And the Games are Still on
April 17th, 2007
Okay, last week I left you a little teaser post. So this week, I’m going to give you the real skinny.
I am on the marketing committee and the season selection committee for The Warehouse Theatre here in Greenville. Lately, those two committees have come together in a big way. Traditionally, when a theatre announces its upcoming season… it’s kinda boring. Either they simply print it in the paper and send out some pamphlets, or (if you’re lucky) they might have a party with some swag. Yippee. The thing is, most people don’t know enough about theatre to really care all that much that David Lindsay-Abaire just won the pulitzer prize or that Chekhov is really pretty funny. So we wanted to find a way to involve people a little more. Get them invested in hearing the season. Get them to care about the authors and the titles and the characters. And get people who aren’t actively seeking contact with the theatre to be touched - and maybe even engaged - in their own environment.
So we made it a game. Well, it’s sort of a game. We introduced it through postcards and emails and appearances by the Warehouse apprentice company and banners, and partnerships with local businesses and publications… and since its introduction, we’ve posted one clue about one of the six shows every day.
The response has been interesting. Local businesses have been very supportive - most inviting our young actors to appear multiple times. Local media has been extremely helpful - even if some of those old school types gave us funny looks. As for the players - People are checking back multiple times each day. Some people are adding their own clues in the comments on the blog, while some prefer to quietly email the admin with their guesses. I’m still waiting for someone to start leaving misleading clues in the comments. They’re being so darn helpful so far (maybe that just says something about me)!
Are we reaching new people? Are we engaging our existing supporters on a deeper level? Are we increasing people’s investment in anticipating the unveiling and the season itself? Time (and season ticket sales) will tell.
Other posts by Jennifer.
Christy says:
I noticed you have a link to sign up for email updates. Do you have any tally on new subscriptions? That might be an early indicator of a growing audience.
Are people emailing their guesses separately? I noticed there were very few comments on each post. You might be able to mine some information from those emails, too.
April 17th, 2007 at 8:34 amMatt Haverkamp says:
I love this concept. I cannot wait to see the results and if this drives new faces and cheeks into seats.
April 17th, 2007 at 9:41 amJennifer says:
Hi Christy -
We have a stat counter on the back end of the site which allows us to see repeat visitors and how they came to the site. We also have been receiving several emails (some guesses are right… some less right), which is a lot of fun.
A very interesting ingredient to this is having to teach people blog behavior. We tend to take it for granted, but a lot of people who engage with us regularly aren’t necessarily blog people. So they have to learn that it’s more than a passive website, but something they can interact with. (Fun tidbit: our first couple of comments are from people over 60 though… so there’s that.)
April 17th, 2007 at 9:48 amChristy says:
Yes! This is definitely a fun way to engage people. I’ve always loved scavenger hunts, anyway, but this one has a definite purpose.
I love how you’ve tied in the local media to drive traffic. It may take a few of these exercises for people to get it. But they will! =]
April 18th, 2007 at 6:39 am