Last week, I researched another, slightly more primitive form of marketing. Yet, I have found that it can be equally, if not more effective as more high tech forms if it is done efficiently and correctly. I spent two weeks of my internship working at the office a busy commercial general manager. For one of the shows they manage, the company is thinking about putting together an in-house street team. Therefore, I was sent to explore what they do and which ones are the most successful.
I am sure many readers of this blog will agree with me when I admit that I usually cannot stand these street promoters. I think that they waste paper and materials and they always seem to catch me right when I’m in a hurry. I do not want to listen to your new hip hop cd or go to a comedy club. If I want to go see a Broadway or off-Broadway show, I will go see it anyway. I also can’t help but to feel awful for the people who have to stand in 80 degree weather for hours with a smile on their faces. Needless to say, I was not thrilled to have to go out of my way to actually seek these people out. But, the truth is, not everyone is as aware of the things New York theatre has to offer. These days, more and more tourists are waiting to buy their tickets until they get to the city, which makes flyers a very important marketing tool.
I started my exploration of the world of street teams by simply walking through the middle of Times Square — admittedly my least favorite thing to do, especially now that tourists can just hang out in lawn chairs. Usually, when I walk through the city, I listen to my iPod and solicitors on the street tend to ignore me. Therefore, this time I had to walk around the busiest part of the city without the armor of my soothing Missy Higgins.
While walking up 7th avenue I passed a slew of Broadway street team members standing together. Mary Stuart, Irena’s Vow and The 39 Steps all congregating in perfect harmony; but not necessarily making an effort to give out flyers. I decided not to seek them out, but instead to see who approached me.
I saw a girl, about my age, in a bright green Shrek shirt who looked like she wanted to walk into the next oncoming New York City Sights bus. Granted, it was 85 degrees and humid, but is a family from Ohio really going to spend 100 bucks a ticket on a kids show if the person handing them a flyer looks like they may kill someone?
The first person who actually handed me a flyer was for the show The Toxic Avenger, a new off-Broadway musical. She seemed very excited that I was interested in the show she was promoting and went on to tell me the entire synopsis. Not only had she seen the show and knew all about it, but she knew about the competing shows as well. I asked her why I should see Avenger as opposed to another off-Broadway musical and she was eager to tell me what her show had to offer that others didn’t. This girl was clearly not only knowledgeable about her show, but was also a charismatic sales person.
Many people who go out for street team jobs these days are young, out of work actors who would kill to make 8 dollars an hour to stand out in the blistering heat to annoy others. They need to be aggressive, outgoing, and most importantly, be able to keep going, even when people ignore them and their flyers. After my afternoon of street team research, I really gained a newfound respect for them. When they do their best to be enthusiastic and entertaining, they can certainly sell tickets.
