Cry-Baby logo- Page 4

[BroadwayEnthusiast2]

Posted: 1/30/08 at 10:45pm

BroadwayBaby6, I definitely don't think it's a shoe-in for Best Set Design. Have you looked at this season's other contenders?

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/30/08 at 10:51pm

It is a shoe in for a nomination for Best Set.

They are trying to sell this show as a family show (although I disagree since I have never seen a family show with nudity.

And I still think the poster is misleading and ugly and so does about a dozen other people that I have spoken with that saw the show.

I am editing this message, because what I mean is he will be "dangerous" or whatever he personifies till he is over-searched, over-exposed, etc. We are talking about musical theatre, people. The dudes are probably gay...yet when they are, they are crucified on these boards, regardless of what they portray. If they don't have a stripper girlfriend or screw every chorus girl, the guy is in trouble. Embrace, ya'll.


WHAT?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 7:35am

>And I still think the poster is misleading and ugly and so does about a dozen other people that I have spoken with that saw the show.<

And I'll say the poster perfectly encapsulates the show. It's gorgeous, and everyone I'VE shown it to has agreed with me.

I'll go so far as to say I think it's the best show logo in at least a decade...maybe more.

Posted: 1/31/08 at 10:54am

i think its really FUN & LURID!!!

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 3:36pm

Does anyone know who the artist or agency working on this is?

I think it is absolutely brilliant. The only thing I'd change is the folds/pleats/whatever on the front of the girl's shirt. They kind of catch my eye, and while I'm sure I spend plenty of time looking at women's chests, it not usually because of a distracting fold of fabric.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 3:46pm

The ad agency is Serino Coyne.

[Craig]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 3:53pm

Personally, I think it's one of the best logos/posters for a show we've seen in a LONG LONG time.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 4:24pm

Agreed!

I'm a fan of the logo big-time!

This is the last musical of the season I have to get tix to. I've already seen XANADU, YOUNG FRANK, and MERMAID, and I'm counting down the days 'til PASSING STRANGE< IN THE HEIGHTS and A CATERED AFFAIR. CRY-BABY tix go on-sale in 24 days ... Can't wait!

[truman]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 5:58pm

I can't stop staring at the poster. It is soooo good!

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 7:04pm

And I'll say the poster perfectly encapsulates the show. It's gorgeous, and everyone I'VE shown it to has agreed with me.

That is great that you think it encapsulates the show when you haven't seen the show!

And did the people who you show it to see the show? Doubt it.

And how many of those people have families that they would buy tickets for to see the show based off of the advertising?

[Craig]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 7:26pm

Neddy-

You don't have to have seen the show to know if it encapsulates the show. You only have to know the source material. Unless they did a complete 180 on the show - which I know they didn't.

Would you have had to see the musical mary poppins before deciding if the poster art reflected the show? Lion King? Wedding Singer? Tarzan? Legally Blonde?

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 7:39pm

The difference between the shows you mentioned and Cry Baby is that the artwork for those shows give you a pretty good example of what you are going to see on the stage and give you a pretty good idea of what it is about. Not only that but they also go with the color scheme of the show. Also, all the shows you mentioned are based off of well known films with maybe the exception of The Wedding Singer, and you would have to be pretty dense not to realize that it was from the 1980's and it was about a wedding singer (which is in the title).
The difference between the shows you mentioned and Cry Baby is that the artwork for those shows give you a pretty good example of what you are going to see on the stage and give you a pretty good idea of what it is about. Not only that but they also go with the color scheme of the show. Also, all the shows you mentioned are based off of well known films with maybe the exception of The Wedding Singer, and you would have to be pretty dense not to realize that it was from the 1980's and it was about a wedding singer (which is in the title).

So what do you know from looking at this poster? There is a big guy and a bunch of people who look scared of him, and he makes people cry like a baby? Oh, and it's a musical!
How are you supposed to figure out it's a comedy and not some bloody dramatic show about a gang member that goes and terrorizes a city? Also, maybe a select few will figure out it takes place in the 50's.

That was another problem that they had at La Jolla. People were turned off by the title getting it confused with other movies. I remember hearing people getting it confused with Boy's Don't Cry and Riding In Cars With Boys, so La Jolla had to continually emphasize that it was the "comedy by John Waters who also created Hairspray!" And, until the buzz picked up people were shying away from bringing kids or people with "weak stomachs" out of fear that it would be to violent and inappropriate.

Edited to add another thought.
Updated On: 1/31/08 at 07:39 PM

[Craig]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 7:46pm

I don't think you're going to change differing opinions any more than someone is going to change yours.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 7:51pm

I'm not trying to change opinions.

I am just saying that it is crappy advertising and others (who know how this show needs to be advertised more than anybody on this board) agreed.

[Craig]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 8:04pm

But it's not crappy advertising. It's a great and strong logo. You and some others don't like it. But that doesn't it make it crappy advertising.

And not to slight you - what makes you an expert in how a Broadway show should be marketing or advertised?

Don't answer.. again - you have your opinion. It's just not THE definitive one.

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 8:07pm

" you have your opinion. It's just not THE definitive one. "

Neither do you dear.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 8:12pm

Right. I am sorry. I forget sometimes that Craig is the only person here that has a definitive opinion.

You continue to say it is strong advertising but you don't back it up. What about that logo is going to make a tourist want to buy tickets for a show?

And you wanna know who is more qualified than you to make an assessment about the logo? The people who advertised the show the first time around in San Diego.

Don't answer any of my questions though. They are all rhetorical.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 8:30pm

What you are leaving out, neddy, is that one person ISN'T scared of Cry-Baby. The Allison figure, the most prominent face you see in the ad, is looking at Cry-Baby seductively, with her ankle turned coyly. You get that he's a bad boy, inspiring fear in others, but keen interest from her. Given the way she's dressed vs. him in the rolled up jeans and boots, you know it's a wrong side of the tracks love story. Unless the show has been completely replotted, isn't this exactly what the film was about and what this ad is conveying?

You know it's a comedy, because the reactions from the people in the ad looking at Cry-Baby are so outrageous, so over-the-top, it couldn't be anything else.

The dress of all of the characters, not to mention the vintage look of the ad clearly sets it in the 1950s. Especially since the billing block was moved and you can now see what Allison is wearing. How can you mistake it for any other decade?

As far as your point about people not knowing what the show is because of the title, the gradual education process that occurs once a show begins performances always takes care of that. Cry-Baby is certainly no worse a title than Urinetown or The Drowsy Chaperone. And that La Jolla ad really just screams Grease, instead of giving any sort of sense of the John Waters milieu, which the new ad definitely does. And it's John Waters on Broadway, for god's sake. If it's not going to offend or unnerve SOMEONE, what's the point?

Updated On: 1/31/08 at 08:30 PM

[Craig]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 8:35pm

Not Barker-

I never said MINE was. I said quite clearly that neither one of us is going to change the other's opinion. My point is that Neddy's comment seems absolute when there is no absolute.

But if you want to talk validation of opinions, I think that my 20 years of marketing and advertising experience in the arts does have credibility when it comes to campaigns.

Updated On: 1/31/08 at 08:35 PM

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 8:41pm

Unless the show has been completely replotted, isn't this exactly what the film was about and what this ad is conveying?

Maybe you should read my post above when I talked about the changes from the movie to the stage.

Yes, and even though Drowsy was a critically acclaimed musical and won more TONYS than Jersey Boys, it isn't playing.

Same with URINETOWN. The title of that show turned a bunch of people off and their advertising campaign didn't help it. Same for Drowsy.

So, whats the point?

The show has the potential to become as big of a hit as Hairspray. But if they continue going down this route it will end up just like Drowsy. A solid show with a nice fan group and a few TONYS and a nice future in community theater land. Why do that when you could make it more like Hairspray?

And the point is that the GREASE AD sold enough tickets to sell out the show.

Sure you can make it about the art and say that the Grease Ad was unoriginal and uncreative. But in the end the creativity isn't going to keep the show running, the money is. And the only way to get the money is by appealing to your masses, and they know exactly who they need to appeal too, they obviously just haven't figured out how.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 8:56pm

That a show called Urinetown ran two and a half years in New York, won three Tony Awards and recouped its investment is remarkable. That a show called The Drowsy Chaperone ran a year and a half, won 5 Tony Awards and recouped its investment is similarly impressive. Not every show has to run for 10 years in order to be considered a success or worthwhile.

>Maybe you should read my post above when I talked about the changes from the movie to the stage.<

Oh, so it's no longer about a straight-laced girl falling in love with an outcast/rebel? I know that element has not been changed, so what are you saying?

>Why do that when you could make it more like Hairspray?<

Well, to start off, in my opinion, Cry-Baby has a better ad than Hairspray and one that I think will be attractive and provocative to potential audiences. Will Cry-Baby prove as successful as Hairspray? Who knows. The writers of the Broadway musical of Hairspray had the advantage of dealing with the better film. Because of that, nothing may make Cry-Baby as successful a Broadway musical as Hairspray, but this ad will not act as a deterrent.

>the GREASE AD sold enough tickets to sell out the show.<

In a subscription non-profit house, and with generally favorable reviews.

>But in the end the creativity isn't going to keep the show running, the money is. And the only way to get the money is by appealing to your masses, and they know exactly who they need to appeal too, they obviously just haven't figured out how.<

To my mind, they HAVE already come up with a marketing tool that effectively sells the show... a sensational ad that if this thread is to be believed, appeals to almost everyone who has seen it. Have you not seen that just about everyone in this 90+ thread likes or loves the ad, and it has made them excited about the show? You alone seem to be hitting the panic button.

Updated On: 1/31/08 at 08:56 PM

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 9:13pm

I asked a question. You never answered it.

Why would CRY BABY want to have a one and a half year run when it could have a five year run?

And obviously you never read my post about the differences. Cry Baby in the movie is much, much, much more angry and menacing. He is obsessed with his parents death and has a tattoo of an electric chair. He scares the Squares and they find him as a threat. And his gang in the movie is weird and scary.

In the show Cry Baby is a lovable character. He NEVER shows any anger about his parent's death and after the first five seconds on stage nobody is scared of him. Same goes for his gang, they are more fun and cute than they are scary.

And how the hell has this logo appealed to everybody who has seen it? How many of us in here have seen it, three? four? And you can't even look to this message board to get an accurate sense of if people will like the show or not. This thread is filled with posters who have followed this show more than 95% of Americans.

And your subscription house comment means nothing. There are enough subscribers to sell out about 1-2 weeks. But yet it sold out for 3-4 additional weeks from ticket sales that didn't come from subscribers. And a good portion of the run was sold out before the show opened, so the favorable reviews comment doesn't apply either.

Hitting a panic button?
The ad is crappy. I and about 26 other people who I have talked to, think so.

About 11 of those people have seen the show more times than anybody on this board will. And about 5 of those 11 know more about how to market a show than anybody on this board probably ever will.

So unless they come up with a kick-ass commercial or advertising campaign. This ain't gonna cut it.

Sure the artwork is cute and clever, so then you can go put it in a freaking museum. You can argue with me all you want saying "It is beautiful artwork, the best I have seen in years." But all that I can say is that this argument is that I can speak from actual facts about what has worked and what hasn't worked. And I don't know what you are speaking from, but it's not the average tourist or ticket-buyer.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 9:25pm

>I asked a question. You never answered it.

Why would CRY BABY want to have a one and a half year run when it could have a five year run?<

I did answer it. The Cry-Baby ad in my opinion will not keep people out of the theatre. The only thing that will keep people away is if the show isn't any good.

>Cry Baby in the movie is much, much, much more angry and menacing.<

I'm sure, but it's still a straitlaced girl falling in love with a boy out of her social class, no?

>And how the hell has this logo appealed to everybody who has seen it? How many of us in here have seen it, three? four?<

More than 3 or 4 people have responded to this thread to say they liked or loved the ad.

>The ad is crappy. I and about 26 other people who I have talked to, think so.<

Boy, your number keeps growing. I'm sure you lead them down the path of your own opinion. Now, about that Catered Affair logo...

>Sure the artwork is cute and clever, so then you can go put it in a freaking museum. You can argue with me all you want saying "It is beautiful artwork, the best I have seen in years." But all that I can say is that this argument is that I can speak from actual facts about what has worked and what hasn't worked. And I don't know what you are speaking from, but it's not the average tourist or ticket-buyer.<

You never know who you might be speaking to here.

[Craig]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 9:28pm

No logo killed a show. So suggesting that Cry-Baby or any show won't run past 1.5 years because of that poster is just silly in my opinion.

I think part of the "problem" might lie in the fact that you, and your friends are not the target demographic for the design. The major ticket buyers for this show will immediately identify with the artwork presented.

p.s. it's not an AD - so it's not a crappy ad. It's a show logo. And you can't say it doesn't work or compare it to the out-of-town logo and say one works and the other doesn't. Since you don't have access to ticket sales info (and since this logo just "launched") there are no statistics. What you have, and rightfully so, is your opinion on whether or not the logo works for you.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/31/08 at 9:29pm

This was the first time I posted numbers. How can they keep growing?

a sensational ad that if this thread is to be believed, appeals to almost everyone who has seen it

Again, how many people have actually seen it? Not everybody in the thread like you said. I would guess 3 or 4.

And, sure the Allison part of the poster is accurate but not anything else.


And, I am pretty sure you aren't an average tourist since you are posting on this board.