Paradise Square Marketing Fail

[TimeToStartLivin]

Posted: 5/12/22 at 8:09pm

Paradise Square just got all these Tony noms and this is all their marketing people can do???? Don't get it. Even after they opened, their ads were just: Show Name. Buy Tickets. No pull quotes, no nothing. And now this. It's sad.

Updated On: 5/12/22 at 08:09 PM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/12/22 at 8:53pm

They don’t have money to keep the lights on, let alone advertise. It’s shocking by traditional standards - a show awaits Tony nominations and then exploits a big haul. But has this production ever been in the black? I think about shows like Jagged Little Pill that couldn’t sustain with hundreds of thousands more in the till. They’re inching forward still unable to give the show a profile. Do they sell any seats at TKTS? Is there any advance? They’re broke but enduring and no one knows how or why.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/12/22 at 9:35pm

As I have written before, it's not just that they have no money, they also have no credit. No one in their right mind is lifting a finger until the money has been wired into their account. That's a big problem when you are trying to react to nominations, awards, reviews, etc. The same phenomenon is playing out across a whole lot of lines in the budget. 

[Bill Snibson]

Posted: 5/12/22 at 10:49pm

They literally have zero dollars to spend on anything. How and why they are keeping it going is beyond fascinating to me. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/12/22 at 11:12pm

well, I start with the basic premise that irrational things cannot be explained but obviously someone has decided to waste a lot of money keeping a show open that no one wants to see

[carolynbrooks]

Posted: 5/13/22 at 12:50pm

Here is the most is the most intriguing thing:  Drabinsky's partner in crime on this show is Peter LeDonne, of Ash LeDonne and later LeDonne Wilner, the ad agency that abruptly closed after LIVENT tanked. LeDonne is a seasoned ad guy, no money might be the issue but something else is wrong - is there no ad agency involved? The sparse marketing is wallpaper and really dull and unimagined.            

[JBroadway]

Posted: 5/13/22 at 1:06pm

carolynbrooks said: "is there no ad agency involved?"

 

As per the program, SpotCo is the ad agency they're working with. But it seems unlikely that SpotCo is the problem here. An ad agency can only do so much if the production can't or won't allocate the funds. 

 

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 5/13/22 at 1:15pm

Honestly, I'm very surprised Doubtfire announced a closing before Paradise Square. I know it's not a good look to get a ton of Tony nominations then announce a closing, but they are literally making no money. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/13/22 at 1:33pm

carolynbrooks said: "Here is the most is the most intriguing thing: Drabinsky's partner in crime on this show is Peter LeDonne, of Ash LeDonne and later LeDonne Wilner, the ad agency that abruptly closed after LIVENT tanked. LeDonne is a seasoned ad guy, no money might be the issue but something else is wrong - is there no ad agency involved? The sparse marketing is wallpaper and really dull and unimagined."

I'm not sure it's intriguing but...

Peter LeDonne's ad business "season" ended in the last century. He hasn't been an ad man since the 90's. I don't know if he is a "partner in crime" (he is not a producer, only Garth is); he may well be a victim like lots of others. And having people involved in this show who have not been around for years, or have never done what's being asked of them, seems like a pattern. What's intriuging to me is that some of these folks were 

The show has an ad agency, Spotco, but as I say above, people don't work for Garth unless and until they have cash in hand. That is the "something else" that is wrong. No one is donating artwork or ad buys to this production. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/13/22 at 3:30pm

All these Tony noms with no money and barely an audience night after night. This is awful. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/13/22 at 4:09pm

Sutton Ross said: "All these Tony noms with no money and barely an audience night after night. This is awful."

It's not awful. Awful is when grandma hangs on for weeks even though she is experiencing terrible suffering. What's happening at the Barrymore is stupid but it's not awful. And there is not "barely an audience." Over 4800 souls saw the show last week. I've worked on shows where 4800 people did not see an entire run. The show failed for innumerable reasons, but context is valuable. 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 5/13/22 at 5:08pm

It’s interesting to me that they didn’t announce the same closing date as Doubtfire - I continue to see ads on social media advertising discounted tickets prices through the 29th, so I was expecting them to announce that as their final date. Looking through Telecharge, they have performances up through Thanksgiving (which we know they’ll finish way before that).

I imagine a closing date in June. We know any Tony wins will not save it, and will probably be the time someone comes to their senses and closes up shop. Which honestly does make me sad because I know many of the cast members, and they really are doing a great job with poorly crafted material. This easily could be an excellent show but not enough work was put into it from the creative side. 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/13/22 at 11:47pm

It's so sad that everyone thinks this is a show about a lamppost. 

[PeterC6482]

Posted: 5/14/22 at 2:34pm

Why are so many people on this board so anxious for this poor show to announce a closing date?

I think what's happening here is that there are several producer/investors with very deep pockets who believe in the show's message and will keep it running as long as they see a glimmer of hope, such as Tonys. 

 

[PeterC6482]

Posted: 5/14/22 at 2:36pm

the discount tickets offer only runs for one month at a time. If the producers feel the show still needs help, they extend it for another month.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/14/22 at 3:07pm

There’s a traditional and well done ad in the print edition of tomorrow’s NY Times arts and leisure (delivered on Saturday in the metro area, perhaps everywhere). Highlighting the nominations, the ad presents a fair portrait of a compelling show. I’m not a fan, other than of the indefatigable performances, but I felt a clutch of sadness. No one wants a show to close; the discussion here is mostly speculative, about economic how’s and why’s in a seemingly untenable survival. 

Updated On: 5/14/22 at 03:07 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/14/22 at 3:16pm

PeterC6482 said: "Why are so many people on this board so anxious for this poor show to announce a closing date?

I don't think they are waiting happily for that, I think they are more puzzled why it's still open and have not announced a closing date yet. I think the Tonys might give it a boost, especially with an incredible performance like "Let it Burn". 

"

 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 5/14/22 at 4:26pm

It’s just wild to me that a show with several nominations, including Best Musical, is still being heavily papered.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/14/22 at 4:38pm

PeterC6482 said: "I think what's happening here is that there are several producer/investors with very deep pockets who believe in the show's message and will keep it running as long as they see a glimmer of hope, such as Tonys."

First, there is only one producer, and he is a convicted felon serial fraudster with a track record of stealing from his  investors. Second, there is likely only one investor with deep pockets and they are likely being conned by said sole producer.  #AskMikeOvitz #OnceAThiefAlwaysAThief Third, the Tonys do not offer a glimmer of hope. Fourth, that ad in tomorrow's Times costs te last several week's of revenue. 

I am not "anxious" to see a closing notice; I am, however, eager to see the insane throwing of good money after bad come to an end. Irrational waste is bad for the health of Broadway long term and Broadway in general is not healthy atm. (As I have said before, I did not dislike the show, but it is a tale of missed opportunities.)

[Kad]

Posted: 5/14/22 at 4:38pm

Even with the best case scenario - surviving to the Tonys, giving a compelling telecast performance that shows off the dancing and Kalukango, and then a Best Actress upset- I just don’t see how this show can do anything but modestly prolong the inevitable. 

[zainmax]

Posted: 5/15/22 at 10:22pm

Don't the Tony performances cost $$$?

Saw this earlier and perhaps this is a clue that they're trying to do a performance and (hopefully) improve their marketing...

New Filing Suggests A Shortcut To Becoming A Tony-Nominated Producer (forbes.com)

[zainmax]

Posted: 5/15/22 at 11:22pm

How much do the Tony performances cost??

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/15/22 at 11:37pm

zainmax said: "How much do the Tony performances cost??"

If you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Half a million if you don't mind looking skimpy.  For PS, are they going to have Juaquina on a bare stage or are they gonna have a full complement of actors cavorting on those contraptions that kept breaking down for the first week or two.

Updated On: 5/15/22 at 11:37 PM

[zainmax]

Posted: 5/15/22 at 11:44pm

HogansHero said: "zainmax said: "How much do the Tony performances cost??"

If you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Half a million if you don't mind looking skimpy."

What do you mean looking skimpy? I thought that they used projections.

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 5/16/22 at 2:04am

No seriously, how is this show still running? And please don’t say because of the Tony noms because that surely isn’t true.