The Official Adam Pascal Love Thread, Part 12- Page 109

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:18pm

Not enough advertising. I would certainly think it would be sold out if it were being really promoted!

Unfortunately, I don't think that's really the case. I don't really have an opinion one way or the other about the advertising they've done, other than to say that more advertisements can practically never hurt, but a huge majority of the general public have no idea who Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal are, and subtitling the advertisement with "original Rent stars" isn't going to have too much of an impact on those who didn't know who they were in the first place. Of course, I think it's a good idea to advertise that they're returning in order to incite a response from those who do have a general idea who they are and/or those who are, at this point in their lives, casual Rent fans, but they could stick an "Adam and Anthony are returning!" billboard in the middle of Times Square and (I think) the impact would still be limited.

I bought tickets immediately after the announcement because I wanted the best possible seats, not because I think that it's going to be a complete sell-out crowd every single night (of course, they're welcome to prove me wrong!) a la Wicked. I actually think promoting Tamyra Gray and her connection to American Idol more heavily than Adam and Anthony's return is probably a good marketing strategy, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's the route they take. Updated On: 6/23/07 at 03:18 PM

[MotorTink]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:21pm

Wow, this page didn't eat anything.

As much as I HATE saying this, I think advertising it as Adam & Anthony stars from the movie RENT might have more of an appeal than Original RENT stars. Anyone somewhat agree?

Updated On: 6/23/07 at 03:21 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:23pm

I think advertisting them as original cast members can probably have a lot of pull. I feel like people kind of... put originals casts, just in general, on a pedestal, in that "oh, wow they must be good" kind of way. I'd go so far as to say that Lea Salonga is more famous than Adam and Anthony, but she's by no means a household name, and I definitely remember hearing ads to the effect of "original star Lea Salonga returns" when she came back to Miss Saigon. I guess that to me, saying "original cast members" may be more important than saying their NAMES for general public advertisting purposes. Like, right now, on the posters, their names are in bigger letters than that they're OBC members. Flip it, and the impact might change.

[misschung]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:24pm

You're right, siamese. I actually think that the combination of advertising all three of them is a good idea. People are really excited about her being in the show, simply given the huge American Idol following, maybe even more so than A+A.

I got my tickets for that reason too, I just really expected that they would sell out more quickly. Then again, there are a lot of Rent fans who live farther away and who are younger, whose parents are prb preventing them from seeing the show this summer.

Either way, I am very excited for the show

[MotorTink]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:27pm

I figured the good orch seats would sell out for at least the weekend performances, I didn't have any worries about Mezz/rear orch as much. I have one set of def. tickets, and I will go a few more times, but I am not worried about securing tickets.

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:29pm

Maybe. I'm just not sure how much of the general public pays attention to that sort of thing or knows what an original cast even is, although it's certainly possible those words have more of a pull than I'm imagining. If there was some sort of way to advertise that they were in the film, I feel like that would have somewhat of an effect - most of my friends who aren't huge musical theatre fans have still seen the film and know who "the guy with the long hair" is. However, maybe they're avoiding that due to the movie's lack of financial success. Advertising is a tricky thing.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:30pm

Maybe I have too much faith, but I would hope that "original cast member" is a pretty self-explanatory phrase. And they SHOULD advertise that these two were in the film.

[misschung]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:32pm

That's true, I didnt even think of that. Even though the movie wasnt exactly a knockout, SO many people were turned on to Rent because of it

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:38pm

And I would assume that... a lot of people just think that being in a movie makes you cool.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:39pm

EXACTLY Em!

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:39pm

Well, yes, I certainly think (and hope!) that anyone who is remotely familiar with Broadway would understand that phrase. I was referring more to people like my friend who has never seen a Broadway show before and wasn't even aware that things such as original and replacement casts exist. I don't think she's dumb enough to actually think that the same people play the same roles for 10 years, but she just hadn't given the whole idea any thought. Also, I'm not sure that the general public, even those not quite as clueless as my friend, has the same sense of respect and maybe even awe as those within the Broadway community when it comes to seeing an original cast member versus a replacement. Something like "stars of the film Rent" or advertising Gray's American Idol connection seems like it would have more of a pull to me. I'm certainly not advocating removing the attachment to the original cast from the show's advertising at all (why NOT make mention of it if you can?), but I feel like other taglines might be more effective. But again, I'm a college student, not an advertising executive, so I'm sure there's a lot going into all of the decisions of which I'm not aware - or at least I'd hope so (Company's advertising "campaign" makes me wonder sometimes!).

Speaking of Company, how many more times are you planning to go? I'd probably be camped out at the theatre by now.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:43pm

I agree that the AI connection would be a better pull - definitely.

The Company advertisting and publicity makes me so... legitimately angry. It's sad that i'll look back on this experience and remember how badly it was screwed over. I don't know. I'm definitely going tomorrow and then to closing. I don't know how much I (emotionally) and my bank account can handle. I'm staring to get that "one week left!" panic, though.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:44pm

Lexi - I have missed you around these parts!

Just a side note - I have never worked with Broadway advertising, but I did work in media/marketing/PR for a major company, and trust me sometimes the big guys have less of a clue than the average public, lol! There are core guidelines that will never go wrong in advertising, but to be as effective as possible, you really have to appeal to every sense of the potential customer, which in this case would be finding the right "words" to appeal to the public. I honestly have been very UN impressed with most of the broadway marketing campaigns I have seen lately.

[misschung]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:49pm

Whenever I take the train, I see the same Mama Mia, Lion King, and Les Mis posters at every single stop. Why they didnt do one for Company is beyond me - but I too am not an advertising specialist. It's like you dont know what they could do better, but you do know that what they are doing now isnt really working

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:49pm

I should definitely mention that I completely agree with everyone who said that the movie connection could work simply because people think being in a movie is cool and most people usually attach some sort of clout to it. Anyone who saw the film and enjoyed it would probably be encouraged to see the show now (or again), and anyone who disliked the movie probably wouldn't want to see the show anyway, unfair of a judgment as that might be.

It kind of amazes me how companies can even get away with poor publicity on Broadway. As I understand it, there are only a few firms that specialize in Broadway-related publicity, so one would think that producers would stop hiring the companies who do less-than-stellar work. Then again, maybe everyone involved is delusional enough to believe that Company's publicity was actually somehow good enough, and I'm sure the publicity firm can only advertise within the producers' monetary limits. I think the same firm does the publicity for Legally Blonde, and I've seen posters placed around the sensors near the doors (I know this doesn't make sense - it's something you have to see) of Duane Reade stores. I have to guess that wasn't done for Company due to a lack of funds from the producers, as I hope that the publicity team wasn't just apathetic.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:54pm

I also wondered if producers actually know in their hearts all along the life expectancy of a show, and therefore don't go as crazy with marketing because of it. Like, did they know that Company was not going to last long all the time, and therefore didn't pour too much money into it. Even with a lot of money, Company does not appeal to the same tourist crowd as Legally blonde does. I dunno, I'd love to pick some peoples brains about this one day.

[sweetdisaster]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:57pm

And this is the exact reason why I want to go into theatre PR. I've talked with several people from different firms in New York and been generally unimpressed. It makes me wonder why the same firm that's doing campaigns for Wicked and Legally Blonde could have done so little with Company. I understand that the budgets are much different, but come on. It's their job to make it work with what they have. More could have been done, but it doesn't matter now, so it's not worth arguing.

I did a phone interview with the person heading LB's campaign, and he stuttered to answer what I thought were simple questions, such as "what's the target audience?" I don't know. It kind of saddens me that this is what I have to look forward to getting into in the next few years, especially since there are so few options of firms to work in the industry.
Updated On: 6/23/07 at 03:57 PM

[misschung]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 3:58pm

Yeah, I hope so. I just feel like, with Company, the show has really drawn in a crowd of people our age as fans. They really could have capitalized a lot more on that, especially given that the subject matter of the show touches on relationships, sex, living in NY, etc. They started to with the Sex and the City thing, but it didnt really seem to go anywhere. People need to be reminded of something in a more conspicuous way, not just by reading a review in the Times that mentions the connection, you know?

It's surprising that so few firms specialize in Broadway publicity. I would think there would be a lot of interest in that, and money. But I guess not

[MotorTink]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 4:00pm

I know Em and I have spoken about this, but they are also just starting to touch on key CHEAP advertising mediums - the fans. Message boards, street teams, etc. I know we all hate Voices for Rent, but in all actuality it is kind of a REALLY good marketing tool (it just would have been more effective by starting a few years ago).

Updated On: 6/23/07 at 04:00 PM

[misschung]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 4:03pm

Oh yeah, definitely. Now that you mention it, I think that probably has a lot to do with why they dont use more expensive mediums - they must assume a lot gets circulated on the web, especially.

I have seen so many help wanted ads for those street teams, hehe

[MotorTink]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 4:05pm

Hell, I actually applied to Disney's street team position lol. They pay pretty good $$, you get to see all disney shows for free at least once, and other benefits too. I don't think i would have ever actually taken the job, but I applied for fun.

Posted: 6/23/07 at 4:06pm

I find advertising and PR really interesting in general as well. It's something that I could always see myself doing, along with journalism and law. Who knows, maybe I'll end up in it someday. And Jenna, the mediocrity of the firms just means that you can go in and wow them all.

Regarding Company, I'm not sure about that idea, misschung. While it's true that a handful of fans from our age group have found themselves interested in the show, I don't think that a lot of college students would necessarily find themselves in the same position, and I don't think college students are necessarily who they should have been targeting. It's quite possible I'm not looking at it with an open enough imagination, though.

Backing up a bit - thanks for the kind words, Tink. I actually have been checking the boards everyday, but just don't post as frequently considering Adam disappeared after the BB King show. I know I've said this before, but it's so bizarre to me how a celebrity of sorts can just drift in and out of the public eye like that. I know it's because he isn't a big enough star to warrant paparazzi attention or a mention on some sort of random star sightings webpage, but I don't think I've ever been a big fan of someone who has that level of fame (or lack thereof) before. I hope he's enjoying himself, whatever he's doing.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 4:11pm

Very understandable, Lexi. yeah, he needs to blog or something to bait us along until he arrives. When do you think he will be back in NYC "rehearsing" for the show? He's been out for quite a while, I'm sure he needs a refresher course lol.

Advertising/PR is a very interesting field, but it can also be a very, hmmmm what is the right word lol, painstaking field. Similar to journalism I guess. You get to bring a project to life and sell it, but it also has very big downsides. I would definitely suggest at least trying it out once, because it really gives you another look that opens your eyes to a lot of things.

Posted: 6/23/07 at 4:18pm

I like to think that I'm at least somewhat good at determining what will appeal to other people, but I know it's definitely a field filled with a lot of rejection, like journalism, and I'm awful at accepting that or criticism in general.

I don't think he necessarily needs to blog to bait us along , but I do think the lack of communication he and "his people," so to speak, have with fans ultimately does hurt his fanbase to some extent. I suppose those who move onto a new fandom after a few months of silence probably weren't going to be intense fans anyway, but I do think that frequent updates probably help to keep casual fans interested. Oh well, not my problem!

No idea when he'll be rehearsing for the show (a couple of weeks prior to opening, maybe?), but let's hope the stagedoor pictures don't look this tragic this time around:





Craww and I found those last night. Disheartening. Saddening. Kind of laughable.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/23/07 at 4:20pm

I don't think they should have FOCUSED on this generation, but I also think they missed an enormous opportunity to capitalize on it, because this production has SO MUCH potential to speak to the college/twenty-something set. But, I don't think that would have saved the show, as much as it was a missed opportunity, because we are a a great way to generate word of mouth. I think the bigger problem was that the ad campaign just seemed to "be there" without having a target. It seemed like it was just floating around, aimed nowhere, rather than having much of a purpose or a set goal. It was very passive. I don't know how, exactly, but I do think there's enough in the show for people to latch onto that they COULD have advertised it better. It's such an easy show to connect with, and I have to believe there was a way to get more people interested. You have a classic score, an innovative director, and a pretty sexy cast. They just didn't make use of the tools.