If/Then marketing strategy - pushing Idina more and more

[binau]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 8:17pm

It is clear they have been trying to get Idina's name out there more so than when they first started marketing, after it has become clear she is holding the show on her shoulders (e.g., the times square billboard, TKTS "Idina Menzel IF/THEN" on the board).

This appears to to now be continuing online:






I wonder if they should just change the name of the show, haha.

"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022) "Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009) "Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000

Updated On: 9/19/14 at 08:17 PM

[Pootie2]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 8:32pm

It's always been like that. The marketing they've been doing since the beginning has been centered on Menzel in that manner, being above the title and all.

But I think it's a shame they haven't broadened their marketing strategy. It's not the annoying tween "fanzel" population of the Wicked generation the show is really after, but IMO the Rent-ish generation. The supporting cast is great too; add Rapp and Tony-award winning LaChanze, so on... I mean, it's true Menzel is above the title, but overlooking the strong overall cast is a bad thing, I think. The story appeals to a particular slice of the adult population as it is, and it's not family-friendly (whatever that means).

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 8:36pm

"The supporting cast is great too; add Rapp and Tony-award winning LaChanze"

Yes but, Lachazne's role is a bit of a throwaway role. The part doesn't really do her justice in my opinion.

[delongpre]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 8:39pm

I think they're missing something in their marketing. The show is SO MUCH BETTER than the numbers would reflect. The many story lines are interesting....not just Idina's...and the music is incredible. Maybe a commercial that shows OTHER people singing....LaChanze and Jen, Anthony and Jason...then show the whole gang dancing. Or show quick cuts of Idina kissing all the people she kisses in the show with a sell line something like "What if.....when you just don't know which is the right way to go..." I ADORE Idina, but the show is so much more than just Idina. The show is too good to have to resort to TDF and TKTS everyday.

[Pootie2]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 8:43pm

I didn't actually see LaChanze in that role, so I wouldn't know, but "Tony" could be leveraged as a buzzword to support the marketing, is all I'm saying. :)

Regardless, I think it's very unfortunate that their marketing strategy has remained quite narrow, probably mostly riding on the coattails of Frozen and the Oscars flub--which would still cater to the wrong crowd too. IF/THEN is a very adult show. I'm wondering if part if their reasoning has to do with the mixed official reviews that were only consistent in praising Menzel...

Updated On: 9/19/14 at 08:43 PM

[binau]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 8:50pm

..

Updated On: 9/19/14 at 08:50 PM

[binau]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 8:51pm

Something going odd about linking the image, try this:

[Pootie2]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 9:04pm

Like I said, the marketing strategy hasn't actually changed, so I don't know why you keep calling out the new graphic on their website as something super different...

Edit to add: Wait, I'm not sure if that was the original header or not (there was another with her duplicate likenesses or something), but they've had Menzel's actual photo in the billboard ads already, so this current one isn't a huge stretch or anything.

Updated On: 9/19/14 at 09:04 PM

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 10:06pm

I don't see why this is a big deal. Back in the old days, a star's name would frequently be larger than the name of the show.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 10:27pm

They've probably come to grips with the reality that the show does not have a shelf life beyond Menzel's contract.

[binau]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 10:45pm

Exactly adamgreer. I find it interesting.

Updated On: 9/19/14 at 10:45 PM

[Pootie2]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 10:54pm

I'm not sure they ever expected it to have much shelf life beyond Menzel...

(And calling out that single header graphic as a huge deal doesn't underline your point very well either considering how Menzel-centric all their advertising has been.)

Updated On: 9/19/14 at 10:54 PM

[Broadwaydreaming]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 11:01pm

The poster in Shubert Ally claims this is the role that will turn her into a legend. Don't get me wrong, Idina is amazing in this show, but legendary is pushing it. The show just doesn't warrant that. I always had a hard time connecting the marketing of the show to the actual storyline. The current ads. make it seem like a magical story about a woman's first time in NYC. All the possibilities!! :P

The new banner is nice... I think Idina is much prettier than that artistic rendering. Though, because most people already know she's in the show, I wish they featured the others more. There's so much more that could be done to reflect the complexity of the show. Although, if the show doesn't last, is all the extra marketing worth it?

[binau]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 11:36pm

Pootie2, I'm not sure why you keep persisting to tell everyone that this is 'no big deal' - no one actually thinks it's a big deal, and no one has claimed it is a 'huge deal' at all. This kind of change is something that I might raise an eye brow to and then forget about 5 minutes later. It's interesting to me that the marketing has become more 'Idina Menzel-centric' as time has gone by (yes, it always has been, but it is even more-so now). If that isn't interesting to you that is great, why don't you ignore and move on?

[inception]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 1:42am

After much deliberation I bought a ticket to see this next month when I travel from the West Coast.
I'm not really a big Menzel fan, but I should be their ideal market: gay, 40, musical lover. The biggest thing holding me back was all the lousy reviews, but I have been listening to the cd for a few months and some of the songs have grown on me, most especially Anthony Rapp's numbers like Ain't No Man Manhattan - and now that he's back in where else will I get a chance to see him? And I sure as heck would rather see this show now with Idina than in a couple years from now in some crappy regional production starring an Idina wannabe. (Though if they allow the role to be cast in drag I could see it being entertaining)
Besides the fact that I could get a good seat discounted, the biggest thing that swayed me was watching boots on yt*be. I found myself laughing at jokes that people in reviews online complained about, and also enjoying some other snippets of the show I saw and decided that this will do to fill out my trip.

If I was going in November instead of October Side Show and Emma Stone would both be of bigger interest.

So yeah, I guess even though I did buy a ticket, their marketing probably could use some work.

[Pootie2]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 7:06am

qolbinau - That's just how I interpreted the thread title and all, but if that's not your intention, so be it... It could also be that my attitude about advertisement in general is very different from the average consumer's, as I have never been convinced for/against a product/service by advertising alone and haven't even owned a TV since '96-ish. My psych/sociology background is far more interested in analysing such stuff in other ways. :P

inception - I find it interesting that critic reviews versus viewer review aggregates (though I'm only familiar with Ticketmaster and Tripadvisor) are showing an inverse trend similar to how Rottentomatoes/etc. may show low critic ratings for something while actual viewer ratings are noticeably higher. But for Broadway, critic reviews seem to matter a lot more, which I'm guessing has to do with high ticket prices compared to cheap movie tickets.

[sharona39]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 9:42am

I love this show. I went for Idina, but went BACK for the love of the story/amazing score. I found it very interesting, and smartly done. I am a bit older than Idina's fanzel demographic - lol. i saw it with my husband and my friend and both loved it. They enjoyed how the writers wrote both roles and I, seeing multiple times, enjoyed how the tandem roles of Liz and Beth, and that of the supporting roles were woven together and were different. Loved how Liz and Beth *SPOILER* both get the big job and true love...just got there based on different life circumstances. The lyrics to songs are powerful and thought provoking too. I would encourage people to go see this show - its so much more than Idina (who does sing her face off!).

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 10:44am

I think that, during the summer months, using Idina for much of their marketing was a smart move. Most tourists who go to New York would not have been interested in that show if it weren't for a giant star attached to the title, instead turning to the blockbusters and Tony-award winners. (I won't even lie, I mostly went to see the show during my trip because Idina was a childhood idol of mine, so it was a wonderful opportunity to see her live after all this time.)

However, now that the summer is over, there won't be as many tourists, and a lot of the show's audience will come from around the New York area, so I agree with the notion that throwing Idina's name all over the posters and ads is a bit redundant; at this point, everyone who will be seeing the show already knows she's in it.

[Pootie2]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 10:51am

"However, now that the summer is over, there won't be as many tourists, and a lot of the show's audience will come from around the New York area, so I agree with the notion that throwing Idina's name all over the posters and ads is a bit redundant; at this point, everyone who will be seeing the show already knows she's in it."

It seems wasteful, though the only thing that has changed since the summer that OP pointed out was switching their website header graphic. I *think* that a prior graphic only had Idina in that singing-with-hand-up pose, however, which is why I don't see the current one as all that "more" Idina-centric. But they should stress the cast more, and stuff.

To be honest, I winced at the whole "biggest star on Broadway" bit, not any further use of her image or touting the Tony. I mean, she had just returned to Broadway...

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 11:01am

I know. ^ I just agree that, IF they decide to switch up their marketing, they should start including more of the show besides Idina in their ads.

[BwayFan4]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 11:15am

Unfortunately the show is really not all that good (IMO) and it seems that Idina is the main draw... they don't seem to be able to sell the show on its own merit. So Idina (Wicked/Frozen) is the best chance they've got...

[Auggie27]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 5:59pm

I like the show a lot, but agree: only an idiot marketing director would highlight anything but Menzel. It's a vehicle at this point, no matter how much we parse aspects of the show we all personally respond to (and I say this as an admirer of the score). The show may just pull a year's run, if they can sell seats into January. But the event here is this gifted singer-actor carrying this show on her back, er, her voice. You buy a ticket to hear her take the roof off. She does. And they are wise, shrewd and spot-on to push her as long as she's performing it.

Updated On: 9/22/14 at 05:59 PM

[binau]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 6:09pm

"which is why I don't see the current one as all that "more" Idina-centric"

I don't want to exaggerate and suggest it's a revolutionary change, but it's more "idina-Centric" because her name is now more prominent (Tony Award Winner Idina Menzel), her actual photo is used instead of a cartoon representation, she is now the only person that appears in the graphic (cf. the old photo which had four other people in the photo).

Updated On: 9/22/14 at 06:09 PM

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 9/22/14 at 7:14pm

It's truly sad, because when I saw this recently the audience ate it up. Between the New York jokes/references and the strong supporting cast, it's sad this show doesn't see a light at the end of the tunnel without Idina. That being said, I wasn't crazy about it myself… just noting that the audience ate it up when I saw it a few months back.