Stamford Center for the Arts & Palace Theatre Brand MarketingMay, 2013

SWOT

• Establishment is beautiful• Location – easy to find and

convenient• Customers have great

historical memories

• Venues losing money• Advertising budget/funds

cut from state• Same name as other

palace theater• Not well-known

• Reach broader audience• Get more involved in

community• Change marketing and

advertising plan making dollars reach further

• More competition than in past

• Mohegan Sun puts restrictions on shows

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Friends & Family SCA Survey Results

• We put together a similar survey and polled friends and family that currently lived in CT

• 21 questions• 55 responses • Goals:• Gauge if perceptions have changed since 2010• 2010 survey was only taken by people already

familiar with the theatre. We wanted some feedback from people who may/may not be familiar with SCA/the Palace

While over 50% of the respondents had heard of SCA before, and 80% have heard of the Palace only 40% were aware that the two were connected

0.00%20.00%40.00%60.00%80.00%

56%

80%

40% 44%

% Yes

% Yes

Friends & Family SCA Survey Results

• Question 9: What is your impression of the Palace theatre?

The palace is very warm and inviting. I wish they had a better selection of acts/shows. I would love to go back more often but rarely like the selection of performances available.

Great local theatre to offer entertainment to

the publicThey don't have that many shows

but they do sometimes get big

name acts

Good for the community well

run and well maintained

Beautiful historic theatre, staple of

Stamford downtown

Very beautiful and great acoustics

Friends & Family SCA Survey Results

• Question 18: On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being not important and 5 being very important), how important do you think a performing arts center is to a local community?

Friends & Family SCA Survey Results

• Question 19: On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being not likely and 5 being very likely), how likely would you be to donate money to a nonprofit performing arts center to keep its doors open?

Recommendations

Improvements to Current Strategy

• Long-Term• Re-vamp Corporate Sponsorship & Circle of Friends/Membership

Programs• Localization Strategy – Expanding focus on the Community• Improvements to Marketing and Advertising Programs

• Short-Term• Web Analytics• Concessions Sales Tactics to Increase Incremental Revenue

Re-Vamp Circle of Friends Individual Program

Friends & Family SCA Survey Results

• Question 10: On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being not likely and 5 being likely), how likely would you be to join a membership program to get better seating, pricing, parking and other benefits, if it was free?

Friends & Family SCA Survey Results

• Question 11: On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being not likely and 5 being likely), how likely would you be to join a membership program to get better seating, pricing, parking and other benefits, if it cost $100 per year for all the benefits?

Circle of Friends Membership Program Summary• Current Program• Two brackets: individual membership & corporate membership• 5 Tiers: Players, Backers, Stars, Leadership Circle, Presidents Circle• List of benefits is available on website: http://www.scalive.org/

dev_friends.cfm• Why donate?• Ensures the quality and variety of our region's entertainment and

addresses our cultural needs• Supports the beautiful Palace Theatre• Enables us to have subsidized rent for resident organizations• Enhances the vitality of Stamford's vibrant downtown• Helps provide lifelong learning opportunities for local youth

through our year long education program

Recommendations: Individual Membership Program• Include a “free” membership level• Turn “Players” into a free option• Benefits associated with that level are fairly basic and do not cost

SCA any money• Getting more people to joins means you get their demographic

info and contact info so you can add them to your mailing and special offer lists

• If you provide real value at a free level, it will be easier to transition members up from the free level to the “Backers” level.

• Create better benefits at the “Backers” level to differentiate it further from the free level. • Example: Discounted price if patrons buy tickets to multiple shows at

once online• Example: Free drink ticket at each show attended

Recommendations: Restructure Individual Membership Program• Issue card with a membership number on it that can be

scanned by your systems. Cards make membership feel more real and will be an easy way to identify and track members and gather intelligence• i.e. use your number to purchase tickets and you can record who’s

seeing what, how often they go to the theatre, and even what they purchase while they are there (drinks, merchandise, etc. )

• Add an incentive in to get people to join• i.e. “10% off your next ticket purchase if you join today”

• Make benefits more defined and specific on website• Phrases like “when possible” and “select performances” and

“where applicable” do not build trust or security into the program. They are vague and people will not be sure what benefits they could actually use at a show

Re-Vamp Circle of Friends Corporate Program

Recommendations: Corporate Sponsorship Programs• Take this portion of the membership program off the website• A structured benefit program with tiers will limit sponsorship

opportunities• Making it public let’s everyone else know EXACTLY what each sponsor is

getting (and how much they are paying)• Reduces flexibility• Many of the benefits are the exact same as the individual level. This is okay,

but publicizing that does not make either group feel special or like they are part of an elite group of donors.

• Tiers stop at $25,000, what if you could get a $50,000 sponsorship?• Put together a Corporate Sponsorship brochure that speaks to the

benefits of becoming a donor, but does not outline benefits by tiers. Make it a downloadable PDF that you put behind a landing page. That way you know who is downloading the brochure and when, so your development team can follow-up (when appropriate)

Recommendations: Change Focus of Corporate Sponsorship Programs• One size does not fit all for corporate sponsors• Ask what sponsors want out of a relationship with SCA and tailor

corporate sponsorship programs to that• i.e. employee discounts might be really important to one company, but a

rental of the theater for a corporate event might be more important to another

• Can negotiate costs and additional benefits better if it is not spelled out online

• Instead of pitching every business in Stamford, narrow your focus to current donors and try to get them to increase their sponsorship level• Pitching every company is a resource and time drain• You already have relationships with many big companies, try to leverage

that strengthen the bond • Make sure current sponsors are taking advantage of their benefits. If

they don’t experience the value in the relationship, it’s easier to cut funding

Advertising and Marketing Improvements

Current Advertising

• Local tie-ins• Email blasts to all• Membership emails

• Window decal/signage in-store• Flyers• Direct Mail• Radio – occasionally• Budget? (-)

Marketing Mix (4 P’s)Price

Ticket costs vary depending on the show

Also vary depending on seatingThe more demanding the act, the

more expensive tickets may beMembership fees (optional) start at

$100Sponsorship opportunities

Venue rental fees vary

ProductTheatre Space:

ConcertsPlays

Dance performancesVenue rentingPrivate events

Rich Forum to NBC

PromotionAdWords – Google

WebsiteTV/Radio Sponsorships

Endorsement DealsEmail-blast

Social Media (Facebook & Twitter)

PlaceStamford, CT

Palace Theatre: 61 Atlantic StreetRich Forum: 307 Atlantic Street

Tickets purchased at http://stamfordcenterforthearts.org/

or at theatre box office

Friends & Family SCA Survey Results

• Question 12: How often would you like to receive email communication about upcoming shows and events at SCA?

• Other Answers: • Two people said once a quarter (every 3 months)• One person said ‘when shows are announced’

Advertising via digital AdWords - Google

• The core demographic turns to digital FIRST when looking for entertainment

• Capture and convert this audience into an SCA customer • Steal market-share

• Buy Google AdWords like:• “theater”• “entertainment”• “comedy”• “drama”• “show”• “sesame Street” etc.

• Monitor results thru Google-analytics to track which shows are getting the most “hits/clicks”

• Re-evaluate action plan to focus more on events that draw in bigger crowds and bigger profits

Advertising via digital Adwords – GoogleCosts• Pricing model relies on a cost-per-click (CPC) based auction: • How much you invest is up to you • Choose a daily budget and change it at any time• No minimum spend• Not locked into a contract • Only pay for results • Not charged when your ad is displayed, but only when someone

clicks on your ad to go to your website• Google sets cost-per-click prices via an automated auction system• Your bid determines how high up on the search results page your

ad appears Example:Your daily budget: $10 Your maximum cost-per-click bid: $0.50 Your average actual cost-per-click: $0.40 Approximate number of clicks per day: 25

Advertising via digital Adwords – GoogleAnalytics

Advertising via website

• Websites are a destination, not a form of advertising• Google drives traffic to website, from there, the website must retain

the customers interest and convert interest into sale• Website/design best practices:

•User-friendly•Uniform menu toolbar simple with 6 or less tabs•Black background, bright colors, and modern design elements•Language•Functionality•Navigation•Basic content•Simple/non-cluttered pages•Easy process to buy tickets

Advertising via email-blasts

• Critical to email parties who have “opted-in” to receive SCA emails• No emails to parties who have not opted-in

• Make email blasts relevant to the specific target demographic and show

• Simple/easy message• Link to website• Max 1 per month • Link to unsubscribe

Advertising via Social Media

• Use free social media sites to communicate messages to Facebook and Twitter “friends” and “followers”

• Create simple messaging• Relevant messaging• Timely• Include links, pictures, videos or any form of interactive digital

components• Have local celebrity endorser and other local well-known

people comment on messaging• Don’t message too much• Risk of irritating potentials customers

Advertising via TV/Radio Sponsorships

• TV/Radio is too expensive… right?• Propose a partnership with other local Stamford businesses

that can afford TV or radio advertising in the greater Stamford area

• Piggy-back off of their ads with 5-second sponsorship at end of 30-second TV commercial, or 10 seconds at end of 1-minute radio ad

• Businesses of interest• Stamford Mall• UConn• Local Bars• Restaurants• Any business that targets the same demographic as SCA

Advertising via Endorsements

• Find a local Stamford-based “celebrity” and work out a partnership to have that local person represent SCA • Sponsor can commit to speaking about SCA at certain events

throughout year that they are already attending• Takes very little effort if the right person is chosen

Localization Strategy

Localization

• Current strategy:• Minimal local events -

• Stamford Young Artists• Dance Recitals• Ballet School of Stamford• Stamford Symphony • Lumina String Quartet’s Chamber Music Institute• Ballet School of Stamford

• Existing events are very specialized and don’t attract a wide audience or the professional demographic of Stamford

• Palace Theatre space is too large/expensive to operate for a smaller scaled events

• Goals: • More nights when the theatre is in use • Opportunity to market future events• Attract new customers

Localization – Amy Rich Theatre

• Unfinished basement theatre• 199-seat theatre (Amy Rich Theatre) with dressing rooms and wardrobe facilities• Offer opportunity for large corporation to pay for the cost of completing

construction:• Rename the theatre permanently after the company (i.e. RBS Amy Rich Theatre) • Could also tie in with large donation (over $25K)

• Opportunities:• Local bands (ex: Battle of the Bands)• Local comedians• Local artists (ex: Poetry Slam)• Charity events (ex: Silent Auction)• Turning TV shows into local events (ex: Stamford Idol, Dancing with the Stars of

Stamford, Stamford Dating Show)• Theme nights (ex: Girls Night Out with speakers and wine and cheese party)• Workshops (ex: Improv, dance)• Community meetings (ex: Meetup space)• Photo shoot space

Localization – Community Exposure

• Get to know your neighbors!• Reach out to Stamford bloggers and invite them to a show if they

will write a piece on the Palace Theatre • http://www.stamfordnotes.com/ • Already familiar with the Palace they wrote the following post about Louis

CK: http://www.stamfordnotes.com/2013/03/holy-louis-ck-is-coming-to-town.html

• http://streetsofstamford.blogspot.com/• http://www.stamfordonthecheap.com/

• Host a Stamford CEO event• Bring large and small business CEO’s together to network and see the

theatre• Goal of bringing in new corporate sponsors as well as acting as a

space to bring the community closer together• Another opportunity to secure a grant to finish the Amy Rich Theatre

Localization – Stamford Eats

• Partner with local restaurants• “Dinner and a Show”

• Arrange discounts with restaurants within walking distance of the theatre to offer 10% discount on their meal with a ticket to that evening’s show

• Reach out to new restaurants and allow them to showcase their food on a show night for a low cost to the show attendees• Half Full Brewery Beer Tasting Night • TOMATO TOMÄTO Pizza Party• List of Stamford restaurants:

http://www.stamford-downtown.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=38&Itemid=59

Localization - Rewards

• Keeps theatre active and busy.• Be a key player in the Stamford community and become more

engaged.• Low cost if events costs are covered by the hosting group. • Allows more involvement/exposure for the SCA with more

opportunity to get people in the door. • Makes the SCA more accessible for people who may be

interested in attending events but can’t necessarily afford the big name shows.

• Will hit on two of the biggest objectives of the SCA:1. Enriching the lives of the residents of and visitors to Stamford2. Educating and inspiring the next generation of artists

Web Analytics

Web Analytics are key to help Small Businesses Understand their customers

Sample Analytics Reports

Cost, Timings, and Complexity

• Basic Services on Google Analytics are free. As you learn to use the tools you may want to upgrade to additional services for a small fee.

• You can install and start using analytics immediately• You may need to hire some additional manpower as you start

to use Analytics tool- perhaps a UConn student as an intern?

Concessions Strategy

Concessions sales accounted for about 3% of revenue in 2010. Concessions sales are entirely incremental, and a strategy to increase sales would pose very low risk.

Total 2010 2,748,071$ Total 2010 3,566,196$

Program Service Revenue 838,369$ Salaries and Benefits 1,247,799$ Ticket Sales 475,481$ Advertising and Promotion 58,710$ Box Offi ce Service 165,184$ Information Technology 39,288$ Facility Charges 109,500$ Interest 142,252$ Concession 88,204$ Depreciation, Amortiztion 943,041$

Investment Income 3,973$ Artist fees 352,763$ Fundraising Events 219,040$ Utilities 334,639$ Government Grants 388,712$ Equipment Rental 231,499$ Other fundraising 162,806$ Misc 97,809$ Rental Income 1,135,171$ Amortization of Deferre 30,183$

2010 Revenue 2010 Expenses

• We propose running a few different experiments to see which yield the best results, and how much of an impact they have on profits

• Options:1. Lower Prices on Drink Sales at Concessions Stands – Drinks at

the Palace are a bit pricey, and this may present a barrier to purchase. Try lowering prices to about $5 a drink and see if this encourages consumption.

2. Price discounts for multiple purchases – Try some drink deals, such as 3/$15

3. Concessions Sales During Performances – Can we have some ushers walk the aisles and sell drinks during the performances? As of now sales are limited only to pre-show and intermission time periods.

Concessions sales are incremental revenue, so how can we increase sales?

Thank you!