MARKETING BRAINSTORMING PROMPT The following are meant as guidelines for creating the marketing plan for your production of IN THE HEIGHTS, based on show themes. We encourage you to let this spark your own ideas, and for you to find ways to scale, adapt and mold them into what will work in your community and help to achieve your specific outreach, education and marketing goals. SHOW SUMMARY: IN THE HEIGHTS tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York s Washington Heights neighborhood a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind. IN THE HEIGHTS is the winner of the 2008 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations. CARNAVAL DEL BARRIO The neighborhood (or barrio, in Spanish) of Washington Heights is like another lead character in the story of IN THE HEIGHTS. The following ideas are just a few ways that you can engage your own local community: Carnaval del Barrio: Host an IN THE HEIGHTS-themed dance either in the theater or in partnership with another local space to generate interest in your production. Have cast members perform to give patrons a sneak peek of the show. Consider performing the opening number or appropriate group dance number as a centerpiece of the event s entertainment. Have the show s dance captain or a cast member teach the attendees a dance in the style of the show s choreography. (Remember to keep it simple!) Invite local press for photo ops and encourage media coverage of the event and show. Post photos to social media feeds to encourage sharing and drum up interest for similar future events. If Union rules allow it, this event could happen on stage after the show to keep people in the theater. Remember to keep concessions open to fuel the party and make a little extra revenue for your theater! Event / Online / Fundraising / Patrons / Kids / Community / Press
Light and Sweet: Set up a coffee truck or cart and bring it around to local businesses to let them know about your theater and production of IN THE HEIGHTS. Serve your coffee light and sweet along with some information about the production. Bring some actors with you to talk about the show while you give out free coffee and play some music. Take photos along the way to share to your social media pages. Give clues to help people figure out where you ll be next and give away prizes to patrons who show up to get coffee from you. End up in a central location like a mall and plan an IN THE HEIGHTS flash mob from your coffee stand. Film your flash mob and post it to your social media channels, encouraging all participants to do the same for an extra media push. Event / Online / Fundraising / Community / Press CLASSES Dance Classes: Before the weeknight pre-show or on weekend matinee mornings, host Latin Dance Classes at the theater and have a cast member or guest teaching artist teach Latin dances (Samba, Salsa, Rumba etc.) and set one to a song from the show. This will bring patrons into the theater at non-show times and create a social opportunity. Extend the event s impact with some of the following: Offer the class as an added value for the first select number of tickets sold, or as an upsell on your ticket price ($50 for a ticket $70 for a ticket and a dance class.) Open your concessions before and after the class for additional revenue opportunity. Film the classes and post them to YouTube, your website and social media pages to encourage sharing and reach new patrons through their friends. Invite patrons who have attended these classes and know a dance to come on stage at the end of each show, and perform the number with the cast following the curtain call. Use this on stage experience as part of your sales pitch for the dance classes. Invite patrons who have attended these classes and know a dance to come on stage at the end of each show to perform the number with the cast following the curtain call. Use this on stage experience as part of your sales pitch for the dance classes. When posting videos to YouTube don t forget to link to the song and include credits for the song and the composer: Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Event / Online / Fundraising / Kids / Community
Spanish Language Classes: Partner with Local Language Teachers & Studios to offer Basic Spanish Offer several levels of difficulty to encourage participation i.e. beginner lessons for children or adults, advanced lessons for high school students who may already be studying Teach the words Nina teaches Benny in Sunrise to link with the show. Hire a local high school teacher. If this teacher also tutors, they might be willing to do the class for free in exchange for the publicity to your patrons (many of whom probably have kids in school). If you have email contacts for your patrons you may also be able to offer the teacher a direct email newsletter to patrons who have kids in school in exchange for their services. Extend the reach of the lesson by having the teacher record the lesson and encouraging users to upload a video of their version of the song, possibly as part of a contest to win free tickets to the show. When posting videos to YouTube don t forget to link to the song and include credits for the song and the composer: Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Word of the Day Leading up to your production and promoting your classes, begin posting a Spanish word of the day, in order to engage with them interactively. Post the word with no definition and ask your followers to translate in order to engage them interactively. By having your followers post the translations you open their friends up to the conversation. Post all the words and definitions on a page on your website that will continue to grow each day. (Don t forget to put your production info on this page!) As you post each new daily word, link back to this page for the full Spanish lesson. Event / Online / Fundraising / Kids / Community Latin Cooking Class: Team up with a local Latin restaurant or cooking school and host an IN THE HEIGHTS-themed cooking class in their space. Set a menu that is easy enough for beginners to follow. Send each person home with an IN THE HEIGHTS Barrio Cookbook. Snap photos to share over your social media pages and use a recipe or two from the cookbook to share online as well. You could do this like a PBS drive where anyone who donates over a certain amount, choose this amount by your theater last year, gets tickets to the show and the cooking class. Event / Online / Fundraising / Patrons
PARTNERSHIPS Partnerships with local businesses and organizations are a great way to reach people who shop and socialize in your area, but have not been to your theater before. Set up the partnership and then discuss promotional exchanges of marketing collateral, in store signage, online links and program callouts between the business and your theater to maximize partnership opportunities. Consider the following types of partnerships: Partner with local Latin Restaurant: Make a buzz-building pre-run event and ongoing promotions throughout the run. Connect with the restaurant in any or all of the following ways: Host an IN THE HEIGHTS-themed donor dinner with a sneak preview of the show to help build word of mouth buzz. Integrate appearances and performances from cast members as space and resources allow. Ask each person in attendance to like your Facebook page before the event. Take photos at the event and tag everyone in attendance to help spread the word to their friends. Work with the restaurant to set up an IN THE HEIGHTS-themed prix fixe dinner. Rename the food and drinks on the menu after characters and songs from the show. Both the Theater and the Restaurant should send out invites to their email lists and post on social media outlets. Ask the restaurant to share information about the upcoming event through flyers which can be given to all patrons for weeks leading up to the event. You could offer this as a package deal through Living Social, Groupon, Bloomspot, Savored or any other local discount site along with tickets to the show. Exchange value-added discounts with the restaurant: Have the restaurant offer a % discount on their meal when patrons show a ticket stub from your theater. Offer a discount on a ticket or concessions at the theater with a receipt from the restaurant. Promote the offers in collateral, on receipts, with social media, etc. Invite the restaurant to do a pre-show tasting evening at the theater to give audience members an idea of their menu offerings. Open your concessions early to sell drinks and create additional revenue. Event / Online / Patrons / Fundraising / Community / Partnership Partner with a local salon or hairdresser: Promotion, spinning off of Daniela s Hair Salon in IN THE HEIGHTS: Do a pre-theater hair salon appointment. Set up a portion of the lobby with chairs and mirrors and take appointments before the show starts. Your concessions can serve drinks and create a lively social setting.
This is a good opportunity to bring your audience into the theater early to push your concessions. It also creates a community feeling around the theater. Invite local media for photo and video ops. Exchange signage, social media callouts and discount flyer exchanges, i.e. bring your ticket stub to the salon for % off services, and vice versa Have the salon hold a pre-run workshop with the cast to teach them how to style their wigs and hair as part of the partnership package. Event / Fundraising / Community / Partnership / Press Partner with a nearby bar: Create drink specials named after songs or characters from the show (i.e. a Tequila Sunrise, the Firework, or Vanessa s Champagne) that patrons can receive at a discount with their ticket, pre- or post-show. Likewise, offer a discount on a ticket or concessions at the theater with a receipt from the bar. Promote the offers in collateral, on receipts, with social media, etc. Provide the bar with your title treatment so that they can brand the drink to match your show. Host a Barrio cocktail party at the venue on an off night from your show. Play music from the show along with other Latin style music. Event / Online / Partnership TALKBACKS Talkbacks are a quick and uncomplicated way to offer added-value to your audience members, encourage further dialogue about the show, and bring in new patrons. Contact local schools, libraries, museums and historical societies to find experts for your Theater s post-show talkbacks. (Be sure to keep post-show talkbacks relatively short, or schedule them as separate events outside of show times to be respectful of audience time commitments.) Coming to America: Create a panel (for example: teachers, counselors, community leaders, activists) who are first generation Americans to discuss their experiences with learning a new culture. This is a great option for student groups, so connect with local schools to spread the word and encourage group sales. Use this study guide from the Broadway production as a starting point for your conversations. Cast Q&A: Invite patrons to stay after the show to ask cast members questions about the process of creating the show. This is a great add-on to be used as a gift for your theater s donors.