Anastasia on Broadway
The Show
The producers of Anastasia approached us in early fall 2018 to take over their street team marketing. Anastasia had opened on Broadway in April 2017.
The Challenge
While it had a strong start, Anastasia faced some challenges going into its second year. New big name shows had opened and were presenting very stiff competition. Broadway Crew faced the unique challenge of keeping the show relevant and maintaining sales at TKTS while also taking over TKTS promotional duties in the middle of the show’s run.
The Solution
After we took over promotional team responsibilities in September, we created a unique sales strategy tailored to Anastasia’s needs to promote the show at TKTS. In our analysis of the shows strengths and comparison to its competitors, we determined two key target-audiences:
Families with young children
For daughters, we focused on how the show was a Disney-esque princess story. For sons, we focused on Anastasia historical relevance-specifically the bits about revolution and the military characters.
Visitors to the City
Anastasia was the perfect musical for both domestic and international visitors to NYC who were looking for a big musical with amazing spectacle. For international tourists, we utilized the international touring productions of Anastasia, which were highlighted on the flyer for the show.
We also utilized several sales tactics that were effective at selling Anastasia:
Citing Anastasia’s “Authentic Broadway Feel.”
Anastasia is a classic musical in both its story and its styling. Using sweeping and visually stunning sets, beautiful costumes, and epic dance numbers, Anastasia fits the profile of a traditional Broadway musical. We emphasized this to appeal to audiences looking for that “authentic Broadway experience,” which especially helped distinguish it in a market that was crowded with less-traditional Broadway shows.
A team sales strategy
For all of our shows, we use a team sales strategy to maximize effectiveness and affordability for clients. We had a dedicated promoter on the line for Anastasia, but we also briefed the entire team about the show details, sales tactics, and target audiences. This meant that every Crew Member was able to sell the show if they encountered a patron who was in the target demographic or was interested in the show and could reinforce other Crew Members’ sales pitches. This kind of team reinforcement is an incredibly effective method for completing sales.
Developing both a TKTS strategy for both the Line and Post-Line
There are two distinct phases to TKTS: the period when the booth opens and there is a long line of patrons waiting to buy tickets and the post-line. Surprisingly, many patrons who are waiting in line often don’t know which show to see, and that’s where we come in. As show promoters, we were able to use the selling points for Anastasia in combination with our team sales strategy to often make Anastasia one of the top selling shows “on the line.”
“Post line” is the phase that occurs after the initial line dissipates. This phase typically looks like patrons “window shopping” and talking to promoters about what to see before they go to the TKTS window to buy it. This phase presents an amazing opportunity to meaningfully engage with patrons. This is the time when we are able to explain all the aspects of the show and close sales.
Utilizing the South Street Seaport TKTS Location
Often overlooked, South Street Seaport provides a great opportunity to have an exclusive presence with ticket buyers. The booth sells same day matinees, evening shows, and next day matinees. This means audiences can plan ahead and buy tickets for multiple TKTS shows at once. We jumped at this opportunity for Anastasia and provided a presence at this booth on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, meaning we could cover 3 performances per shift. Additionally, because only one other promotional team utilizes the Seaport location, we were often the only show promoters at Seaport, which allowed us to promote Anastasia with limited competition.
The Results
Ultimately, Broadway Crew raised Anastasia’s TKTS sales by 10% compared to the same time period from the previous year. This resulted in Broadway Crew generating an 86x return on investment. That’s enough to really impact the bottom line and, hopefully, contribute to the lifespan of amazing shows like Anastasia.
