ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Can't figure out how to share a link, but the show is doing paid ads on social via these awful Tiktok-style influencer videos. I've seen 3 of them and they all follow the same format: a female does a wintertime activity in the area (skating, Bryant Park market, dinner, etc), then goes to the show with a friend or their kid, they sit in the balcony, they talk about the show using the provided talking points / highlighting the autistic cast & accessibility, some of them are seen stagedooring & hugging the cast, then it ends with a discount code. One of them had someone filming them during the show as they cried their eyes out (which is odd because I don't think of this as a "crying" musical...the emotions don't really go that far).
Feels cloying and desperate to me, but they don't have much else to work with."
To be fair, I will say that I've seen a recent surge of "influencers" creating these same types of Instagram ads for Chicago, Spamalot, and probably others (but I skip past them quickly). So while I understand the point you're trying to make, I think it's more likely that this is just one form of Broadway advertising in the digital age. Of course a show about teenagers is going to try to market itself towards teenagers.
Also, certain elements of the show are quite emotional - especially if you have a personal connection to the material. The woman next to me bawled and afterwards, I overheard her apologize and explain that her father is autistic. We all bring different sets of experiences to the theatre.