Alexis Allen and Dr. Megan Sanborn Jones, Theatre and Media Arts

Broadway musicals have long represented the pinnacle of artistic professionalism in the musical theatre industry. You can generally assume that if you see a musical on Broadway in New York, it’s bound to be big—in scope, talent, creativity and numerous other categories. Consequently, Broadway musicals are also big business. According to data provided by the League of American Theatres and Producers, Broadway grossed a record $771 million in ticket sales during the 2003-2004 season. Additionally, a Broadway musical can cost as much as $10 million to produce. With such a huge investment at stake, today’s producers are unleashing an arsenal of savvy public relations and advertising campaigns to attract the right audience.

The 2004 Broadway musical Avenue Q and its Tony campaign present an intriguing communications model for contemporary performing arts groups. Avenue Q’s marketing group, press agents and advertising agency mounted a campaign that shifted the industry standard for a Broadway communications campaign and illustrated the importance of consistently and honestly conveying the essence of the production with every marketing tactic. Avenue Q’s campaign fit the musical’s character, attracted the right audience and garnered a Tony, even when critics and audiences believed Wicked and Boy From Oz had a better chance at taking home the industry’s top prize.

This thesis presents a groundbreaking, interdisciplinary examination of the communications and marketing approaches inherent to a Broadway musical. Based on the case study presented in the contrasting communications approaches of Avenue Q and Wicked during the 2004 Tony season, this thesis creates an innovative, practical communications recommendation for performing arts groups to assist them in targeting audiences and strategically contributing to their production’s longevity.

With its opening on Broadway on October 30, 2003, Wicked became the latest installment in today’s series of mega-musicals. Presenting a new take on and prequel to L. Frank Baum’s classic, The Wizard of Oz, Wicked whisked audiences into an Oz whose characters and conflicts were different from the fantasy land they may have recalled. The show’s large budget and all-star cast almost elevated it to the ranks of Hollywood blockbuster films, and its advertising agency implemented tried-and-true communications approaches on a an equally large scale. Lines snaked around the Gershwin theater as audiences flocked to see the newest Broadway hit, acting on the almost tangible buzz floating around New York. Although Wicked’s solid communications strategy effectively leveraged the show’s assets and played it safe, its competition with Avenue Q demonstrated that taking risks is often a necessary precursor to winning big.

In many ways, Avenue Q is the anti-Wicked. An adult-themed musical manned by relatively unknown actors and Sesame Street-style puppets, Avenue Q’s plot, scope, profit margin, communications campaign and perspective on the Tony Awards contrast sharply with those of Wicked. Originally playing to good reviews at the off-Broadway Vineyard Theater in March 2003, Avenue Q transferred to a smaller Broadway theater in July 2003 and began to gradually build its reputation as the Broadway musical for the next generation of theatergoers.

Avenue Q’s communications campaign broke new ground because it successfully communicated the show’s core to the right target audiences even when many critics claimed the show would not find its niche in time to make a profit. The Avenue Q campaign presents an interesting model for other performing arts productions that search for their perfect audience. Instead of trying to sell audiences on something it wasn’t, Avenue Q acquainted audiences with the show and gradually convinced them they liked it, after all.

The communications campaigns of Wicked and Avenue Q present valuable case studies and teaching examples for other performing arts groups facing the dilemma of how to successfully communicate a message and sell tickets to audiences, particularly when their production is nontraditional or especially unique, as Avenue Q’s was. Based on interviews with Broadway producers, communications professionals and advertising executives, five specific recommendations for arts organizations emerge:

1) Leverage your assets
2) Understand your audiences
3) Connect with opinion leaders
4) Tailor your campaign to the feel of your show/event
5) Take reasonable creative risks

The communications campaigns of Wicked and Avenue Q sold tickets and impacted the bottom line of their respective productions. Further, Avenue Q’s communications strategies and tactics played a critical role in the show’s surprising Tony win for Best Musical. But other performing arts organizations do not need to wait until they find themselves in a high-stakes award competition to implement the elements that made both campaigns successful and that made the Avenue Q campaign historic.

Broadway musicals have evolved over the years, and the Broadway communications context has likewise changed to keep pace. Avenue Q’s proactive, targeted communications campaign represents one future direction Broadway communications strategies could take, but the focus must remain on strategic relationship building and the emotional feel of the show or event begin publicized. There is still something magical about a Broadway musical, even after all these years; it’s up to communications practitioners to transmit that magic to audiences new and old, with fresh perspective and challenging creativity.