King Kong on Broadway

The Show

Broadway Crew was hired by the producers of King Kong in early fall 2018 to be the street team for King Kong’s inaugural Broadway production. The show had never been seen in America before the Broadway production. 

The Challenge

King Kong was one of the biggest productions to ever come to Broaway, both in terms of scope and in terms of technology. However, because it was known for its spectacle, there was a (sight-unseen) scepticism towards the show from the industry before previews even began with the thought that, because the show was so spectacle heavy, that it was unserious. Once the show opened, it was the recipient of a spate of unfair reviews that resulted in many theatregoers being apprehensive of seeing the show.  

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus and Matthew Murphy

The Solution

After we were hired on to be the street team for King Kong, we created a unique sales strategy tailored to King Kong’s needs to promote the show, both at TKTS and elsewhere. In our analysis of the shows strengths and comparison to its competitors, we determined three key target-audiences:

Families

• King Kong was the perfect show for families. It had elements that appealed to both boys (action sequences, a giant monkey puppet) and girls (a strong female lead, amazing dancing) as well as adults (a strong storyline with social commentary, great acting). In addition, because King Kong was performed in such a large theater, there was typically very good availability for the show at TKTS which meant that families could find a block of tickets together --- and at a price point that wouldn’t break the bank!

Men

• Traditionally, at TKTS, many men can be apprehensive about seeing a Broadway musical. Wives will often ask show promoters if their husbands will enjoy this or that show. With King Kong, we had an amazing opportunity to pitch a musical directly to a typically underserved sector of the audience. By referencing both the beloved source material as well as the action and spectacle of the production, we were able to often flip the typical TKTS dynamic and have husbands convince their wives to go see a show. 

International Tourists

• International tourists are a major section of the market at TKTS. They are anxious to see a show but, often, have a language barrier that can present a challenge. King Kong was the perfect show for international tourists because it was such a well-known story and also so visually compelling. We were easily able to target international tourists and sell them on the show. 

We also utilized several sales tactics that were effective at selling King Kong:

Selling the Spectacle

• The biggest unique selling point for King Kong was the pure spectacle of the show. It was not only unlike anything that was on Broadway in its season, it was unlike anything that had ever been on Broadway. Mentioning the gigantic Kong puppet, the stunning projection work, or the way that the show was able to combine puppetry with special effects would break down even the most resistant patron. The spectacle created both excitement and curiosity, which we used to close sales. 

Personal Anecdotes

• Because there was some apprehension from theatre goers about King Kong, based upon the reviews, we found that an effective tactic to counteract this was to utilize personal anecdotes. The vast majority of our crew are working theatre professionals so they were able to speak to the concerns of both industry professionals and more seasoned theatre goers about why the reviews of King Kong were unfair representations of what the show was. We referenced other beloved shows that received poor initial reviews --- Wicked was a great example for this --- and spoke about our own experiences of seeing King Kong to show that serious theatre lovers would still enjoy the show. This tactic worked very well and we were able to successfully challenge the initial biases of many theatre fans and professionals!

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 King Kong, 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.

“Off-Island” Flyering

• In the lingo of street teams, “On Island” refers to show promotion that takes place at TKTS while “Off-Island” refers to show promotion that takes place away from TKTS. In the case of King Kong, we used Off-Island flyering to increase the brand visibility of the show. Through a combination of rush hour flyering and flyering in Times Square, we were able to get thousands of flyers in the hands of both local New Yorkers and tourists.  

Comic-Con

• We also did special event flyering for King Kong at NYC Comic Con. Comic Con took place a few weeks before the show began its previews but it allowed us to start building buzz for it leading up the opening, with special discounts for Comic Con attendees. What Comic Con provided was a concentrated group of patrons who were likely fans of the original King Kong. Additionally, many people who attend Comic Con are trendsetters who are very excited to post and talk about the pieces of entertainment that they enjoy. By getting flyers in their hands, we were able to build buzz for the show and try out different sales strategies before the show’s run even began. 

The Results

Through our work, King Kong was able to have a very strong performance in the same-day ticket market for its entire run on Broadway!