Harlem Gospel Choir, December 2011
A Marketing Plan
for the
State Theatre of Ithaca’s
2011-2012 Season
Susan Monagan
June 29, 2011
“The State Theatre of Ithaca, Inc.’s mission is to
present top-quality entertainment in a variety of
formats to enhance the lives of the residents of the
Ithaca community and the surrounding Finger Lakes
region.“
Scope of work:
create a marketing plan for the nine 2011-2012
State-presented shows
Galumpha, February 2012
Given circumstances:
•Series (family, classic and comedy)
•Artists
•Performance dates
•Ticket prices
•Ticket sales targets
•Location of performances
•Most corporate sponsors
Goal:
To develop the relationships that will sustain and grow the
programs at the State Theatre and raise the public profile of the organization.
The objectives of the plan are to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Imago, October 2011
Meet the ticket sales targets for the nine Statepresented shows of the 2011-2012 season.
Expand and improve the sponsorship program of
the State by October 2011 so that each show is
identified with a corporate, media, and
community sponsor
By July 1,2011 implement the use of internal
project management tools that will provide an
infrastructure for the State’s marketing activities
By August 1, 2011 present a budget of time and
money that will guide the State’s marketing
activities for the 2011-2012 season
The 4 P’s…sort of…
Colbert, F. (2007). Marketing culture and the arts, 3rd ed. Montreal: HEC (p. 14).
Objective #1: Meet the ticket sales targets of the
nine State-presented shows of the 2011-2012 season.
Strategies:
•Research each show
•Identify markets
•Analyze each market
•Develop messages about show for each market
•ID third-party influentials for each market
•ID media each market uses
•Get messages to market in a timely way using
appropriate media
Evaluation:
Use ticketing system to determine sales for each
show.
Reduced Shakespeare Company, March 2012
Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation
Theory
“Product Lifestyle Adoption Process” describes the
consumers tolerance for risk.
•Innovators 2.5%.
•Early Adopters 13.5%
•Early Majority 34%
•Late Majority 34%
•Laggards 13.5%
•Non-adopters 2.5%
Lesson: Research the habits of Innovators and Early Adopters (Third Party Influentials) and
enter into relationships with as many of them as possible
Colbert’s application of Elaboration Likelihood Model
to Arts Marketing Context
Colbert, F. (2007). Marketing culture and the arts, 3rd ed. Montreal: HEC (p. 236).
High interaction, opportunity for high elaboration
Objective #2: Expand the sponsorship program of the
State by October 2011 so that each show is
identified with a corporate, media, and
community sponsor
Stategies:
•Develop relationships with 12 new corporations in or
around Ithaca before the end of the 2011-2012
season.
•Systematize the State’s sponsorship program
including establishing sponsorship levels and contracts
Evaluation:
Conduct a “post-mortem” interview with each
sponsor after show to review relationship
String Fever, February 2012
Objective #3: By July 1, 2011
implement the use of internal project
management tools that will provide a
communications infrastructure for the
State’s marketing activities
Second City, October 2011
Strategies:
Set up and populate a project management site that is shared
by key members of the staff (volunteer and paid)
Set up document and calendar sharing tools with all deadlines
for marketing activities
Evaluation:
Meet with staff at the end of the season to evaluate the use of
tools and discuss how they can be changed to better serve
internal communication needs
Objective #4: By August 1, 2011 present a budget of time and
money that will guide the State’s marketing activities for the
2011-2012 season
Gaelic Storm, March 2012
Sources:
• Colbert, F. (2007). Marketing culture and the arts,
3rd ed. Montreal: HEC.
• Handel, M. (Ed.) (2003). The sociology of
organizations: Classical, contemporary, and
critical readings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications.
• Kolb, B. (2005). Marketing for cultural
organisations, 2nd Ed. London: Thomson Learning.
• Rogers, E. (1962). Diffusion of Innovations. New
York: Free Press of Glencoe.