The Show That Proved Me Wrong

As I sit here writing this, I still find myself a little dumbfounded. And that doesn’t happen often, folks! With over a decade in the Theatrical Marketing biz, I thought I had seen it all. 

WRONG. 

Here’s a little secret about me. I’m not super big on social media when it comes to sales. Yes, you have to have a social media presence and sure, some accounts take off and gain traction, but the majority don’t and it can be a real time suck. 

Also, WRONG (in this case). 

Enter our international client, Kulunka Teatro, and their Off-Broadway show André & Dorine. 

From late February to Mid-May, we worked closely with the Spain-based team to make their New York premiere a success. We booked major advertising placements, created dynamic Facebook Ads, fine-tuned their messaging, coordinated testimonial video shoots, conducted serious niche outreach, and a ton more. You name it. We did it. 

And it was working. We were seeing sales. They were trending with what we’ve been seeing in the Off-Broadway space even though they were opening during a tough time for Off Broadway to get attention in the midst of almost daily Broadway show openings. 

And then . . . social media changed everything. 

One person saw the show . . . they posted about it on a Chinese Social App called Little Red Book, and in less than 48 hours the entire run was sold out. The team scrambled to add additional performances at odd times each day, and they would sell out in less than 2 hours! 

It was INSANE. Like, the box office had never seen anything like it in over 30 years insane. 

Young, trendy, Chinese couples were flocking to see this show about an elderly couple reinventing their love in the face of Alzheimers. Who the @#$% would have thunk it. 

Not me. 

So, how did this happen? And why? 

Yes, social media. But social media was the catalyst for something much much bigger going on. 

This non-verbal, physical theater piece, moved this specific audience in a way that I have never seen before and the word of mouth spread like wildfire. The gasoline? Little Red Book. The match? That ONE influencer who posted about the show. 

My takeaway? Figure out who might really resonate with your show and invite influencers in that demographic to see the show. Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth marketing and using social media to fan the flame.

If you have a show coming up, I recommend inviting Instagram and Little Red Book influencers to attend your show. You never know where it might lead.