

Think for a mome nt a bout the financ ia l imp ac t o f this purc hase. For

the p rice of o ne renewa l (say $1-$2) the sa les rep resenta tive who takes his

yearly order ma kes twelve sa les. In 2004-2005 at the New York

Philha rmonic tha t equa ls $6,120 in a single sa le fo r his weeknight series.

The ec onom ics of g roup subsc rip tions a re a stound ing for thea tres and the

soc ia l ramific a tions a re a dynamic mo tiva tor for subsc ribers.

This sub sc ribe r who orc hestrate s the group sub sc ription is an

“ initia tor.” Initia tors a re tho se individua ls who no t only pa rticipa te in bo ok

groups but a lso ho st them, those w ho o rganize friend s to take a

c ontinuing ed uc ation c lass tog ethe r, those who host d inner pa rties, and

those who have the pho ne numb er of everyone with whom they’ve e ver

c om e into c onta c t. These a re the p eop le who w ill orchestra te g roup

sub sc ript ions. These a re the peop le theatres must find and rec ruit. The

Long Wharf Thea tre ha s beg un a ne w o utrea c h prog ram to identify

initiators and while the program is c urrently in its infanc y, its suc c ess or

failure w ill be important to wa tc h in the c om ing yea rs.

Initia tors a re no t the o nly group to w hic h to reac h out. Often,

subsc ribers are lost when they ha ve yo ung c hild ren a t home . But what if

there wa s a wa y to reta in those subsc ribers who have b eg un a

relationship w ith the theatre before the kids? Is there a way to e ntice

those yo ung pa rents to subsc ribe instead of renting a mo vie? Is there a




19

wa y to enc ourage the se individua ls to introd uc e the ir c hild ren to thea tre

throug h the organiza tion? There is.

Childc are ranks high on the list o f com mo n p ersona l barriers to

theatre-going 9. Businesses around the c ountry are finding c rea tive w ays

to b ring mo ther and c hild into the ir folds and thea tres should d o the same.

Shopp ing ma lls a re offe ring babysitting servic es with b ee pers for the

parents who are the n free to shop until their c hild needs c hanging. At tha t

po int they are p age d and c an q uic kly return to the c hild. Movie theatres

are offering daytime sc reenings for mothe rs who a re free to b rea stfeed

and diap er change mid-movie in a n environme nt forgiving of the

oc c asiona l wa il. Gym s are o ffering wo rkout c lasses tha t inc orpo ra te

c hild ren. But theatres are saying , “Come bac k when she’ s ten.”

By offering c hildc are a t ma tinees and ea rly c urta in eve ning

performanc es, thea tres c ould entic e this c row d bac k into reg ula r

a ttendanc e throug h sub sc riptions. One subsc ription p lan tha t I p rop ose

might a ppea l to a ny numb er of pa rents in tha t mid-30s c row d is a

Saturda y (or Sund ay) Ma tinee Childproo f Series . Pa rents a t this series c an

arrive a nytime a fter 12:30 pm fo r puppet m aking with older c hild ren a nd

“ sc ene pa inting” with young er ones (a.k.a . finger pa inting). At 1:45, after

juic e a nd c oo kies, Mom a nd Da d he ad for the theatre while their c hild ren

9 Mc Ca rthy, Kevin F. and Kimbe rly Jinnett. (2001) A New Framework for Building Participation in the Arts . SantaMonica : Rand . Pag e 90.




20

pa rtic ipa te in the pup pe t show (with their puppets of c ourse). At the

spec ial 20 minute intermission, p arents a re free to c hec k on the ir kids,

c hang e diap ers, brea st feed , whatever is need ed . After the sec ond ac t,

pa rents c ollec t their c hild ren a nd head home . Such a program mee ts

numerous needs. First, it introduc es pa rents with a c ommon interest in

thea tre to one a nother. Bec ause the se p a rents a re o n a series they will

see ea c h other at e very produc tion a nd c an develop rela tionships that

hold the organiza tion a t the c ore. Sec ond , it o ffers pa rents a unique

service. By enrolling in this p rogram the y a re simultaneously enrolling the ir

c hild in a n a rts enrichme nt p rog ram and enrolling themselves in a much

nee ded brea k. Third , with the fa mily firmly in the theatre’ s grasp a

relationship has beg un tha t ma y continue in child ren’s ac ting c lasses,

teenage r subsc rip tion p lans, the d ono r ba se, etc . A three fold vic tory is

had . The the atre is c rea ting a bond , filling a need , and ma king som e

mo ney a ll a t the same time .

Anothe r c om monly voiced prospec tive subsc riber comp la int is tha t

in tod ay’s world it is d iffic ult to p lan in adva nc e. In mo st theatre

subsc rip tion p lans pa trons a re asked to c om mit to a ma ximum of five

events per yea r. Tha t’ s not a whole lot. Sea son tickets to a basketb a ll

sea son o n the o ther hand , req uire p a trons to c om mit to 20 events and for

a baseb a ll sea son a who pp ing 70-80 events! How do those organiza tions




21

sell suc h huge pac kages? Often they d o it by c onvinc ing c orpora tions to

buy sea son t ickets to g ive to c lients and em p loye es as perks and

incentives.

For c orpora tions this is appea ling in multip le w ays. For a sa lesman,

keep ing o ne ticket and giving one to a c lient a llow s a few ho urs of fac e

time to ma ke a sa le. The c lient is relaxed with a bee r and p retzel and the

sa lesma n ge ts to slow ly ma ke the d ea l. For an emp loye r, g iving a ticket a s

a perk to a n em ployee m akes a grea t rew ard for business we ll done . In a

sa les d riven env ironme nt tickets ma y go to the emp loyee w ho sells the

mo st in a g iven wee k or mo nth. All of these uses c an be fulfilled by thea tre

tickets as well.

The wine and c heese series is an o pportunity fo r a sa lesma n to

imp ress his c lient with p anac he. If wine a nd c hee se sta rts a t 7pm , our

businessperson ha s a whole hour of uninterrup ted fac e time with the c lient

befo re the show. At intermission they ha ve m ore time together in the

subsc riber loung e (com plete with more liquor and snac ks) and a fter the

show they are free to ta lk de ta ils in the ba r ac ross the stree t.

As for the emp loyee rew ard or inc entive - wha t a g ift thea tre tickets

would ma ke! While the emp loyee c ould buy c hea p sea ts to a ba seb all or

basketba ll game , he c ould no t do the same to a show – thea tre is a

spec ial event . Theatre represents a n ight on the to wn. Co rporat ions c ould




22

buy a few subsc rip tions (a financ ia l d rop in the buc ket co mp ared to c ost

for sea son t ic kets to a sports tea m) to g ive o ut a s a rew ard . The rewarded

emp loyee then takes a spo use/ c hild / friend to a n elega nt evening a t the

thea tre. Co mp lete, aga in, with spec ia l servic e in the VIP subsc riber

lounge.

One thing tha t c an ea sily be o ffered to a ll subsc ribers as an a dded

va lue is a pre -show me et the artists p rog ram in a p riva te sett ing (like our

subsc riber lounge). Rather than the g iant post-show d isc ussion (ava ilab le

to a ll aud ienc e m em bers) in which the a rtists a re visib ly sep ara ted from

the a ud ienc e, these p re-show c onve rsa tions wo uld be a n informa l

d isc ussion of w ha t the pa tron will see . While the ac tors would , of c ourse,

not be a va ilab le, d irec tors, writers, and designers might be, and

sub sc ribe rs would likely love to me et the Artistic Direc tor. Instead of asking

pa trons to stay afte r the show , la te a t night , whe n they p rob ab ly have

wo rk the next mo rning , ask them to c om e a little e a rly. Give them a drink

and som e snac ks (ma ybe even sandwiche s for a light d inner) and sit

around to ta lk one on one a bo ut how the show w as c rea ted , wha t the

artist’ s favorite m om ents a re, wha t the sa lient ima ges we re tha t the

designe r wo rked with and so on. Perhap s one might e ven share the

b loo pers and inside jokes. Wha t went wrong, who broke a toe lea rning

what d anc e step that they’re a bo ut to see, what mo ment d id the




23

p laywright c hange bec ause his/ her original idea just d idn’t wo rk? By

add ing this va lue to one series per show we are a dd ing a soc ia l va lue

(sub sc ribe rs will find themselves in a d isc ussion w ith the same a ud ienc e

mem bers a t ea c h p rod uc tion) and we are adding a persona l rela tionship

to the art. The rea l value here is tha t when the c urta in rises, the subsc riber

will know more tha n the non-sub sc ribe r sitting in the next seat. The

subsc riber has bec ome an insider.

One of the mo st insp ired me mb ers only servic e is the Walk on the

Wild Side winter wa lking p rog ram a t The Americ an Museum of Natura l

Histo ry in New York. Offe red only to c erta in members, this p rogram is an

enticing reason fo r anyone who likes to wa lk to join a nd dona te. Bec ause

spee d wa lking , a pop ular form of exercise, is ofte n imp ossible to d o

outside d uring the New York winter, many New Yorkers resign themselves

to the g ym. But not these mem bers of the AMNH. They p a rtic ipa te in a

group led speed w a lk throug h different areas of the museum e ac h week.

Instea d of sta ring a t the w a ll in front of the trea dmill, these mem bers

pow er pa st d inosaurs and enormo us rep lic as of the p lanet ea rth w hile

listening to mini-lec tures by vo lunteers. This work out , and the light

brea kfast tha t follow s, even has a soc ia l aspec t, as me mb ers have time to

c hat and get to know one anothe r. Certa inly, suc h a p rog ram is not

po ssible at the a verag e thea tre c ompa ny (wha t a thea ter building that




24

wo uld b e!), but sub sc rip tion mana gers should look to it for insp ira tion no t

imitation. There are things tha t ea c h com pany ca n offer tha t others c an’ t.

An up sta te New York c om pany c ould offer a c lass in Ad irond ac k furniture

build ing in their sc ene shop . A Pennsylvania c om pany c ould o ffer

Pennsylva nia Dutc h quilting c lasses in their c ostum e shop. The ide as are

only as limited as the imag ina tions of a theatre’ s sta ff.

Technology and Subscriptions

Theatres have a llow ed tec hno log y to surpass their ticket purc hasing

system s. It is no longer goo d eno ugh to offe r direc t m a il sa les. Consumers

expec t more op tions. Comp anies must employ telema rketing (to c rea te

sa les) and online purc hasing (to ma ke p aying for subsc riptions for simp ler)

as well.

But, alas, most a re wo efully unp rep ared to do this. While a lmo st a ll

thea tres offer a box offic e for phone sa les and ma ny offer faxab le order

forms, astonishingly few c ompanies offer the ab ility to sub sc ribe online . Still

fewer offe r simp le online sa les system s and even fewer offe r “h igh

impact10” systems. One- hund red forty-three TCG thea tres tha t o ffer

subscriptions were surveyed. Only 37% offered online ordering at all, and

only a d isappointing 7% offered high imp ac t ordering .

10 High Impa ct refers to ho mep ag es that offer a la rge a nd ob vious link rea ding, “ Subsc ribe Now !” or “ SubscribeTod ay!” o r som ething simila r.




25

Now tha t consumers are fa milia r with online p urc ha sing , theatres

must ha ve appea ling and ea sy to use w eb sites. It is no longer suffic ient to

have a site with sma ll print, numerous pages to c lic k through, or tra ils tha t

lea d , in the end , to a faxable form.

The ma jority o f surveyed thea tres tha t d id o ffer online sa les had

highly co mp lica ted systems. With mo st o f these systems, the w ebsite visitor

first had to spend time to loc a te the subsc rip tions page o n the we bsite.

Muc h of the time th is invo lved c licking through four to six pages includ ing

Box Office, Ticket Sa les, Season Tickets, Purcha se, etc ! Some o f the se sites

we re so d isorga nized tha t a fter minutes of rea d ing it w as still

ove rwhe lming to d ete rmine which subsc rip tion p lan and which

prod uc tions to p urc hase. The p rint on one Ohio theatre’ s we bsite wa s so

sma ll it wa s a lmo st unrea dab le a nd a fter c om pleting q uite a few step s the

we bsite was unab le to p roc ess orders. On one Delawa re c om pany’s

we bsite it wa s ea sier to listen to show tunes tha n p urc hase a subsc rip tion

and on a la rge Co lorad o theatre’ s we bsite the o p tions inc luded a list of

every sing le p erforma nc e o f every sing le p rod uc tion of the entire sea son!

Kudos to them for even o ffering the subsc rip tions online, but there is a lot

farther for the ma jority of web enab led c ompa nies to g o. Once a thea tre

has taken the tec hnolog ic a l step s to g etting online o rdering up and

running, they ca n c ertainly ma nag e the program ming and design




26

involved in get ting a bold hyperlink on the ho me page! This ob vious link

should b ring subsc ribers to a sec ond ary page o n whic h they c hose the ir

pac kage a nd e nter a c red it ca rd . The whole proc ess should take the

pa tron o nly a minute.

Moving forward , it is a lso imp erative for thea tres to d iligently co llec t

em a il ad dresses. To enc ourage subsc ribers to g ive up this highly gua rded

informa tion it is nec essary to a llow them to d ic ta te how their informa tion

ma y be used : May a nnounceme nts be sent a bo ut shows or would they

prefer to rec eive only renewa ls and c ritic a l notic es from a we bma ster? If

a subsc riber expec ts spam he/ she will not g ive an ema il ad dress. But if

addresses c an b e c ollec ted , theatres have in their hands the a bsolutely

mo st ec ono mica l wa y to renew a subsc riber.

The web site is mo st va luab le w here renew als c om e into p lay. Ema il

reminders with hyp erlinks should b e sent to sub sc ribers a t renew al time .

Clic king on the hype rlink would imm ed ia tely take the subsc riber to a

renewa l pa ge w hic h, upon signing in, asks if they w ould like to c ha rge the

renewa l to the same c red it c ard as last yea r (kep t on file). In sec ond s of

the subsc riber’s time and for pennies of the thea tre’ s budge t, the renewa l

is c om p lete . Without a ll tha t muc h mo re w ork than a little c omputer

program ming, thea tre c ompa nies c an ma ke renew ing muc h ea sier.




27

Now to tha t pa riah of the subsc rip tion m arketing wo rld :

telema rketing. As a c onsume r I ha te telema rketers. Before they c an g et

out muc h more tha n their name , I’ ve a lrea dy rep lied , “ thank you, I’m not

inte rested ; p lea se ta ke me o ff your list.” But a lthough I’m a ma zed tha t

anyone eve r ta lks to a telema rketer, there is a who le p op ula tion tha t

does. Telem arketing works.

Since te lem arketing c om panies wo rk ma inly on c om mission, there is

just no reason o n ea rth to d rop telem arketing. The c om pany tha t has a list

of pa trons who have a lrea dy seen a show a t their thea tre a nd c hoo ses

not to c a ll to offer their fab ulously exc iting subsc rip tion pac kage, and

then c om p la ins, is like the c itizen who c hoo ses not to vote and then

c om pla ins about the outc ome o f the elec tion. Telema rketing w orks.

Period.

Tackling the New Acquisition

“ The mo st skilled sa lesma n c annot a lways ma ke the sa le o nhis first c a ll; why expec t a b roc hure to do it?” 11

-Danny Newma n

Let ’ s look for a moment to a suc c ess sto ry – the New York Thea tre

Workshop. In the last three seasons (2002, 2003, 2004) the ir membership

has ac tua lly g row n in numb ers. There w as no ob vious event in the last

11 Newm an, Danny. Subsc ribe Now! Page 178.




28

three yea rs to c ause this g row th. They d id not ha ve a sudden c om merc ia l

mega-hit (as they d id with Rent in 1996); they d idn’ t ha ve an influx of

mo vie-sta rs on stage; they were not sud denly disc overed by the New York

Times; they d idn’ t have a new build ing , etc . The o nly identifiab le c hange

wa s the me thod of selling subsc riptions. In add ition to the ir a lrea dy

suc c essful te lem arketing c amp aign, the New York Theatre Workshop

ad de d a direc t ma il p iec e a nd a n ema il c am pa ign. By tripling the

number of communic a tion c hannels they we re ab le to increa se their

me mb er (subsc riber) numb ers a t the very same time tha t sub sc rip tion

ra tes around the c ountry we re d rop ping. Based on the fac t tha t the

broa de ned ma rketing m ethods c am e a t a t ime when there w ere no

major simultaneous artistic shifts or other institutional changes, one can

asc ertain tha t this mo d ific a tion wa s the prima ry fac tor.

Simp ly p ut, mo st thea tres a re not p ersistent enough. They do not hit

the p otentia l subsc riber enoug h time s and throug h eno ugh c hannels,

using a ll the resources a t the ir c om ma nd . All too o ften the sea son

broc hure is the o nly ap p roa c h or, a t mo st, the broc hure p lus a phone c a ll.

If one is serious about d rama tica lly b oo sting subsc rip tion numb ers,

c rea tivity a nd persistenc e a re nec essa ry. Camp a igns must include not

only the b roc hure, the follow up letter, and the telema rketing c amp aign,

but a lso the rad io and loc a l TV spot , the c oc ktail party, the subsc rip tion




29

amb assador, the a rtistic d irec tor’s p re-show appea l, the ema il c amp aign,

the c ross prom otiona l we b spot a nd mo re.

Ma ny thea tre c om panies a re o ffering the ir subsc rip tion c amp aigns

ea rlier and ea rlier in a n a ttemp t to boo st sa les. This is p rob lem atic for two

reasons. First, it is shortsighte d . If eac h year a theatre c ompany o ffers its

subsc rip tion for sa le one mo nth earlier, eve ntua lly tha t c om pany would

be selling subsc riptions an entire sea son ahead of t ime . Moreover, it c a lls

a ttention to the issue tha t subsc ribers a re p aying too far in adva nc e. To

pay for a Sep temb er-sta rting sea son in May is one thing. To pay in Janua ry

is quite anothe r. The long er in a dva nc e tha t p a trons are asked to

purc hase, the mo re likely tha t they will consider a ll the possib le c onflicts

tha t ha ve ye t to a rrive. For an a ud ienc e o f busy peo p le, with last minute

p lans, this c ould b ac kfire b y promp ting the d ec ision to buy la ter than they

othe rwise w ould ha ve.

In subsc ription marketing, the fo c us is on develop ing a relationship

ra ther than pushing any one show . The subsc rip tion ma nage r develops

loya lty so tha t even whe n a subsc riber do esn’ t like one show out of the

sea son they c ontinue to a ttend and purc hase ne xt yea r’ s subsc rip tion.

The goa l is c om mitme nt. Not to a show, b ut to an organiza tion. This loya lty

and c om mitme nt is fostered by enc ourag ing a rea l relationship. Expenses

suc h a s sub sc riber new sletters mo re tha n p ay for themselves by forg ing a




30

bond . Subsc ribers bec om e insiders when they a re g iven informa tion to

which the rest o f the pub lic is not p rivy. While the expense of new sletters,

ema il upda tes, and abb reviated study g uides ma y not d irec tly ea rn

inc ome for the thea tre, they have a n indirec t inco me effec t from the

rela tionship tha t is esta b lished . These items should b e thought o f as

renew al a pp ea ls.

While there must b e an increase in the numb er of c hannels throug h

which new subsc ribers a re c onta c ted thea tres should not d isc red it the

impac t o f broc hures. The trad itiona l sub sc ript ion b roc hure still sells more

subsc rip tions for more thea tres tha n a ny o ther method. Broc hures should

be everywhere – in the lob by, in the offices, stuffed into newspapers, left

in the lob b ies of loc a l businesses, d rop ped off a t PTA events, added to the

we lc ome p ac kets of new rec ruits a t loc a l business and students a t loc a l

c olleges. The ma iling list is only the beg inning .

The very first p riority of a b roc hure is to get the rec ip ient to op en it.

This is why p ictures of celeb rities go o n the outside , no t the inside . Names

of imp ortant p eop le, d isc ount offers, etc . must b e ea sily rea dab le and

visib le to entic e the rec ipient to op en a nd rea d.

Victoria Ba iley, Exec utive Direc tor of The Theatre Development Fund

(TDF) ad voc a tes hand ing broc hure p roo fs to ind ividua ls and wa tc hing as

they open the m. If as the reader opens the broc hure he / she ha s to flip it,




31

rota te it, or cha nge its position, the b roc hure fa ils. It should open a nd rea d

without m anipulation. Simplicity is the key.

Onc e the brochure ha s be en o pe ned the first hurdle ma y have

bee n c lea red , but the rac e ha s only just beg un. Is it ea sy to rea d or will it

end up in a wa steb asket b ec ause it is simp ly overwhelming for the

addressee? All too often broc hures are w ordy, comp lic a ted , and in sma ll

p rint. Anyone inte rested in stud ying a h ighly effec tive and yet inexpe nsive

broc hure should c onsider the 2003-2004 Roundabout Renew al Piece (see

append ix III). This b roc hure enc apsulates 18 d ifferent series into a c lear

and rea da ble broc hure.

In a dd ition to b roc hures there are ma ny more a venues to e xp lore

suc h as the loc a l rad io or TV spot. All rad io and TV sta tions a re req uired to

ded ic a te a irtime to pub lic servic e a nnounc em ents (PSAs). While In the last

20 yea rs the freq uenc y of pub lic service a nnounc ements has dec rea sed ,

the FCC still req uires a ll sta tions to spend time on p ub lic service

announcements12. Any not-for-profit loo king for airtime c an c hec k a

sta tions’ p ub lic files to see how many hours of a irtime a re a lloc a ted to

which type s of a nnounc ements and petition loc a l sta tions for tha t

c oveted a irtime.

12 Ac co rding to the FCC C ustome r Service Cente r a 1981 FCC ruling c hang ed the regulation from a set numb erof minimum ho urs to mo re general langua ge tha t allows ea ch station to “ eva luate the nee ds of their ow nma rkets” in de termining how muc h time to spe nd on Public Service Announc eme nts. But a ll stations arereq uired to d ed ica te a irtime to PSAs and to keep pub lic records of those spo ts.




32

If free Pub lic Servic e Announc em ents a re no t rea d ily ava ilab le, an

industrious ma rketing dep artme nt m ight o rc hestra te tic ket trad es for

a irtime . A sta tion manage r wo uld rec eive a c ertain numb er of

sub sc riptions for use b y him/ her, by c lients, or as em ployee inc entives, in

exchange fo r a irtime ads for the thea tre and its subsc ription series.

“ Sub sc ribe now to Thea tre X and see five grea t shows for only $100 do lla rs.

This sea son, Theatre X brings you Shows A, B, and C with loc a l celebrities

Sue a nd Joe . Visit www .thea trex.org to subsc ribe tod ay!” Interview s, on a ir

song s from a thea tre’ s la test music a l and more c ould a ll be p art of the

trade.

Anothe r new ac quisitions tac tic is the one on one t ime provided a t

persona l events: barbec ues, c oc ktail pa rties, or lunc heo ns. Orc hestra ted

by boa rd me mb ers, these events ga ther high p ote ntia l pa trons (friend s of

boa rd me mb ers) in a sma ll environme nt w ith the artistic d irec tor or artists

from the thea tre. For example: Boa rd Memb er A hosts a we ekend

barbec ue fo r his/ her friends. All invitees are enc ourag ed to b ring friends,

relatives, neighbors etc . The ba rbe c ue inc ludes a performanc e b y a

singe r or group of a c tors, dec orations p rovided by the prod uc tion

dep artme nt, and o ne on one sc hmo oze time w ith artists and sta ff

mem bers. Sometime after the pe rforma nce a nd before p eop le leave , the

bo ard m emb er ca lls everyone’ s a ttention a nd ma kes a p itch for




33

subsc ribing to this g rea t orga niza tion of which the y are a pa rt. Broc hures

are hand ed out a nd a c omputer is ava ilab le to o rde r right then a nd there

in the bac kya rd . Wireless internet and noteboo k co mp uters do a ma zing

things.

What d oes an event like this ac c omplish? This is a rela tionship sa le. It

says, see how muc h fun Thea tre X is, see how grea t the performe rs a re,

see tha t this thea tre is a part o f your comm unity. And it increa ses the

pressure to buy right then. Daytime barbec ues, evening c oc ktail parties

and a fternoo n lunc heons for boa rd memb ers’ friend s a re a ll g rea t

environme nts to introd uc e, sed uc e, and sell.

Subsc rip tion m anagers need to think like time-sha re sa lespeo p le

who offer an ince ntive too go od to p ass up just to a llow them selves the

time to p itc h. Does the b oa rd inc lude young er me mb ers? Can they host

softb a ll ga me s, sa lsa or swing danc ing pa rties, dinner pa rties, etc ? All of

these events a re ripe for the p ic king . They a re not fund ra isers, they are

friendra isers. And they a ll end with a n a ggressive sa les p itc h a nd onsite

ordering capabilities.

In an earlier cha pter initiators were d isc ussed, those ind ividua ls who

will organize a group subsc ription. Related to these initiato rs a re the

groups in whic h they a lrea dy pa rtic ipa te. Thea tres should ha nd out

broc hures, boo kma rks, mug s, postc a rds (a ll with subsc rip tion informa tion




34

printed on them) a t boo k clubs, museum groups, a rt-disc ussion g roups

and mo re. These a ssem blages of individua ls who go o ut a nd do things

(espec ia lly a rts related things) are perfec t ta rgets for the subsc rip tion

c amp aign. Entic e them to subsc ribe.

Comp anies do this by, aga in, developing a relationship ove r time .

An individua l or group who has neve r experienc ed an orga niza tion is

unlikely to sign on for a five p lay season. To these g roup s (and othe rs)

theatres should offe r deep d isc ounts (50% off or even c om plime nta ry

tic kets whe n they a re a va ilab le) to c om e a s a group . For their sec ond

enc ounter offer them a b loc k of grea t sea ts or the c hanc e to talk to the

artistic d irec tor p riva te ly befo re the show . For the third enc ounter they

purc hase a t the reg ula r or group ra te. By then they’ re hooked . Now the y

c an be c onve rted into subsc ribers. Onc e they know and like the

organiza tion an a gg ressive sa les p itc h c an follow . Maybe next yea r they’ ll

even host one o f those b arbec ues for their friends!

Tackling the Renewal

The p roc ess of a rene wa l is d ifferent from tha t of a n ac quisition a nd

should b e e asier and mo re c ost effec tive. After a sea son w orth of g rea t

thea tre, reg ular co mm unica tion, a nd spec ia l subsc riber op portunities, our

pa tron should be ea ge r to renew . How to get them bac k? With a few

simp le steps.




35

Step num ber one: The Sub sc ription Ambassador. This is an ind ividua l

stand ing ne ar the d oo r to the thea tre a t renewa l time we aring a b ig smile

and possibly a shirt o r ha t tha t says, “Sub sc ription Am bassador” . This ta c tic

is mo deled in p art by the Broo klyn Ac ademy of Music (BAM) where a

subsc rip tion tab le is stra teg ic a lly loc a ted past which me mb ers must wa lk

in order to enter the thea tre. Sta ffed by smiling individua ls, ha ppy to ta lk

about the bene fits of subsc rib ing , this is the p erfec t p lac e to enc ourage

subsc ribers to re-up . As they wa lk in the doo r, they c ould be a sked if they

would like to renew a nd the a mb assad or could c harge their c red it c a rd

right then a nd there. The advantages to the subsc rip tion amb assador are

tha t (a ssuming this person is a sa la ried sta ff me mb er) it is a way to rene w

subsc ribers without spend ing add itiona l funds and the a mb assador puts a

fac e o n the subsc riber relat ionship.

At Pittsburgh’ s City Thea tre, at renewal time, sub sc ribe rs find a

renewal form on the ir sea t. While this is still a c heap renewa l strategy, it

lea ves the inc ent ive with the subsc riber to fill out the fo rm a nd ma il it

bac k. It is no t as persua sive or as persona l as the smiling ambassador and

is likely to be less effe c tive.

Step number two –Ema il. Aga in, sta rt c heap. To any subsc riber who

d id not rene w w ith the amb assador, send an em a il. Plea se see




36

Tec hno log y a nd Subsc riptions for deta ils on this hyperlinked rem ind er

email.

Step number three – The First Letter. Now it’ s gett ing serious, the

thea tre is ma king an investment . Money is being spent. A letter and

broc hure gently rem inds subsc ribers tha t the time is now.

Step num ber four – The Sec ond Lette r. This is the one which informs

them tha t if they d on’ t renew b y a set d a te, they will lose the ir sea ts and

other be nefits. The c onseq uenc e o f this is tha t they wo n’ t be a ssured their

same sea ts, they wo n’ t b e gua ranteed their same series, and they m ight

eve n have to p urc hase a t the new subsc rip tion p ric e!

Step number five – the Phone Ca ll. Maybe they missed the last

show, the ema il went into the spa m folder and they ac c ide ntally put the

ma iler in the trash. Just in c ase, a c a ll is p lac ed to find out if they wo uld

like to rene w and if no t, why. This imp ortant informa tion a llow s subsc rip tion

ma nag ers to m ake a djustments to m eet the c hang ing need s of their

sub sc ribe rs. This te lemarketing c a ll is the last step in the renewal proc ess

bec ause som e o f the sa le w ill go a s a c omm ission to the telemarketers. If it

is possib le to renew the subsc riber without g iving up any of the

sub sc ript ion income, c lea rly tha t is the first c hoice. But if the sub sc ribe r

c annot b e renewe d by other mea ns, a telema rketing c a ll is in order.




37

Audience Abuse!

Subsc rip tion, ma rketing , and box offic e dep artments spend far too

muc h time luring subsc ribers into thea tres to lose the m b ec ause o f po or

c ustome r servic e. Forget not the story of the wom an who, a fter her sick

daughte r wa s c ared for by the b ox offic e sta ff, bec ame a subsc riber. But

while extrem e c ases like th is ma y c ause a few individua ls to subsc ribe, it is

in renewals whe re the effec ts of c ustom er service c an most c lea rly b e

see n. And it is the rec ent d rop in rene wa l numbers tha t ha s mo st of

Americ a ’ s reg iona l thea tres wo rried . Subsc riber rete ntion rates a re the key

to m ainta ining aud ienc e size a nd hea lth a t a low c ost to o rga niza tions.

When the box offic e sta ff finds c om mo n c om pla ints they must ac t

on them. In an interview , one thea tre c ompa ny rep orted to me that two

of the three mo st c om mo n subsc riber co mp la ints we re tic keting

dup lic a tes and tic kets being mailed too la te. This high leve l c om pany

rep resenta tive c onc luded tha t these c om p la ints we re, “o ut of our hands”

bec ause the c om pany outsourced their tic keting servic es. Ma ny

c om panies outsource tic ket sa les, but if the top two c om p la ints have to

do w ith the t icketing agenc y (who is pa id for the ir servic es) c lea rly the

problem must be a ddressed either by fixing the c urrent system or find ing a

new t icketing agenc y! To d ismiss c omplaints suc h as the se is no thing short

of audience neg lec t, if not ab use.




Amy Kaissar is the Co-Prod uc ing Direc tor of the Ep iphany Theater Comp anywww.epiphanytheater.org in New York City, a c ompa ny ded ic ate d toprov id ing a supportive a nd professiona l a rtistic home for ea rly caree rthea ter artists. "Theater Sub sc riptions in a Chang ing World " was written as athesis for the Co lumb ia University Sc hool of the Arts, Theater Ma na gementProg ram, under the a dvisement of Ben Ca me ron of TCG and Steve nCha ikelson of Columbia . For more informa tion p lea se c onta c tamy@ep iphanythea ter.org.

Documents

Theatre Managing3