As the Broadway hit, Chicago, boldly asserted
“There is not bad publicity”
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On the Great White Way, it is often debated about whether or not this rings true. However, due to the cut-throat nature of this business, the marketing side of producing Broadway hits is equally as competitive. People obviously cannot trade money for tickets without having heard of the show, so a show’s success or lack of success can be very dependent on what company represents the show, how the advertising is executed, and what methods of advertising are used.
The main companies for this competitive business include Serino Coyne, SpotCo, and Eliran Murphy Group, each with their own specialties as far as types of shows and methods of campaigning.Serino Co has allowed hits such as Spamalot, and Mamma Mia, and Wicked soar to new heights, as well as getting Disney hits, such as Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King to the New York stage. They have the creative priorities of an independent organization to assist with the artistic aspects, as well as the financial backing to achieve these goals.
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SpotCo, known best for its campaigns with Rent and Chicago are renown for their sleek, fresh perspectives, helping to jazz up (literally) shows that have been gracing Broadway for decades, allowing them to continue to dazzle audiences with new and striking presentations and advertisements. Both of these companies use a wide variety of methods to advertise, as they are targeting both regular theatre goers and tourists.
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The smallest of the three is Eliran Murphy Group, which is best known for backing smaller shows or shows with limited engagements. Their more well known clients include Little Women, Follies, and Our Town.This group often advertises more to the “regulars” the people who live in, or near New York, as they are the target audience for smaller shows. All three of these companies claim to represent all of their clients equally to ensure each of them will have their best chance possible.
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There are a variety of ways to get the word out, many of which have been mastered and perfected by these companies. Traditional methods of advertising include billboards and newspaper articles, and these are still used often. However,in our increasingly media driven world has opened the door for many companies to attract more tourists, to begin taking full advantage of social media, creating hype via websites such as BroadwayWorld and Broadway.com as well as Facebook and Twitter. iTunes allows the soundtracks for these shows to be accessed by millions who would otherwise never hear about the show or become emotionally invested, as seen in the overnight success of Hamilton following the iTunes release of the soundtrack.. For attracting “regulars” companies often employ tactics such as mailing teaser albums directly to them or getting them to buy season passes to the theatre. Sometimes, especially during exceptionally competitive seasons, these advertising companies have to get a little more creative. A very unique example of another form of marketing was Avenue Q covering an entire taxicab in puppet fur, which generated interest and created buzz, drawing people to the show.T
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This very successful marketing strategy allowed them to overtake Wicked for the 2004 Tony for Best Musical, a feat no one believed to be possible, further proving the power of smart advertising and the importance of getting it right.
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An underestimated method of advertising, creating stage-to-screen adaptations, literally brings the show from New York to movie theaters and living rooms across the world. As the quote above from Chicago boldly stated, any publicity helps. This show, which was met with rave Broadway success, as well as a critically acclaimed movie. This brings about the question of whether movie adaptations of musicals do more harm than good. In this case, the movie adaptation of Chicago did significantly help the musical, which closed initially after two years on Broadway, in the 1970s. The movie breathed new life into the story, as many people were first familiar with the movie, falling in love with the scandal and excitement of the Jazz Age, creating buzz for the show when it reopened in the 90s, as tourists who enjoyed the movie were more likely to go watch the musical if given the chance. This absolutely helped give Chicago the stamina to become the second longest-running show in history, at 18 years, and is what has allowed it to continue to still be going strong.
In contrast with this, less-than-faithful adaptations, for instance, the Sondheim hit: Sweeney Todd, which stars Johnny Depp, was slammed by the musical theatre community for casting weak vocal leads and changing some of the story. This gives an often negative connotation to those initially unfamiliar with the musical, as some people only familiar with the movie were not impressed, which hurt the reputation of the Broadway musical as it was judged mainly on the poor performances in the movie.
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Overall though, as musical theatre is often not in the limelight of pop culture any attention, whether it be from a movie or television adaptation or a Broadway star making a name for himself in the film industry, does help make more people aware of musical theatre and create interest.
Question for Next Post: What are the specific components of the shows that are most attractive to audiences?
Author's Note: Best Stage-Screen Adaptations (only shows that were Broadway musicals first)
Into the Woods
Les Miserables
My Fair Lady
Fiddler on the Roof
Chicago
Guys and Dolls
The Music Man
The Sound of Music
West Side Story
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