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Abigail Berman

2021

LIKE, SHARE, AND RETWEET: EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON

BROADWAY

Abigail Berman

ABSTRACT

This study aims to identify and describe best practices and strategies for social media use on Broadway. A review of the existing literature highlighted that although there is data on both social media and Broadway marketing, there are gaps in research on the overlap between these two concepts. After analyzing literature and case studies and interviewing professionals in the

Broadway social media field, it was revealed that digital content should be diversified across social platforms, stay true to the nature of the show, be accessible and inclusive for all audiences, encourage fan interaction, and feel personal to each follower. By adhering to these guidelines,

Broadway social media managers will have the highest chance of success to market their product, expand their audience base, and bolster a sense of community online.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This thesis would not have been completed without the guidance and support of my advisor, Ximena Varela. Thank you for your words of wisdom and never-ending encouragement.

I would also like to thank the other members of my thesis committee, Andrew Taylor and Erica

Bondarev Rapach, for their attentive comments and dedication to my work.

Additional thanks go out to my fellow Arts Management classmates, who have provided a much-needed welcoming and loving community. Finally, I am forever grateful to my friends and family who have supported me along this journey.

iii TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ...... ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...... iii

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ...... 1

CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY ...... 4

CHAPTER 3 LITERATURE REVIEW ...... 7

CHAPTER 4 SELECTED CASE STUDIES ...... 26

CHAPTER 5 FINDINGS ...... 36

CHAPTER 6 DISCUSSION ...... 57

CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 61

APPENDIX A INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ...... 65

APPENDIX B LIST OF RESPONDENTS ...... 66

REFERENCES ...... 69

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Social media applications are relatively new technologies which can be traced back to

2000 with the creation of Web 2.0, when Internet users could engage in two-way communication with each other and with businesses (Van Dijck 2013). Technology has only progressed since, and well-known platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are now mainstream applications used by people of all ages. As of January 2020, there were around 230 million active social media users in the United States (Statista n.d.). To keep up with growing users and changing trends, organizations must use social media channels to their advantage. With technology changing every day, it is important to stay relevant by promoting products and consistently engaging with consumers in the digital space.

Broadway is no exception to these patterns, and musicals can promote their shows online through official social media accounts. By engaging with these channels, fans are able to interact with a show and its cast as well as with other followers. However, while some studies examine the link between social media and theatre, digital marketing technologies are constantly changing. Up-to-date data and analysis are required to understand current, effective social media marketing strategies and to reinforce or reconsider previous findings. There is a plethora of research on both social media marketing strategy outside of theatre and on Broadway shows in general, but there is little research combining these two fields. As social media is a relatively new marketing tool, it is important to investigate this link between Broadway and social media to provide new information for the arts management field (Van Dijck 2013). A few exceptions include studies on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway shows and his use of social media, but there is not much in-depth research on how other musicals have utilized these technologies to their

advantage. Specifically, the thesis will investigate effective strategies to market musicals and engage current and potential patrons through social media channels.

Research supports the concept that social media can be of use to Broadway musicals, but the extent of its benefit is not abundantly clear. This thesis examines the correlation between commercial theatre and social media and provides further context as to what constitutes exceptional social media strategies for Broadway musicals. Specifically, the research investigates effective strategies to market musicals and engage current and potential patrons through social media channels. Consequently, the main research question for this thesis is as follows: How can

Broadway musicals best utilize social media to market their product, expand their audience base, and bolster a sense of community?

While this thesis aims to address the current patterns in social media and how they can positively impact Broadway musicals, there are some limitations to the research. As social media and technology platforms are constantly changing, it is difficult to keep up with each emerging trend and new application; what is relevant today may not be relevant tomorrow. Additionally, while disadvantages and issues surrounding social media in the arts are acknowledged, the thesis does not thoroughly address the privacy concerns and accessibility inequities that accompany these platforms. The research focuses on those who do have access to such technologies and does not delve into the concerns and problems of those who do not.

Chapter Two delves into the research methodology of this project. The researcher explored existing literature and case studies before interviewing professionals working in or adjacent to Broadway social media to gather best practices and strategies. Chapter Three is a comprehensive literature review analyzing the following themes: a history of Broadway marketing including pre-social media strategies, audience demographic data, and musical theatre

trends; social media and marketing, which discusses a general background of the field, word-of- mouth marketing, the uses and gratifications theory, and the impact of the field; and the intersection of theatre and social media including digital marketing in the performing arts, social media on Broadway, and audience engagement and community. Chapter Four then presents case studies on two musicals, Dear Evan Hansen and Be More Chill, to highlight social media strategy exhibited by shows with differing themes and financial success. Next, Chapter Five states the findings discovered through 19 interviews with professionals in related fields. Chapter

Six compares this primary data to the literature and discusses commonalities between the two.

Finally, Chapter Seven provides conclusions and recommendations for future research.

CHAPTER 2

METHODOLOGY

The research process began in June 2020 with a literature review analyzing the history of

Broadway marketing, the background of social media, and how the two fields have intersected. It was important to have a firm understanding of the background of these fields to then explore their impact today.

Although some sources did discuss the impact of social media on Broadway musicals, they did not go into depth or provide many examples outside of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work.

More research was then conducted to fill this gap in the literature by analyzing two case studies.

Dear Evan Hansen and Be More Chill were selected due to the researcher’s familiarity with the musicals and because of the large role that social media had played in each show’s life.

Additionally, these musicals showcase the two extremes of financial success: Dear Evan Hansen is a Tony Award-winning production that is still open on Broadway, has launched a national tour, and is in production as a major motion picture, while Be More Chill only played on

Broadway for five months before closing. The researcher hoped that by comparing two shows with differing financial and critical success, the impact of social media could be analyzed more closely from varying angles.

Following the literature review and case studies, the researcher was lacking data on best practices in social media use on Broadway. While there was a plethora of information highlighting social media strategies, there was not much written about specific strategies and their impact on marketing and audience engagement. As a result, the researcher interviewed professionals in the field to gather information regarding potential social media strategies for

Broadway. Interview questions were designed to acquire data on best practices, successful musicals, social media rules, effectiveness of specific media platforms, and opportunities for 4

improvement. Further questions were formulated to discuss how social media can impact audience engagement and online communities, with questions focused on sense of community among fans, current trends, effectiveness of specific media platforms, and how to define success.

For a full text of interview questions, see Appendix A.

Between November of 2020 and January of 2021, the researcher selected 29 professionals by scouring LinkedIn and websites of Broadway marketing and advertising agencies. These potential participants were approached through email or LinkedIn to ask about their willingness to participate in this research, and the researcher deemed them as appropriate interviewees due to their work and experience within Broadway and social media or marketing.

Out of the 29 people contacted, 19 agreed to participate in a video or phone interview with the researcher. Eleven of the interviewees currently work or have worked for a Broadway marketing agency, three work within Broadway marketing but not at an agency, three work within nonprofit theatre marketing but have close proximity to Broadway digital marketing, one is a Broadway producer, and one is a Broadway actor. For a full text of interviewees, see Appendix B.

After the 19 professionals agreed to be interviewed, they were sent consent forms to return to the researcher indicating their compliance to be recorded and expressing their desire to remain anonymous or not. Four interviewees requested to remain anonymous and have their names and places of employment removed from any published work. Video interviews were arranged for 18 of the interviewees through Zoom, and a phone interview was arranged for the remaining one participant. The first interview was conducted on November 18, 2020 and the final interview was conducted on January 27, 2021. After 19 interviews, enough information and examples had been gathered to effectively illuminate the gaps previously identified in the literature and existing data.

Chapter Three will present and discuss the current literature on Broadway marketing, social media, and the intersection between the two fields.

CHAPTER 3

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter explores the history of Broadway marketing, social media, and the relationship between the two fields. Specifically, the literature review examines the background of social media and digital marketing in theatre through discussions of Broadway marketing and demographics, social media strategies and impact, and how online platforms affect the success and engagement of Broadway musicals. These themes are analyzed to prepare for later discussions furthering the case that social media can be remarkably effective to market and promote engagement with Broadway musicals.

Broadway Background

Marketing Strategies Pre-Social Media

Before the creation and utilization of social media, Broadway organizations had to attract their audiences offline or through other digital marketing tools. For example, merchandising deals were pervasive in the theatre community in the late 1990s: Rent sold clothing items, Show

Boat created a cookbook, and Phantom of the Opera advertised household items including paperweights, for example (Miller 1996). These strategies were unconventional and expensive at the time, but it was important to stray from the status quo in order to stand out and attract novel audiences. Print and media advertisements were also popular around this time, and Phantom of the Opera took advantage of its iconic image and plastered advertisements featuring the title character’s mask across New York City (Miller 1996). Additionally, despite negative reviews,

Footloose was able to attract patrons by running advertisements of dancing feet on MTV and

VH-1 (Pogrebin 1998). More recently, the 1972 Theatre Development Fund’s half price TKTS

booth advertises Broadway tickets at lower prices, expanding the market of potential patrons by eliminating the cost factor (Hillman-McCord 2017, chap. 2). Souccar (2004) discusses another marketing success: an agreement between Broadway producers and the Actors’ Equity

Association, which allows producers to pay one fee up front covering all aspects of any one advertisement. Costs decreased as a result, and advertisements featuring actors and show footage could be aired more frequently and reach a wider audience (Souccar 2004).

According to Reddy et al. (1998), newspaper reviews were critical theatre marketing tools as they were main lines of communication and the largest indicators of a show’s success.

Newspapers held a great amount of power before social media; a show that received a positive review would generally go on to achieve commercial success, and a show that received a negative review could be marked for failure. Potential Broadway patrons turned to theatre critics to shape their opinion and were less likely to do their own research, basing much of their assessment on others’ reviews (Reddy et al. 1998). This contradicts Pogrebin (1998), who believed that newspaper reviews were beginning to lose their marketing impact around the late

1990s. Theatres were beginning to invest in new marketing strategies such as segmenting their audience, sending direct mail, and targeting people by ZIP code, age, and ethnicity (Pogrebin

1998). Wachtel (1981) also questioned the impact of newspapers during the previous decade: after surveying patrons at The Elephant Man play in March 1980, it was determined that word- of-mouth marketing was more effective than newspaper advertisements in encouraging people to attend.

Audience Demographics

Wachtel (1981) details an early study analyzing the impact of advertisements on

Broadway audiences, distinguishing between several forms of advertising and their impacts on different audience members. This study determined that a majority of patrons who attended The

Elephant Man play in March 1980 identified as local to New York City, female, unmarried, and under 25 years old (Wachtel 1981). This data was replicated in 2019, as 68 percent of Broadway patrons were female and wealthy (The Broadway League 2019).

While not specific to Broadway, Brown and Ratzkin (2012) surveyed 18 nonprofit theatres to understand audience motivation. Most patrons were inclined to attend live theatre to

“relax and escape,” “be emotionally moved,” or “discover something new” (Brown and Ratzkin

2012). Younger audiences were highly motivated to attend because of social or educational factors yet were less familiar with theatre as a whole; however, they were more familiar than other ages with cast members and creative teams (Brown and Ratzkin 2012). This involvement with Broadway actors is seen later on in discussions of Be More Chill and Dear Evan Hansen.

As social media became more popular, studies captured the media and technological habits of theatregoers. A survey conducted by the Broadway League (2019) showed that 59 percent of respondents purchased a ticket online and 22 percent relied on word-of-mouth marketing for information. The survey also showed that most audience members consume their news online rather than in print; this is correlated with smartphone use, which has greatly increased among all ticket-buyers but particularly for those over the age of 45. Most theatregoers hear about live performance events through email, postcards and flyers, and word-of-mouth recommendations. Least popular are other traditional print advertisements, and patrons hear

about events through social media posts and website content 25-49 percent of the time (Capacity

Interactive 2020).

Over time, Broadway grosses and attendance have dramatically increased. For example, the 1984-1985 overall season gross was $209 million while the 2018-2019 season gross was

$1,829 million. Similarly, the attendance from 1984-1985 totaled 7.25 million while the 2018-

2019 season saw 14.77 million attendees (The Broadway League n.d.).

Trends in Musical Theatre

Alongside the rise of technology, a shift in musical composition occurred. This post-2000 era has seen an increase in new creatives and smaller-scale musicals as well as new genres such as rock musicals, hip-hop musicals, and song cycles (Block et al. 2014). Many popular shows such as Be More Chill, Waitress, and Beetlejuice utilize a pop-infused score, while other successes are categorized as jukebox musicals such as The Cher Show and Head Over Heels

(Evans 2019).

These current musicals tend to target a younger, newer audience that is less traditional than in years past (Block et al. 2014). Many shows include themes surrounding the LGBTQ+ community, attracting patrons who did not feel represented on stage beforehand. These musicals are also written by diverse creatives who are knowledgeable with technology, speaking to the newer audience of younger patrons who utilize social media (Evans 2019).

Social Media and Marketing

Social Media Background

As of January 2020, there were around 300 million active internet users, 250 million active mobile internet users, 225 million active social media users, and 225 million active mobile social media users in the United States (Statista n.d.). Van Dijck (2013) determined the start of this technological revolution to have occurred in 2000 alongside the launch of Web 2.0. Websites went beyond providing Web 1.0’s generic services by creating platforms for communication and outreach between users and producers, which were often used for digital marketing efforts. By adding the term “digital” to “marketing,” it is implied that a two-way conversation exists as opposed to simple promotion with no interaction (Heinze et al. 2020). These interactive sites mold the Internet into a “participatory,” “user centered,” and “collaborative” environment (Van

Dijck 2013, 11). Van Dijck (2013) defined and organized these new social media platforms into two distinct categories:

“A major type [of social media] involves what is called “social network sites” (SNSs). These sites primarily promote interpersonal contact, whether between individuals or groups; they forge personal, professional, or geographical connections and encourage weak ties. Examples are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Foursquare” (Van Dijck 2013, 8).

“A second category concerns sites for “user-generated content” (UGC): they support creativity, foreground cultural activity, and promote the exchange of amateur or professional content. Well-known UGC sites are YouTube, Flickr, Myspace, GarageBand, and Wikipedia” (Van Dijck 2013, 8).

These types of media do not discriminate by age; as of February 2019, 90 percent of 18–29-year- olds, 82 percent of 30–49-year-olds, 69 percent of 50–64-year-olds, and 40 percent of people 65 years old and older used social media (Statista n.d.). Obar and Wildman (2015) expand upon the categories provided by Van Dijck (2013) by identifying four criteria of social media:

“Social media services are (currently) Web 2.0 Internet-based applications” (Obar and Wildman 2015, 6).

“User-generated content is the lifeblood of social media” (Obar and Wildman 2015, 7).

“Individuals and groups create user-specific profiles for a site or app designed and maintained by a social media service” (Obar and Wildman 2015, 8).

“Social media services facilitate the development of social networks online by connecting a profile with those of other individuals and/or groups” (Obar and Wildman 2015, 9).

Despite detailed definitions and categories, there are challenges in defining “social media” as a concrete term. Technology is constantly changing, and criteria for determining what is or is not social media is unlikely to remain the same for long. Furthermore, since the main goal of social media is to facilitate communication, it blurs the line between definitions of other communication methods such as telephones (Obar and Wildman 2015).

As previously mentioned, popular social media platforms include Facebook, YouTube,

Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Since 2004, Facebook has been a platform for users to share their lives with each other regardless of potential privacy concerns. Through being connected virtually, Facebook’s features allow memory and emotion to become a part of the online experience through viewing and sharing photos (Van Dijck 2013). Facebook is consistently the most-used social media platform for all demographics, especially for those between the ages of

30 and 54 (Alalwan et al. 2017, Statista n.d.). Additionally, most businesses prefer Facebook over other platforms such as Twitter (Jennings et al. 2017). As of April 2020, the application was the most popular social networking site with around 2.5 billion users (Statista n.d.).

Launched in 2005, YouTube is a platform for users to share self-created videos. Although not originally created for social networking, connectivity principles described by Van Dijck

(2013) flourished in the comment section and in users’ ability to like or dislike a video. Older

arts patrons tend to prefer YouTube over other applications such as Instagram and as of April

2020, the application had around 2 billion users (Capacity Interactive 2020, Statista n.d.).

Twitter, created in 2006, permits its users to freely and quickly express their opinions through short tweets, which are “something between a short message service, a phone call, an email, and a blog” (Van Dijck 2013, 70). Features that set Twitter apart from other social networking platforms like Facebook include hashtags, ease of following, concise text, and retweets (Van Dijck 2013). Twitter was one of the most popular platforms for 18–29-year-olds as of February 2018 alongside Instagram; however, as of April 2020, the application was one of the least popular social networking sites overall with around 386 million users (Statista n.d.).

Launched in 2010 and bought by Facebook in 2012, Instagram is a platform for users to edit their photos and share them for mass consumption, replacing the previously popular photo application Flickr (Van Dijck 2013). Instagram was the most popular platform used by 18–29- year-olds as of 2018, and younger theatregoers tend to use Instagram more than older consumers

(Statista n.d., Capacity Interactive 2020). As of April 2020, the application had around 1 billion million active users (Statista n.d.).

The newest trend in social media is TikTok, a platform to create and view short-form video content. Originally called Musical.ly, the application was bought by ByteDance in August

2018 and is now known by its familiar name, TikTok (Influencer Marketing Hub 2019). The platform has only risen in popularity since then, and as of February 2021 had an estimated 1.1 billion users (Doyle 2021). These consumers can create original content or follow existing challenges and trends, navigating the application through categorized hashtags and sounds

(Herrman 2019). Additionally, Herrman (2019) mentions how popular trends make it easy for users to post and discover content, and the application personalizes its algorithm to recommend

videos each user is likely to find interesting. TikTok attracts a young audience, and is most popular among 10–19-year-olds (Doyle 2021).

Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Simply put, word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) is “...the intentional influencing of consumer-to-consumer communications by professional marketing techniques” (Kozinets et al.

2010, 71). People tend to be heavily influenced by personal stories and opinions of others, especially when framed in an emotional narrative. Using WOMM, people are able to market a product to one another without the intervention of a formal advertisement (Miller and Lammas

2010). While social media is a catalyst for this type of marketing, these strategies were present prior to the digital revolution. Wachtel (1981) conducted an audience survey following a 1980 production of The Elephant Man, concluding that over half of patrons were motivated to see the play after hearing a friend’s positive recommendation.

With the rise of technology and ease of online communication, social media platforms have become incubators for WOMM (Miller and Lammas 2010). Similar to in-person factors, online WOMM is influenced by narratives, digital forums like blogs, community norms, and type of promoted product (Kozinets et al. 2010). Social media has been able to increase the online impact of this type of marketing by creating more spaces for customers to interact

(Alalwan et al. 2017). Their opinions can then be shared easily through these channels, subsequently boosting these WOMM strategies (Van Dijck 2013). For example, Coleman et al.

(2019) studied the potential of social media platforms as marketing tools for theatres. The data concluded that over 80 percent of respondents heard about theatre performances through social media posts on Facebook or WOMM (Coleman et al. 2019).

Although technology can greatly advance WOMM, Miller and Lammas (2010) believe that most of these interactions occur in-person. While this may be true, Hausmann (2012) concluded that social media has ultimately positive effects on WOMM and helps to facilitate interactions in a virtual space. It is important that organizations create ways for customers to engage in online WOMM, as social media and Internet users tend to trust their peers over advertisements (Rosewall 2014).

Uses and Gratifications Theory

The uses and gratifications theory explains why individuals are motivated to use online applications; people subconsciously pick and choose the content they consume in order to satisfy various desires, and social media allows for more people to meet more of their needs through the increasing amount of digital content and channels (Bajracharya 2018). Similarly, Whiting and

Williams (2013) describe the uses and gratifications theory as a process of motivation in which people actively seek out ways to fulfill their needs in order to experience maximum enjoyment.

In this case, social media acts as the outlet in which to do so. These researchers sought to explore what needs people seek to satisfy through social media; motivations included to engage in social interaction (88 percent), to seek information (80 percent), to pass time (76 percent), to entertain themselves (64 percent), to relax (60 percent), to communicate (56 percent), to express their opinions (56 percent), to be convenient (52 percent), to share information (40 percent), and to survey and watch others (20 percent) (Whiting and Williams 2013).

Taylor et al. (2011) discuss the theory within the context of social-networking advertising

(SNA):

“...when SNA delivers content that is consistent with the motivations originally expressed in media uses and gratification theory, consumers were more likely to ascribe

positive attitudes toward advertising conveyed to them through an SNS medium” (Taylor et al., 269).

People were more likely to feel positively toward SNA when it was entertaining, informative, or sociable; these aspects mirror the descriptions of fulfillments from the uses and gratifications theory (Taylor et al 2011, Bajracharya 2018).

Overall, the uses and gratifications theory explains that patrons and customers are motivated to seek out social media channels that make them feel good or that satisfy a particular need. To frame this theory in the context of theatre, someone may choose to watch a video to fulfill their affective needs, or they may communicate with other theatre fans to fulfill their social needs (Bajracharya 2018).

Impact of Social Media

The initial motivation to use social media is for users to achieve connectedness, or to engage in social interaction with others (Van Dijck 2013). By communicating through social media, users are able to establish communal norms and subsequently form communities online

(Kozinets et al. 2010). Chen and Lin (2019) further this idea of interpersonal interaction, believing that the need for socialization increases as social media use increases. Jennings et al.

(2014) agree with these concepts, stating that social media can be used for users to express themselves, share their stories, and build trust through relationships formed online. This need to connect with others online is seen every day through text messaging, video chatting, and social media channels. Businesses have taken advantage of this human need to form bonds by creating the social media platforms popular today, such as Facebook and Twitter (Van Dijck 2013). These online communities allow users to form connections both with each other and with organizations advertising products (Chen and Lin 2019).

While businesses can promote their own products through social network sites (SNS) platforms, users can also promote their personal brand (Taylor et al. 2011). Social media users pick and choose what to post, share, and like, effectively creating an online persona that may or may not match their life off-screen. All social media applications allow people to create a self- image to develop how they see fit, and these users have accepted social media as part of their everyday lives (Van Dijck 2013). Social media is a large tool used to make decisions as people frequently turn to media platforms to gather information and many people incorporate social media into part of their daily routines (Alawan et al. 2017, Statista n.d.).

As previously discussed within the framework of the uses and gratifications theory, social media plays a large role in digital advertising. SNS advertisements are generally perceived as informative, entertaining, and positive (Taylor et al. 2011). To effectively promote SNA, organizations must be accepted by and interact with their consumers, as SNA is impacted by self-congruity and peer influence (Miller and Lammas 2010, Taylor et al. 2011). It is important that organizations utilizing social media marketing structure their advertising in order to influence the perceived value of a product, which consequently influences a consumer’s motivation to engage with the company (Chen and Lin 2019). Businesses can also use social media and advertising to track customer demographics to gather more information about who is using their products (Miller and Lammas 2010).

Hausmann (2012) assumes that most people can access and easily utilize social media; however, online privacy is a concern. Madden (2012) furthers this discussion and believes that digital footprints can easily be tracked and that users have to go to great lengths to ensure total privacy online. Many people take steps to make their online profiles private but struggle in managing privacy controls (Madden 2012). Furthermore, Taddicken (2014) analyzes how

although Internet users claim to be concerned about privacy, their actions do not reflect these hesitations. Privacy concerns do not impact the urge to self-disclose; however, people are more likely to share content with their close contacts than with the general public. There is a social pressure to post personal information online, and an increase in pressure correlates with an increase in privacy concerns (Taddicken 2014). Additionally, while users can create an ideal version of themselves online, social media can lead to “...lust, envy, hate, and jealousy…”

(Jennings et al. 2014, 97). These negative effects of social media are impactful, but the promises of connectedness and communication outweigh the concerns of privacy and accessibility.

Theatre and Social Media

Digital Marketing in the Performing Arts

With social media and technology on the rise, theatres and other performing arts organizations have had to adapt to survive. Utilizing social media as a tool within digital marketing practices has proven beneficial for these organizations as it is cost-efficient, interactive, has a short lead time, and can continue to live online through sharing and forwarding

(Colbert and Ravenas 2018). For example, Coleman et al. (2019) discuss the success of the not- for-profit Darpan Theatre, which reduced its marketing costs by prioritizing social media over traditional, non-technological strategies.

Additionally, digital marketing allows for direct and accurate targeting through segmenting an audience base. Rosewall (2014) believes that not-for-profit arts organizations should focus on audiences that are within reach, which is possible through accurate segmentation and digital marketing. This in turns forms a connection between the producer and the consumer, also called relationship marketing, which prompts audiences to show more loyalty to an

organization (Colbert and Ravenas 2018). As Laura MacDonald states: “online marketing is increasingly consumers’ first point of engagement with a musical brand” (Hillman-McCord

2017, 18).

On the other hand, Rosewall (2014) analyzes how despite the marketing efforts of arts organizations, social media users tend to trust their peers over advertisements. People are also more likely to use social media platforms for personal use rather than business use (Jennings et al. 2017). This word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) found within digital platforms allows for positive experiences and reviews to spread quickly without much intervention from the producer or organization (Rosewall 2014). A study by Coleman et al. (2019) furthers these ideas; when asked how patrons heard about a specific performance at the Darpan Theatre, 80 percent selected

Facebook or WOMM; the WOMM option did include online discussions.

Hausmann (2012) discusses how social media platforms allow audiences to experience art they may not be able to experience personally. Organizations are able to post photos and videos for viewing by an audience that is typically larger than their in-person attendees:

“...short videos or online clips can be used to materialise the intangible acoustic and/or visual cultural experience and to emotionally activate the user before actually using a cultural service and to support their decision in favour of a real visit” (Hausmann 2012, 177).

While these types of posts are effective, the connections users make with each other are just as important. Audience members’ online interaction with theatre works “can extend a production both temporally and spatially, pushing plays beyond the boundaries of the stage, and beyond the performance of the action in real time” (Lonergan 2015). Similarly, arts organizations in London utilize social media to better connect with their audience, maintain an open environment, promote a sense of community, and to create an online dialogue (Davis 2010).

Although there are clear advantages of social media in the arts, change does not come without drawbacks. Davis (2010) mentions that in London, it is difficult to make a connection between social media and ticket sales. Marketing efforts should yield results, and if increased social media use is not resulting in more revenue or patrons, then it may not be as effective as originally hoped. People between the ages of 18 and 22 tend to feel the most connected to social media, and arts organizations should adapt to become more involved with this younger audience as the average age of an arts patron tends to skew older (Thomas 2015, Davis 2010).

Social Media on Broadway

Social media has clear benefits for the performing arts field as a whole, and these digital marketing platforms have directly impacted Broadway shows and theatres. MySpace was one of the first media platforms to be used by Broadway theatres, allowing users to spread their opinions and reviews online quicker than ever before (Schmidt 2008). However, a hybrid approach was beneficial in the early years of social media to target previously unreachable market segments. Schmidt (2008) underscores the success of combining online marketing with traditional outlets such as newspapers and television advertisements.

A champion of social media use on Broadway is Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda is adept at using online platforms to engage with patrons already interested in Broadway musicals as well as those who are not as knowledgeable. In the Heights, Miranda’s 2008 hit show, utilized virtual marketing strategies to increase its popularity and financial success, recouping its investment only ten months after opening (Craft 2011). Through MySpace, Miranda provided fans with blog content, songs, and videos. This had the desired effect, as fans told Miranda that these videos

“...inspired them to come to New York to see his show” (Schmidt 2008). The show’s focus on

hip hop and Latinx themes set up In the Heights to be an outlier in the musical genre, and

Miranda needed to target marketing efforts at these communities commonly not represented on a

Broadway stage. His videos on MySpace and YouTube introduced audiences to the show and permitted fans to interact with him and with each other in the comment section, and some even created their own content to share. Additionally, the show utilized Broadway advertising agency

SpotCo to reach Spanish-speaking communities through Google advertisements (Craft 2011).

Another success story comes from a smaller-scale musical: The Lightning Thief: The

Percy Jackson Musical. Ashlee Latimer, who ran the Twitter account for the show, posted creative and engaging tweets which gathered over 50,000 followers despite the show’s poor critical reviews (Coleman 2020). Latimer’s tweets were relatively casual for a professional theatre account, calling out critics and acting as an advice column for younger audiences.

Coleman (2020) states that the primary fan base for The Lightning Thief is a part of Generation Z and “Mx. Thief” (Latimer’s online alias) catered to that demographic by helping first-time

Broadway attendees find the show.

Additionally, since social media caters to younger consumers, shows began to use these resources to connect with these patrons in an environment familiar to them. For example, Spring

Awakening posted “Totally Trucked,” a YouTube vlog series that helped young people to connect with the musical, and Newsies fans – dubbed “Fansies” – took to online platforms to spread positive reviews and connect with the cast (Hillman-McCord 2017, chap. 2). Fans of In the Heights were able to use Facebook to communicate with each other and discuss their opinions of the show (Craft 2011).

Social media allows audiences of all ages to act as critics. Newspaper reviews are no longer the only medium in which to hear about a show, as people can now turn to their

smartphones to read opinions which remain on the Internet forever and can increase their scope of influence (Hillman-McCord 2017, chap. 14). As Broadway producer Lorenzo Thione states:

“Nothing multiplies word-of-mouth like social media” (Slutsky 2011). Slutsky (2011) additionally details the digital marketing strategies of Allegiance, a 2012 Broadway play. The show was able to garner thousands of social media followers by utilizing online trivia games, creating interactive websites first mentioned in the show, posting videos of the cast, and promoting a traveling screening of the cast reading (Slutsky 2011).

Lewis (2016) mentions that although Broadway was once resistant to social media, these platforms are the most effective ways to promote shows in the modern era. Streaming services allow patrons to access theatre they may not be able to experience without the Internet, and initiatives like “tweet-seats” allow select audience members to promote the show online while it is running (Lewis 2016).

“By providing a digital space for fans to gather around a show, theatre-makers extend the experience of the show beyond the walls of the physical theater” (Lewis 2016).

Audiences are not the only groups benefiting from social media in theatre. Broadway professionals use platforms such as Facebook and Google to communicate with one another, expediting the creative process to be more efficient than it was before the times of digital platforms (Hillman-McCord 2017, chap. 11).

While social media is a great tool, it has not always been used in a theatre’s favor.

Peterpaul (n.d.) and Riedel (2017) oppose Lewis (2016) and Hillman-McCord (2017), focusing on how cell phones have disrupted Broadway performances. For example, during a performance of She Loves Me, Laura Benanti was interrupted by an audience member’s ringing cell phone and paused her song until the noise subsided. During Gypsy, Patti LuPone interrupted her own song to scream at several audience members taking photos (Peterpaul, n.d.). Additionally, an audience

member climbed on stage during a performance of Hand to God to charge his phone in an outlet which turned out to be a prop (Riedel 2017). More recently, Romano (2020) discusses how after the Hamilton pro-shot was released on Disney+ so that a wider audience could view the musical at an extremely reduced fee, angry fans created the trending hashtag #CancelHamilton which was seen across various social media platforms. Audiences took offense to creator Lin-Manuel

Miranda’s portrayal of slave owners, especially since the musical was released online during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. Miranda himself took to social media to join these discussions, assuring fans that their opinions were valid but asking them to keep in mind that only so much material can be included in one musical (Romano 2020). While these disadvantages cannot be forgotten, a majority of social media use has benefitted theatre.

Audience Engagement and Community

Social media has become an exceedingly important tool for fans of musical theatre to interact with other fans as well as with Broadway casts and creatives. This participatory nature allows fans to feel more involved than ever before (Hillman-McCord 2017, chap. 6). As Lewis

(2016) states:

“The most engagement with and insight into Broadway comes from the social media practices of performers, producers, and playwrights themselves. Fans of all ages, races, and backgrounds from around the world who may not have the opportunity to see the Broadway production in person may be able to participate in Twitter chats or Facebook Q&A’s that provide a different, but unique, experience” (Lewis 2016).

Broadway musicals are able to use social media to effectively interact with fans and subsequently broaden a musical’s audience base, facilitating a comfortable environment for patrons to form online communities. These patrons – or “super-fans,” as Heim (2016) dubs them

– are followers of a particular show who interact heavily online. Van Dijck (2013) emphasizes

the connective nature of social media, and super-fans use digital platforms to form these bonds and create digital communities. Often referred to as “fandoms,” online communities foster

WOMM and quickly spread awareness of a show, and “through creating or viewing fan culture, fans feel like active participants in a community” (Hillman-McCord 2017, 131). Heim (2016) lists three common characteristics of fandom members: they have mutual interest in a particular show or cast member, they appreciate the show so much that it feels like their own story, and they tend to be repeat attenders.

Once again Lin-Manuel Miranda comes out as a virtual leader, fostering connections between his loyal fans online to create a substantial following and expanded audience base. Most notable is the Ham4Ham project, which promoted behind-the-scenes content from Miranda’s

Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton. Videos of cast members from Hamilton and other

Broadway shows were posted online, supplying fans with free content from an expensive professional show. These videos prompted followers to talk with one another and allowed for a wider audience to experience Hamilton content (MacDonald 2018). Hillman-McCord (2017) furthers these points, discussing the digital #Ham4Ham shows which provided fans with a myriad of content through YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, and websites such as

Broadway.com. Audiences can also utilize these platforms to display their own work, such as fanfiction and fan art, to a large community with similar interests. Hamilton has established its fans in such a way that these people feel like a part of the show, perfectly illustrating one of the characteristics of fandoms (Hillman-McCord 2017, chap. 6, Heim 2016).

Social media platforms allow for fans to form bonds with one another and feel a sense of personal connection to any one particular Broadway show. People can now interact and engage with others from the comfort of their own homes, eliminating many access barriers present

before social media’s rise in popularity. Heim (2016) skillfully summarizes the benefits of social media from a fan’s perspective:

“...the virtual and real relationships [fans] form with performers extends the theatrical community across the footlights, onto the pavements and—in this twenty- first century—into the virtual atmosphere” (Heim 2016, 40).

Social media use for Broadway musicals has become progressively more important as over time, patrons increasingly rely on online media for personal and professional use. In order to attract new audiences and continue to engage existing fans, digital marketing strategies should stay up to date and follow technological trends such as the rise in social media. Musicals like

Hamilton have done well in the virtual space due to their plethora of engagement initiatives and active social media presence (MacDonald 2018, Hillman-McCord 2017). Broadway musicals have great potential to grow by marketing their products online through social media platforms.

Chapter Four explores two case studies on Broadway musicals Be More Chill and Dear

Evan Hansen to provide examples of theatre social media in action for both a financial misstep and a financial success.

CHAPTER 4

SELECTED CASE STUDIES

The literature review analyzes and summarizes themes, trends, and benefits of using social media to market and facilitate engagement with Broadway musicals. While this information is crucial, it is just as important to identify specific examples where this information applies first-hand. Be More Chill and Dear Evan Hansen are two musicals which utilize social media well and were able to attract and retain fans through these online platforms. These

Broadway shows will be examined and discussed to demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of social media for shows representing different levels of success.

Be More Chill

Be More Chill had an unconventional path to Broadway which underscores the importance and power of social media in theatre. Brunner (2019) details the show’s beginnings in 2012, when composer and lyricist Joe Iconis was introduced to Ned Vizzini’s novel Be More

Chill. Iconis began working on a musical adaptation, and in 2015 the show debuted at the Two

River Theater in New Jersey. After running for one month and not receiving many positive reviews, producers did not expect for the musical to extend its run. However, in 2017, fans heavily streamed the original cast recording, and the musical went viral. This sudden online popularity prompted the Be More Chill team to work on transferring to New York, and after its immensely successful summer 2018 off-Broadway run, the musical opened on Broadway in

2019. Professional critics were still not impressed with the material and the show closed after only a five-month run, but Be More Chill’s fans kept the show alive through social media

(Vincentelli 2018, Lenker 2019, Brunner 2019, Paulson 2018).

Be More Chill’s online popularity correlates with its audience, as the musical’s story and themes tend to resonate with younger patrons who are more likely to interact through social media. The show’s protagonist, Jeremy Heere, is a stereotypical high school dork who wants to become popular and impress his crush. He obtains a supercomputer pill that is rumored to help him become all that he wishes to be, but things quickly go awry (Brunner 2019). The musical’s pop-rock score and themes including science fiction, belonging, and teenage angst have resonated with younger followers who then turn to social media to become even more involved with the show (Vincentelli 2018).

Critical Reception

Despite new themes and out-of-the-box material, Be More Chill garnered poor critical reception. After its 2015 run at Two River Theater, The New York Times critic Charles

Isherwood wrote that the show “...hews so closely to formulaic stories of adolescent insecurities and the brutal ecology of high school that the quirky bits register as just that, little fillips of novelty adorning a boilerplate tale, like weird squiggles scrawled across a generic plastic binder”

(Isherwood 2015). Other reviews reflected similar opinions, and producers questioned the show’s life beyond its regional premiere; they ultimately persevered and Be More Chill was transferred to off-Broadway before finally opening on Broadway. Some critics and publications like The Wall Street Journal gave hope to the show’s success, but Erin Strecker agreed with

Isherwood’s critiques:

“[Be More Chill] wants to say something profound about the pressures of being a young person in 2019, but instead settles for a stereotype-filled retrograde story straight out of the ’80s” (Strecker 2019).

Unfortunately, these reviews foreshadowed Be More Chill’s short Broadway run. The musical officially opened at the Lyceum Theatre in March 2019 before closing a short five months later in August 2019, earning one Tony nomination for Best Original Score (“Be More Chill

Broadway Grosses”).

During its five-month run on Broadway which included 30 previews and 177 performances, Be More Chill earned a gross of $14,217,792 from 151,941 total attendees (“Be

More Chill Broadway Grosses”). Despite its short time in the Lyceum Theater, the show experienced a high amount of fluctuation over the course of its run. Be More Chill earned

$389,761 during its worst week of recorded gross and $770,748 during its best week of recorded gross, with capacity ranging between 67.68 percent and 93.56 percent (“Be More Chill

Broadway Grosses,” “Be More Chill – Broadway Musical – Original”).

Fandom and Community

Since theatre critics tended to dislike the show, the Be More Chill team knew they needed another outlet for their musical to gain followers and popularity. What they did not know is that their own fans would be the ones to bolster the show’s reputation, as they ultimately utilized social media to bring the show to Broadway.

The regional production of Be More Chill closed in September 2015 after receiving negative critical feedback, and producers thought the show was done. A cast album was released but was not streamed heavily; however, beginning in May 2017, the album suddenly went viral on Spotify and was streamed over one million times per month (“How Fans of ‘Be More Chill’

Streamed the Show to Broadway”). Later that same year, Paulson (2018) highlights that the cast and creatives began receiving many Twitter and Instagram notifications seemingly out of the

blue, and the hashtag #BeMoreChill began to trend across various media platforms (Scheps

2019). By summer 2018, the Spotify album rivaled Hamilton’s popularity with 150 million streams (Lenker 2019, Wiegand 2020). This explosion is what initially prompted the creative team to “...use technology to take their show about futuristic technology to Broadway” (“How

Fans of ‘Be More Chill’ Streamed the Show to Broadway”).

At the same time, the musical “became the second-most-discussed musical of 2018 on the social app Tumblr” and continued to trend across additional social media sites (Lenker 2019,

Brunner 2019). Be More Chill’s fans skewed younger and were able to become invested in the show through familiar online channels. Vincentelli (2018) provides examples of how fans utilized these platforms: fan art, Tumblr posts, animated YouTube storyboards, and cosplay performances were all published before the show even opened in New York. This helped to boost popularity and online presence, and the musical’s 2018 Off-Broadway run sold out before it even opened (Lenker 2019). These fans – who came from “...50 states, 18 countries and five continents” – had consumed so much content online that they felt it necessary to see the production live (Brunner 2019, Lenker 2019).

The amount of fan interaction through social media was present before Be More Chill’s

Broadway run and did not disappear after its opening. Outside agencies including Strategic

Marketing Innovations brought social media influencers to performances, instructing them to advertise the show to their followers in an attempt to increase online WOMM (Seymour 2019).

Additionally, after the first cast album went viral, a Broadway soundtrack was recorded which reached 350 million streams by February 2020 (Wiegand 2020). Wiegand (2020) goes on to highlight fans’ engagement on other online platforms such as Tumblr and YouTube where they

continued to post material such as fanfiction, animatics, streams, and vlogs after the show’s

Broadway opening.

Additionally, younger audiences can easily relate to the themes portrayed in the show and are therefore motivated to become engaged both online and in-person (Lenker 2019).

Wingenroth (2019) describes the main Be More Chill audience as “LGBTQ teens who consider themselves outsiders.” This demographic differs from that of other Broadway musicals as it tends to skew toward younger and first-time attendees, and social media has allowed these fans to feel included in a professional production (Paulson 2018, Wingenroth 2019).

Fans were not the only ones creating online content for consumption. Similar to Lin-

Manuel Miranda’s behind-the-scenes videos, the Be More Chill team posted videos for free viewing access. Scheps (2019) provides a specific example in 2015, when a video of actor

George Salazar singing his character’s hit song “Michael in the Bathroom” was posted to

YouTube and acquired 2.3 million views by early 2019. Cast members were looped in on

Instagram as well, and Wiegand (2020) mentions how Be More Chill fans essentially doubled most of the cast’s follower counts. Fans were able to comment, like, and share online content, and producer Jennifer Tepper stated that “‘the show happened because of good word of mouth

… It's just that the word of mouth happened to be on the internet’” (Seymour 2019).

Social Media Impact

The “surge of social media” is one of the largest factors that helped Be More Chill to transfer to Broadway after previous doubts (Paulson 2018). Producer Gerald Goehring strongly believed in the power social media had for the show’s success:

“‘Social media is connecting us in a way that’s historic at the same time it’s keeping us apart… At the end of the day, it’s how we relate to each other as people, as friends,

and how we talk and don’t need technology to assist us because we’re people and we can communicate in ways that are real’” (Lenker 2019).

The production did not have the marketing fund to heavily promote the show, and this fan- created content and heavy social media presence acted as a free, effective marketing tool

(Paulson 2018). Vincentelli (2018) mentions that “...the internet helped link fans all over the world,” as social media platforms such as YouTube recommended Be More Chill videos to users viewing similar content.

Ultimately, despite negative critical reviews, Be More Chill was able to open on

Broadway thanks to social media and virtual fan interactions. People started “taking ownership and spreading the word,” and this WOMM allowed the show to become popular without much expense (Shenton 2019, Paulson 2018). Shenton (2019) argues that online WOMM has more influence than critical reviews in today’s digital age, and Be More Chill owes much of its success to fans who engaged in online WOMM through various social media platforms.

Dear Evan Hansen

Like Be More Chill, Dear Evan Hansen has utilized social media to its advantage.

However, while Be More Chill relied on its fans to counteract negative reviews, Dear Evan

Hansen has been well received by both followers and professional critics. Seymour (2016) describes the show as “...the first major musical about social media…” as technology is used both off-stage by fans and on-stage by the characters, creating a unique environment showcasing the advantages and disadvantages of modern technology (Seymour 2016, Hillman-McCord 2017, chap. 15). Dear Evan Hansen questions why people feel the need to publicize their grief through social media, yet these platforms ultimately allow for interpersonal connections (Swisher 2017).

The musical centers around Evan Hansen, a socially awkward teenager who becomes involved with another classmate. When that boy commits suicide, Evan finds himself entangled in a web of lies that heavily impacts those around him (Soloski 2016). Throughout the show, projections showcasing the character’s social media accounts are plastered across the stage, giving the audience an inside look into the online world of the musical (Levenson et al. 2017).

The show’s themes reach various audiences; younger patrons can relate to Evan and his experiences with friends and social media, and older patrons may find more connections with the parental figures and their struggles with grief and loss.

Critical Reception

Dear Evan Hansen has received a plethora of positive reviews which are well represented through its performance at the 2017 Tony Awards, as the show won six awards including Best

Musical and Best Lighting Design (Seymour 2017, Eddy 2017). The musical was even able to

“[recoup] its capitalization of $9.5 million in just 8.5 months,” a rare feat on Broadway

(Seymour 2017). Seymour (2017) continues to analyze Dear Evan Hansen’s critical success: “at

$1.7 million, [the show] broke the industry record for a theater with fewer than 1,000 seats.”

Contrary to Be More Chill, Dear Evan Hansen did achieve financial success and continued its run on Broadway up until the Covid-19 shutdown, and is likely to continue after reopening.

Since opening in December 2016, Dear Evan Hansen has played 21 previews and 1,360 performances as of August 2020. The musical has earned a gross of $241,083,758 from

1,373,383 total attendees (“Dear Evan Hansen Broadway Grosses”). During its time in the Music

Box Theatre, the show’s individual weeks of gross have spanned between $757,958 and

$2,119,371, with capacity ranging from 98.86 percent to 101.52 percent (“Dear Evan Hansen

Broadway Grosses,” “Dear Evan Hansen – Broadway Musical – Original”).

Fandom and Community

While fans of Be More Chill were pivotal for the show’s success, Dear Evan Hansen’s followers – called “fansens” – are welcomed additions to its preexisting fame. However, the two musicals are alike in that their fans utilize social media to connect with one another and form online communities of like-minded people.

A unique platform utilized by “fansens” is Periscope, a social media platform which allows users to watch livestreams while engaging with other users through a comments section

(Ryall 2016). The goal of Periscope is to connect with a smaller number of fans on a greater level through behind-the-scenes content, as the social media application attracts younger audiences and replicates themes present in the show “...such as isolation in the internet age and the dangers of anonymity online” (Ryall 2016). Wiegand (2020) and Levenson et al. (2017) describe how the show built its online following using the same social media platforms as seen in the show itself. Fans of the show skew younger and, like Be More Chill followers, interact with the show online through Tumblr, fanfiction, YouTube, vlogs, and trending hashtags.

In addition to user-generated content and interactions, Dear Evan Hansen provides its followers with opportunities to be a part of the show themselves. Kessler (2020) details a popular marketing initiative in which “fansens” were invited to create and submit videos of themselves holding signs depicting “#YouWillBeFound,” a primary message throughout the show. These videos have now been used in official Dear Evan Hansen advertisements across various social media platforms (Kessler 2020, Levenson et al. 2017). Seymour (2016) describes the show’s use

of “Influencer Nights,” where producers invited popular guests to the show in hopes of increasing online WOMM through their social media posts.

Producer Stacey Mindich furthers this component of virtual WOMM; Swisher (2017) discusses how fans leave the show wanting to discuss the material, and Mindich believes that social media applications are the perfect platforms for people to start these conversations and potentially buy tickets after hearing about the show. Similarly, Dear Evan Hansen national tour member Stephanie La Rochelle states that the show “has a huge fan following that has sprouted a number of social media communities in which people share their struggles and offer support”

(Rainey 2019). Librettist Steven Levenson states that social media is how fans prefer to interact with culture today, and people like to continue the story online in their own way (Swisher 2017).

Social Media Impact

Dear Evan Hansen utilizes social media – also known as the “ninth character” in the show – within the story, allowing audiences to more easily connect with its themes and characters (Swisher 2017, Rainey 2019). Familiar notifications most Americans see every day such as Instagram photos, Facebook comments, Snapchat filters, and text communications are projected and enlarged to reflect the character’s actions and ongoing plot (Levenson et al. 2017,

Hillman-McCord 2017, chap. 15). These technological components create an environment which involves both the characters and the audience members simultaneously (Eddy 2017). The act of depicting this media on-stage, Soloski (2016) believes, can further the “...depth of character and a psychological complexity not usually witnessed in a Broadway musical,” resulting in increased fan engagement and motivation to become involved.

Kassie (2019) describes her first-hand experience with the social media aspects of Dear

Evan Hansen as an audience member, beginning with seeing social media feeds and hearing corresponding notifications on stage before the show even begins. She believes that the show would not have been as impactful or relatable without these familiar social media components, as

Dear Evan Hansen is one of the few modern musicals that uses the Internet and social media in reliable ways to further the story (Kassie 2019, Hillman-McCord 2017, chap. 3). Ryall (2016) agrees, stating that “[social media] platforms are helping to take Broadway productions beyond the stage and introduce a new, young audience to theater.” To put it simply, social media amplifies the story and highlights the connective nature of the internet (Swisher 2017).

According to Seymour (2016), the Dear Evan Hansen team has a high level of support for online fan engagement; producer Stacey Mindich believes that “word-of-mouth is [the show’s] best seller,” and the show’s professional team has not needed to spend much on marketing because patrons are so intertwined with each other and with the show online. With technologies like social media that are free and accessible, more prospective patrons will have the opportunity to engage with musicals they may not have been able to experience otherwise

(Ryall 2016).

Now that case study examples have been established, Chapter Five will outline the findings discovered from interviews with professionals in the realm of theatre and Broadway social media.

CHAPTER 5

FINDINGS

Professionals working in the realm of theatre social media were contacted and asked to comment on their experiences within the field. Eighteen video interviews and one phone interview were conducted to gain insight into their work and personal opinions regarding social media use on Broadway (see Appendix A for the interview questions and Appendix B for the list of interviewees). This chapter assesses their answers as they relate to the different social media platforms, fan interaction and audience engagement, and examples of success.

Social Media Platforms

Interview participants were asked about content type, audience demographics, and effectiveness of different social media platforms. The four most mentioned applications are

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. When posting on Facebook, most interviewees agree that media should be directed at older audiences. These patrons also tend to be the ticket buyers and content should therefore be more information-based with a mixture of visuals and news

(Moynihan, Brunkus). As a result, Moynihan mentions, revivals are one type of show that thrive on Facebook. The older fans on Facebook may have seen the original production and are therefore excited to see it again, as was the case for the 2019 Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish production (Moynihan, Haylon). Fitzpatrick mentions that Facebook content needs to be very intentional and crafted as compared.

Twitter, on the other hand, can be used for more experimentation (Rich). Moynihan and

Rich discuss how since the platform is more fast-paced, content should be quick to follow new trends and memes that change every day. Chicago, for example, retweeted a popular video and only added a small caption itself; this simple tweet garnered the most engagement the account 36

had ever seen at the time (Rich). Theatre fans on Twitter tend to be younger and more dedicated to their favorite shows than on other platforms; these users go so far as to create niche theatre fandom accounts (often called “stan accounts”) and engage in inside jokes and references specific to any one show (Moynihan, Fitzpatrick, Rich). For example, Moynihan mentions that one Twitter account was specifically created only to get the attention of Beetlejuice star, Alex

Brightman. Fitzpatrick also discusses how the platform is utilized to create more space for conversation, and Green provides the example of retweeting, which makes spreading content and conversation easy. Due to this ease of access, Moynihan believes that musicals receive the most backlash and criticism through Twitter than through any other social platform. For example, after

Hamilton was released on Disney+, #CancelHamilton began trending as angry fans could easily spread their opinions (Romano 2020).

Like Twitter, Instagram users tend to skew younger than Facebook users (Brown). Green and Tepper agree that this visually driven platform is the most valuable for a Broadway show and should therefore be the first priority when formulating social plans. Due to its visual nature,

Instagram is the best application for creatives to post user-generated content, such as Six the

Musical fans who constantly post photos of themselves cosplaying as the queens (Moynihan,

Haylon). According to Fitzpatrick, branding and visual identity is of the utmost important for

Broadway shows utilizing Instagram. Instagram stories, which let users post content that expires after one day, are valuable tools for shows to share less curated content and to post links to other platforms or websites (Fitzpatrick, Haylon, Green, Robillard). Rich believes that users are more captive audience members on Instagram than on other platforms, and shows can capitalize on this by creating space for conversation in post comments and responding to fan’s direct messages

(Fitzpatrick, Green). Tepper mentions Be More Chill as an example, dictating how after the show

posted content from the original regional production, fans flocked to the comment sections to contribute themselves.

TikTok, the newest trending social media channel for Broadway musicals, also tends to attract a younger audience (Reed, Rich, Haylon, Kelly). Due to its novelty and popularity, the platform is a great way to introduce new audiences to musical theatre and make the theatre community feel more inclusive and welcoming (Haylon, Glaub). For example, users have begun to create their own musicals on the application, using inspiration from existing content such as

Ratatouille and Bridgerton (Brown). Green mentions that TikTok has become the “easiest way to get eyes in front of a lot of people” as more and more users join every day. These short-form videos are more effective when they are organic and simple – as Rich and Kelly detail – since users do not want to engage with content that looks too high budget. TikTok is less curated, and shows can post seemingly random content to interact with audiences (Green). Beetlejuice succeeded in this way, constantly creating content backstage and involving actors in simple, trending TikTok dances and trends (Moynihan, Brunkus). Dratch believes this may mean that the application is not very effective for shows with serious themes and undertones.

Other platforms listed include Snapchat, which is not as popular today since its content is not suited to sharing, YouTube, which should go hand in hand with a musical, and Spotify, which can be used to curate playlists and track the popularity of cast albums (Brunkus,

Fitzpatrick). Fitzpatrick, for example, created themed Spotify playlists for Playbill that include

“Playbill’s Broadway Lullabies Playlist” and “Playbill’s Shower Solos Playlist.” Haylon acknowledges that the differences between age demographics play out more in Broadway than in other areas; for example, as Rich mentions: “...if your audience is a lot younger, it’s going to be hard to translate that to ticket sales.”

Interviewees gave their perspectives on how social media has influenced word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM), and about half of them came to the same conclusion that social media is the new WOMM.

“Social media is the new word-of-mouth; that’s where everybody gets their information, that’s where everybody talks, so I think it’s really turned into one and the same” (Kelly).

You can share something you just saw with a friend in two clicks or less, as Brunkus states, and your one social media post can reach more potential audience members than one conversation can. Reed agrees, believing that social media provides increased access since people do not need to stand outside of the theatre to hear what people are saying about any one show. When people initially hear about a show, their first action is often to look it up on social media; in this way,

“social media acts as a preview or trailer for a Broadway show” (Moynihan). As Rich states:

“Fans are – even if they haven’t seen your show – more inclined to recommend your show to others despite not having seen it if they like what they’re seeing on social media or if you have something out there like a cast album that they can sort of latch on to.”

Sosnowski agrees that if fans love something, they will talk about it, whether after seeing the show itself or after simply interacting with the social media content. Nowadays, people value their friend’s opinions more than critics’ opinions, and will therefore be more inclined to see a show after hearing a peer’s positive critique (Fitzpatrick, Rich). Newspaper reviews do not hold as much power as they did before social media’s popularity rose, and Broadway shows are more easily able to cover up bad reviews with positive social media (Rich, Haylon). The Lightning

Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, for example, did not receive stellar reviews but was able to maintain a popular social media account because of dedicated fans’ positive opinions (Rich).

While social media does accelerate WOMM through organic audience interaction, it is the job of a show’s social media team to catalyze this type of marketing “…by giving [the] fans the tools to spread the word” (Dratch). This is exceptionally important as many fans’ first

impression of a Broadway show is what they see online (Moynihan). Strategies to encourage fans to spread WOMM include releasing sharable content such as production photos and B-Roll montages, as Dratch and Brown discuss, as well as “giving people moments in the show to help them remember what they saw or make them interested in what they want to see” (Brown).

Similarly, Robillard mentions that creating photograph opportunities for fans inside of the theatre can be beneficial. Examples of effective WOMM promotion include Hamilton’s Ham4Ham campaign which encouraged fans to share content online, Beetlejuice’s TikTok fame which it achieved through shares and comments, and Playbill’s thirty-day song challenge which facilitated song sharing and personal interactions online (Doe, Kelly, Fitzpatrick).

Finally, while WOMM boosts a show’s success on social media, it does not always correlate with success in ticket sales (Haylon, Green, Tepper). As Tepper states: “There’s a lot of things about social media that might not directly impact the sales.” Again, The Lightning Thief:

The Percy Jackson Musical stands out as an example of a musical that had effective social media accounts but ineffective ticket sales, as the fans online were not ones buying tickets (Brown).

Audience Engagement

On the topic of engagement, interview participants were asked if they noticed any trends or patterns in how fans interact both with official show accounts and with other fans online. On

Facebook, most audiences converse with one another through fan groups. These groups are not normally monitored by the show, and fans can therefore be themselves without feeling watched

(Gallip, Doe). For example, the Waitress Facebook group, called “Frequent Piers,” is an active group consisting of dedicated fans that frequently talk with each other online (Gallip, Kelly).

Members tend to post less user-generated content on Facebook; these fans are also a show’s low hanging fruit as they are already fans before joining the online groups (Reed, Doe).

A popular trend on Instagram is for fans to create fan pages that post about a specific show or a specific cast member. The creators of these accounts often remain anonymous, according to Green, so they can be more vulnerable and honest. These fan pages repost content from official show accounts rather quickly; while this can be beneficial for WOMM, it can walk the line between flattery and stalking (Brunkus). For example, Green recalls that fans have created group messages on Instagram with other fans and an official show account even though it may not respond. However, since they are so active, Kelly and Pieri mention that connecting with the people who run the accounts can be beneficial to learn their perspectives as fans and as potential ticket buyers. For example, Kelly invited the people behind the Moulin Rouge

Instagram fan account “Fan Fan Fans” to her office to gain their perspective on social media strategy. On a more basic level, fans can utilize Instagram stories to share their content as well as interact with each other and with the show (Reed). Additionally, many fans become followers of a show’s cast through Instagram even if they have not yet seen the show in action, as was the case for Bond. During his time in Be More Chill, Bond interacted with many fans online:

“These people have never seen you perform, yet they already love you because you’re simply a part of the show.”

Smith agrees that some people may connect with actors before they connect with the show, and social media teams should utilize these Broadway influencers to their advantage. For example,

Kathryn Gallagher had many non-Broadway fans before she began her run in Jagged Little Pill, and Smith harnessed her followers to navigate them to the show’s official account.

Fan accounts are also present on Twitter but can be more niche; for example, Moynihan describes a Twitter account solely dedicated to Reeve Carney’s solo in “Wait For Me” from

Hadestown. Fans tend to interact more with official show accounts on Twitter than on the other platforms, and frequently chat with the community managers who run these accounts (Reed). For example, fans of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical were very attached to Ashlee

Latimer, who managed the show’s account, and continued to interact with her outside of the official page (Rich). Additionally, Brunkus acknowledges that Twitter is the most mobile friendly platform in which to encourage online interactions.

On TikTok, the trend is for fans to share their original content with other fans. Since the platform encourages quick, short-form video sharing, these interactions occur more in real time and lead to increased interaction through sharing and commenting (Moynihan). An example is the creation of the Ratatouille musical, which Moynihan describes as having begun with one user posting songs and turning into a full-blown show with many collaborators and a large fan base.

Reed mentions that fans enjoy creating content based around the plotline of a show, as was the case for Beetlejuice fans who dressed up as the characters in their videos.

Another pattern in engagement is user-generated content, which several interviewees believe spans across all social media platforms. While all platforms are involved, Instagram appears to be the most popular for posting content like fan art and cosplay (Reed, Haylon).

Gallip mentions Hamilton as an example, as many fans created and posted their artwork and handmade costumes based on the musical’s content. Green describes this type of content:

“[Fans] take the show, put themselves into it, and hand it back to us.”

Audiences also enjoy engaging with the show through physical experiences. While not occurring directly on social media, these opportunities are often promoted online which then encourages fans to come and participate. One example is Waitress’s karaoke nights, which were great meetup opportunities for fans who all loved the show enough to seek out this additional

engagement activity (Gallip, Rich, Kelly). These physical opportunities often encourage fans to spread the word about a show online:

“How do we make a physical, real opportunity for people to create their own content and have something cool enough that they want to post?” (Brown).

Additionally, fan engagement can show the true accepting and interactive nature of

Broadway and a show’s social media. Fitzpatrick highlights that “theatre is a special place for community and for acceptance and inclusion,” and Haylon furthers this idea by mentioning how you can clearly see fans bonding over a show in the comment section of a particular post and through other interactions between people who really seem to understand each other. The power of social media “[provides] a space where people can bond over stuff and create real friendships because the shows espouse values that [fans] feel they’re in line with” (Haylon).

Finally, Fitzpatrick outlines her four self-created types of social media users and how they interact online. First are the consumers, who simply read and take in content but do not engage. Next come the conversationalists, who write in the comment section and interact with other uses. The curators take their engagement one step further by sharing content on their own feed. Finally, the creators are the most involved, and create their own content to share online.

When asked to define success for online audience engagement, most interviewees support the quantitative or the qualitative ends of the spectrum. Quantitative success is clearer and more robust; some measures in this category include email opens, comments, interactions, shares, likes, web traffic, views on videos or GIFs, followers, click throughs, song listens, and ticket sales (Doe, Brown, Kelly, Brunkus, Glaub, Pieri, Sosnowski, Dratch). Other, less defined quantitative indicators of success are the length of time fans spend on content and how an organization meets its predetermined social media goals (Sosnowski, Brunkus).

While quantitative measures are valuable, most interviewees agree that qualitative measures are more indicative of online success. Moynihan, Haylon, and Sosnowski underscore that continued engagement is an excellent way to monitor success, as long-term growth in engagement should be considered as more important than number of followers numbers or impressions (Haylon). Tepper advances this concept, stating that it is just as necessary to gain new fans as it is to maintain your community of already interested audiences, as all of these potential patrons could be turned into ticket buyers. As Haylon states:

“It’s one thing to have a tweet go viral, which can be helpful to a show, but the way that you’re going to see that there’s good word-of-mouth is by seeing… Are you constantly having the same percentage of your followers liking the post? Are you consistently getting as many comments?”

Reed mentions that fans having conversations on their own is a sign of success reflecting a show’s social media efforts. This could include tagging friends or tweeting photos without being prompted to do so by the official show account, both from fans in the actual theatre and from fans who are not at the show (Kelly, Dratch). The show’s official account can then join in and amplify what is going on, as Reed advises, and “a successful audience engagement would be people tweeting the show in a positive light” (Kelly). Kelly and Pieri sum up qualitative success:

“Likes are great, [but] those numbers don’t matter. The only thing that matters is when people are really talking and tweeting and commenting and posting photos and tagging us, that’s success” (Kelly).

“Success is in creating fans who are just eager to be there and eager to see content that you post” (Pieri).

While social media success is a goal to work towards, it does not always equate to the show’s financial success (Green, Glaub). Be More Chill, for example, had immense social media success but did not sell enough tickets to stay on Broadway (Tepper). “Success online doesn’t necessarily equate to success in real life,” according to Glaub, and Brewster concurs:

“You can have great social accounts… and do everything right on there, but a show could still close just because there are so many factors outside of marketing… but also within marketing like reviews.”

Best Practices

After discussing social media’s impact on Broadway shows, participants were asked for personal recommendations and strategies that, in their perfect world, they would advise social media teams follow to improve their social media presence. Many interviewees discuss the importance of engaging with the show’s audience. Before planning engagement opportunities,

Green mentions that Broadway social media teams need to first understand what kind of content their audience wants to participate in; Haylon agrees, acknowledging that they need to “...listen to what [their] followers want to see.” Social media managers should focus on the community aspect of social media and connect with fan accounts and influencers to gauge what they want to see, as was previously mentioned with Moulin Rouge’s “Fan Fan Fans” (Fitzpatrick, Moynihan,

Kelly). Doe furthers this concept and believes that managers should talk and interact with fans more, especially with the audiences who are not coming to see the show. Moynihan agrees:

“There are people who are like, ‘oh yeah, my favorite musical is Newsies, but I’ve never seen it, but I feel like I have because of the content that they give and the communication I’ve had not only with the actors but the official account itself.”

Rich brings up another engagement opportunity: interact with audiences outside of social media and in the physical space. For example, she attended a meetup of Waitress’s biggest fans – who met in the Frequent Piers Facebook group – and brought show merchandise to give away and interact with these superfans offline.

Building off of engagement, community management is of the utmost importance for social teams to improve their online presence. Community management, to put it simply, is when official social media accounts engage with audiences online by responding to comments,

answering messages, and interacting with patrons when they are in the physical theatre seeing the show. Many interviewees agree that community management is vital to a show’s online success; Pieri believes these interactions allow fans to feel as if they are a part of any given show. Community managers prime people to participate by asking followers to tag a friend or send in a video, says Green, and these actions allow audiences to build personal connections with each other and with the official social media account for a particular show. Haylon agrees, maintaining that community management builds a sense of community within a show’s followers and that fans “...will engage with you more if you engage with them more.”

Another strategy recommended by several interviewees is to provide a full view of a

Broadway production. Fitzpatrick proposes giving audiences a “360-degree view of Broadway'' which could include creating and posting content about a company manager in addition to a main cast member. Gallip and Moynihan concur, stating that social media content should not focus too much on the stars of the show. For example, Hadestown posted videos on Instagram and Twitter showing the stage manager calling the show, and several other shows have shared time lapses of the crew working backstage (Moynihan, Brown). Brown sums it up nicely: “You should give the audience as much of a full view of a production as possible.” Backstage moments are enticing for audiences and musicals should take full advantage of this curiosity by providing content accordingly, such as by asking cast members to participate (Pieri, Gallip, Tepper, Moynihan,

Robillard).

Similarly, it is effective to think outside of the box when creating interesting content. Doe believes that the same four or five shows are doing the same four or five things online and

Brown believes that because of this homogeneity, it is better for a show to stick out than to be too similar to another production. According to Gallip, shows succeed “any time a brand is

willing to do something a little bit different.” For example, In the Heights stood out by constantly involving creator Lin-Manuel Miranda in the creation of social content (Doe). Keeping up with trends is one way to differentiate one show from another; Sosnowski believes social media managers need to act quickly when trends emerge, and Kelly acknowledges that shows need to get ahead of trends, relatable content, and memes.

“Social media is going to evolve and change, so it’s how we keep up with that and adjust things according to how social media is changing” (Reed).

Several interview participants also recommend that Broadway musicals have a solid voice and strong branding across their social media platforms. Brunkus and Sosnowski both reiterate the importance of creating branding guidelines which could include a style guide and a brand bible. Additionally, as Gallip states:

“If you have the voice of a character or show that is running your account, then I think you’re going to be much more successful in creating a new tight-knit fandom or audience than you would be if you are entering a show with no personality.”

Brunkus also maintains that it is imperative for social accounts to find their voice quickly and stick to it, and Brown restates the importance of crafting a different voice for each show. Content should connect with the source material, and “...what your social media is doing [should be] reflective of what the show is” (Reed). For example, the voice of Waitress should be different from the voice of Moulin Rouge as the two shows have differing themes and styles (Kelly).

One final theme that was restated across many interviews is the balance between exclusivity and accessibility. Broadway fans thrive on exclusivity and gatekeeping, according to

Moynihan, and “...like to think that they know something that others don’t know.” Brown agrees that people enjoy seeing a side of theatre they do not normally have access to, and Rich recommends that musicals reward dedicated fans with exclusive content and opportunities like surprise and delights, such as when Waitress surprised some audience members with signed

playbills at the theatre. On the other hand, musicals should be accessible and welcome any and all audiences to engage with their social accounts. Rich emphasizes the importance of making a professional production feel accessible, and Brunkus believes that content should be created in a way that appeals to everyone, not just niche Broadway fans.

Other recommended strategies include that Broadway social media should feel organic and not forced, social teams should work collaboratively with partnerships and promotions teams, content should be differentiated across the various platforms, and money should be prioritized for social media use (Fitzpatrick, Rich, Green, Smith, Dratch). Additionally, Robillard mentions how time consuming and strenuous it can be to manage social media effectively. To avoid having one person wearing many hats, she recommends that marketing agencies hire more staff and bolster the social media teams working on each show.

Participants were again asked for personal recommendations and strategies, but this time were asked how to utilize social media to help foster fan’s feelings of community. Several interviewees discuss how important it is to keep content friendly, personal, and organic. Gallip and Moynihan believe that personalized media is better than fancy media, and Rich acknowledges that social media should be used to build a community where people feel appreciated, welcomed, and comfortable coming to see a show. Shows should find ways to highlight and celebrate their fans through strategies such as reposting fan art and answering fan questions (Reed, Rich). All audiences should feel as though they belong in the show’s world:

“Make sure everyone feels welcome no matter who they are or what their concerns are” (Rich).

“Treat the first fifty [followers] the same as you would the first ten thousand” (Moynihan).

To be organic, it is important that a show's social media responses do not feel robotic or like a simple copy and paste message (Moynihan, Reed, Green). Official social media accounts should also recognize their fans frequently, making them feel heard and starting conversations to facilitate fan-to-fan discussion (Haylon, Fitzpatrick, Brown). Kelly, for example, built a personal relationship with one Waitress fan through Twitter who she later met at the theatre; this fan thanked her for making the connection in-person and became a personal advocate for the show by consistently sharing social media content.

“If people feel seen and heard by a show… it’s going to make them feel more connected and more inclined to post about that show, talk about that show, even buy a ticket to see that show” (Haylon).

Fitzpatrick also mentions that within these interactions, shows should talk with and not at their audiences to create a platform for easy conversation. Listening to what your fans want is just as important, and Green discusses how shows should pick up on existing audience behavior as opposed to forcing behavior onto them. For example, at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown when people were spending more time online, Hamilton capitalized on the increased social media usage by posting more frequently. On Twitter, the account “performed” the entire musical by tweeting out the show line by line and letting users “sing along” (Rich).

Interviewees report that relatable, accessible content should be prioritized. All people involved with a show’s social media plan should be on the same page regarding tone, which should be adapted to embrace the fandom already in existence (Brunkus, Reed, Pieri).

Accessibility strategies mentioned include releasing never before seen content, recording shows, posting professional content like music videos, and giving audiences a backstage look (Tepper,

Pieri, Brown). Dratch and Tepper also mention how shows can utilize cast members who have established fan bases to attract more audiences while providing new, engaging content.

Consistency is key in fostering an online community, and community managers should immediately respond to social media action while audiences are at the physical theatre (Reed).

Pieri and Brown further this concept, believing that shows should reply more quickly to fans in general. The Kinky Boots social media team, as Sosnowski mentions, could respond to fans in a quick fashion which then propelled the person to extend the message further. Community managers and other staff working on a show’s social media should be ready for unexpected events such as the 2020 Broadway shutdown, make sure that everyone feels represented and heard, and be prepared for fans to want to get to know them on a personal level (Doe, Brunkus,

Kelly). All members of the team should work together, and Doe mentions that the best idea should win regardless of who it comes from.

One final suggestion for how to better foster fan’s feelings of community online is to create personal surprise and delight moments.

“The best strategies are whenever you’re able to give fans personal opportunities to have a personal dream of theirs come true” (Gallip).

Examples of these intimate moments include when Mrs. Doubtfire fans were surprised with Rob

McClure outside of the theatre, when surprise notes from the Phantom were placed on audience’s seats at The Phantom of the Opera, and when Waitress staff handed out gifts to super fans of the musical (Gallip, Kelly).

Each interviewee was asked if, in their experience with Broadway, they follow any set guidelines or principles which dictate their social media work. As Doe, Moynihan, Kelly,

Fitzpatrick, Rich, Sosnowski, and Bond discuss, social media content should be kept positive, relevant, and accessible. Being respectful and kind online is key to success, as is being relatable.

It is important, as Fitzpatrick mentions, to keep up with what audiences are already talking about.

Sosnowski furthers this idea, pointing out that people consume content so quickly and social

media accounts need to stay on top of trends and recent events. Sosnowski and Dratch detail an example from Kinky Boots, where the show created a parody to “Just Be” called “Just Pee” in response to a North Carolina mandate forcing transgender persons to use bathrooms not in alignment with their gender identity. In terms of accessibility, Fitzpatrick questions “How can

[audiences] still feel like a part of the conversation?” Bond agrees that social media accounts are

“...a great vehicle for access” and should allow for Broadway fans to engage with content they may not be able to interact with in person. Similarly, more access to backstage content makes audiences more excited to see any one show (Robillard). Moynihan argues that social media is how people feel connected to a show, and Doe and Tepper believe the action of engaging with your audience should be common practice for all Broadway shows.

Of high importance are branding rules specific to each show that outline components such as voice, tone, and physical characteristics like font color and type; these guides should be created for each show, according to Brunkus, Rich, Dratch, and Robillard. Most interviewees reported that each show has drastically different guidelines, and best practices vary accordingly as the voice of one show’s social media will not be effective for another show. For example,

Kelly mentions that Waitress had a warm and welcoming tone whereas Moulin Rouge felt more exclusive and darker; the social media accounts should reflect the mood and tone of the shows they are representing. Brunkus and Haylon believe that shows should create social media plans, and Rich details the importance of developing these branding guidelines early on:

“When you start to work on a show, if your strategy isn’t clear and if you don’t have set objectives of what you’re trying to say about it, it can easily get muddled within the season and people will totally forget that it exists.”

One final generally accepted principle mentioned by a majority of interviewees is to diversify content between the different platforms. Doe and Moynihan put it succinctly:

“We try to organize the message that we have per platform versus ‘this is our one message, let’s just put it out on all three’” (Doe).

“It’s going to be different for each platform, and if you try to put the same thing across all three it’s not necessarily going to work the best. It’ll work, but it won’t be as effective as it could be” (Moynihan).

The three big platforms referenced are Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fitzpatrick qualifies

Doe and Moynihan’s beliefs, arguing that “...content should be diversified from platform to platform.” Similarly, Robillard believes that “what works for one account doesn’t work for others.” These platforms, according to Gallip, should include a mix of user-generated content, editorial content, original video, and behind-the scenes content.

Other detailed best practices for social media include that shows should post frequently

(Reed, Kelly), follow the varying online algorithms (Kelly), and make sure all necessary information is online and easy to locate (Dratch).

Success

While interviewees provided many answers when asked which Broadway musicals stand out as champions of social media, a handful of shows stand out. The most popular – mentioned by eight participants – is Beetlejuice. Moynihan discusses how the 2019-2020 show understood what worked on each platform and diversified its content accordingly. A majority of those who listed Beetlejuice mentioned it’s success on TikTok. Before the show began posting on the application, people were not rushing to buy tickets and sales were not very high. However, the musical went viral on the short-form video platform, creating fascination and a rise in ticket sales. Rich mentions that it was one of the first shows where the power of TikTok was proven.

“I’ve never seen a show go from not doing that well to blowing up and being one of the most popular shows on social media” (Kelly).

Dratch furthers these ideas, dictating that the musical “naturally built a big and vibrant fan base” that created and engaged with social media content. Beetlejuice was able to use its superior branding to break through the niche community of Broadway fans, broadening its audience and reaching fans of all ages (Fitzpatrick, Sosnowski, Dratch).

After Beetlejuice, six interviewees listed Be More Chill as a musical that succeeded in its social media efforts. As detailed previously in the case study, “social media is what propelled

[Be More Chill] to Broadway” (Haylon). Bond, who was a cast member in the Broadway cast, credits the frequency of behind-the-scenes content and cast member involvement to the show’s social media success. Be More Chill was “smart in bridging that gap between the show and the fans” and truly allowed fans to access all pieces of the production (Haylon).

“Everyone wants to see what the sugar and sparkle of Broadway is about and [wants] to see in the lives of all of [the actors and creatives]” (Bond).

Connecting audiences with the show was helped by the inherent nature of social media; the show attracted younger audiences who were already active online (Reed). Reed, who worked on Be

More Chill’s social media, finds it “...helpful when there is a fan base already [online] that we kind of get to come into and have fun with.” In this way, the social media managers were able to play off of what audiences were already doing online. Additionally, Tepper, a producer on the show, believes that Be More Chill did well in creating different rules for each platform and diversifying across them based on audience demographics.

Another highly mentioned successful show is Hamilton, called the “gold standard” of social media by Pieri. Reed mentions how the musical built an audience before opening on

Broadway and was therefore able to join in preexisting conversations. Haylon describes the show as being the “first show that harnessed using the community to generate content” since it listened to its audiences wants and was able to take the shared content and turn it into meaningful posts.

Reed furthers Hamilton’s success, pointing out that the musical kept up with trends such as becoming active on TikTok during the application’s initial rise in popularity. Additionally, creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was actively involved with the social media from the show’s inception, creating behind-the-scenes content before the show had an official account (Glaub).

Five interviewees listed Mean Girls as being a champion of social media. Gallip mentions that because of the show’s themes, its social accounts could be more relatable and create campaigns that were centered in the present rather than a show like Chicago that is stuck in the past world of the show. Brunkus and Robillard further this concept of having a clear voice, and Pieri agrees that the show never had to change its voice since it was effective from the beginning. Because of its familiar name, the musical could play up preexisting quotes from the movie and interact with the preexisting community of movie fans (Brunkus, Fitzpatrick). Pieri also includes that the Mean Girls social media felt like a friend to talk to online and was very loyal to its fans, rewarding them with additional content and exclusive events.

Several other shows were mentioned as having effective social media. One example is

Dear Evan Hansen, which had a consistent design across its posts and established an online community that encouraged a safe space on the Internet for individuals to be themselves (Green,

Smith). Haylon mentions how Six the Musical connects the online space with the physical space, and Moynihan and Brown discuss how The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical had a clear voice and made fans feel like they were friends with the face behind the show.

Finally, interviewees were asked where they see the future of social media going and how it can be used to benefit Broadway musicals. Reed, Brunkus, Fitzpatrick, Pieri, and Bond all agree that moving forward, social media teams need to increase their levels of accessibility online. Bond and Brunkus sum it up:

“Social media is becoming the vehicle for people to connect with the show more than a formula-ed advertisement for a show. It’s an access in to connect with a show, to connect with the actors being a part of it. You get the behind the scenes of the dressing rooms, the backstage; it’s the best way in to see the show if you’re not someone who’s going to go to New York anytime soon” (Bond).

“Bring people to the theatre in a way that brings people together and makes them feel like they’re allowed to be in the space” (Brunkus).

Official show social media accounts can create global communities, according to Brown, that include audiences who may not be able to access Broadway in a physical sense. Several interview participants also mentioned the importance of community engagement; moving forward, Broadway shows should put more time and effort into these interactions. Content should feel more personalized and be able to connect people from different geographic locations to the same theatrical experience (Green, Brown).

In a more concrete sense, Reed, Fitzpatrick, and Brown all mention that future social media strategy will need to continue embracing digital content.

“It can only benefit Broadway to continue using digital and social media to engage with their audience and people beyond their audience” (Fitzpatrick).

Tepper, Kelly, Pieri, Dratch, and Brown also bring up the ever-growing platform of TikTok, and stress that Broadway shows should embrace this popular application to be more successful in their social strategies. Social media content should be quick, diversified across the different platforms, and have a purpose behind every post (Green, Kelly, Tepper, Gallip). Green also brings up the concept of including social media involvement in the actor’s contracts, which could potentially help social media teams gather more behind the scenes and backstage content.

As far as the Covid-19 pandemic is concerned, many interviewees are interested to see what Broadway will look like in the future once audiences are allowed back into the theatres.

Reed and Smith believe that virtual theatre content will continue to supplement live performances, as we have seen how accessible online media can be.

“I think 2020 has taught the Broadway industry that social media and digital is a key component to making their work accessible” (Fitzpatrick).

Social media teams should start to think outside of the box, creating content to engage fans both in person and through digital media (Pieri). Similarly, Haylon, Kelly, and Pieri all believe that producers will begin investing more in social media efforts as they have seen how powerful online content can be when audiences are forced to engage online.

The next chapter will discuss how this primary research connects back to the literature on

Broadway and social media.

CHAPTER 6

DISCUSSION

Interview responses and the literature review were evaluated to formulate strategies on how to best use social media for Broadway musicals. Upon analysis, most interviewees did further the findings from the literature review and expanded the knowledge to more closely pertain to Broadway social media specifically.

Research argues that each social media platform should be handled differently from the others, as each platform attracts different audiences and operates separately. This diversification of content is important to target followers by demographics and feed into the strengths of each platform. For example, an information-based post that is popular among older audiences on

Facebook may not have the same success with younger audiences on Twitter, and a professionally curated video may gain traction on Instagram but not on TikTok. Additionally, although the literature lacks research on TikTok, the interviewees underscore its importance in current social media marketing and promotion. The participants apply the concept of diversification to theatre digital marketing specifically, noting that patrons utilize each social media platform differently and content should be curated to match their online habits. This agreement between the literature and the interview findings is likely due to the field’s relative novelty, and a reflection that both theory and practice have developed concurrently.

While the literature does not discuss show-specific content, interviewees fill this gap in knowledge by concluding that social media should be specific to each Broadway show. Similar to diversifying posts across the varying platforms, there is little content that could successfully apply to more than one show. For example, the serious tone of a Dear Evan Hansen tweet promoting the importance of mental health would not have the same effect if used for a musical with a more comical tone such as Little Shop of Horrors. Fans of musicals like Little Shop of 57

Horrors would expect the show’s social media to play off of the comedic and mischievous nature of the plot, and any posts not matching this tone may be received poorly as they do not match the show’s brand or voice.

The literature indicates that social media content should be accessible and give followers a space to interact with a musical that they may or may not have physical access to. For example, the social media managers behind Waitress’s Instagram account consistently posted behind-the- scenes content and interviews with the cast members to provide fans with new, exciting information without having to buy a ticket. Additionally, during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent Broadway shutdown, The Broadway Cast Reunion Series has offered fans a chance virtually meet Broadway casts at a low fee while theatres are inaccessible. The researcher’s findings do agree with the previous written matter. Both the literature and primary sources emphasize the importance of creating content that allows audiences to become invested in the show and feel welcomed into the musical’s world. This devotion can be broadened by increasing the amount of accessible content and building fan support for the musical.

As previously discussed, engagement and interaction through the medium of social media is key to any account’s success. Data show that social media users want to feel linked to others and enjoy socializing and forming communities online; the original purpose behind creating social media platforms and Web 2.0 was to allow for easier communication and connection. The interviewees concur with these ideas, believing that Broadway shows can capitalize on this need to build relationships by reaching out to fans and being as interactive as possible. Six the

Musical, for example, frequently highlights fan art and cosplays on its Instagram account both through posts and stories. Similarly, as mentioned in both the literature and interview responses, social media should stay as relevant and casual as possible. For Broadway accounts, it is

important to keep up with trends such as popular memes and social justice events in order to match what audiences are already saying and posting online. Hadestown’s Twitter account depicts these ideas; during Black History Month, the musical has periodically posted tweets highlighting Black workers who have helped shape America. On a less serious note, many musicals jumped on the trend after President Joe Biden’s inauguration of photoshopping Bernie

Sanders into unconventional locations, such as Broadway theatres.

The literature also highlights the importance of social media in facilitating word-of- mouth marketing (WOMM) in an online space. The researcher’s primary data confirms this vital role of social media, going so far as to say that social media is today’s WOMM. People tend to trust their friends’ opinions more than critics’ opinions, and this trend applies to Broadway as well. Fans are more likely to find a new musical or be prompted to buy tickets after hearing a positive review from a peer through social media than from a professional, published theatre review. Additionally, one share on Facebook or Twitter can rapidly catalyze WOMM, as these posts can reach many more individuals than one conversation offline. It is important to keep in mind, however, that an increase in digital WOMM does not necessarily correlate with an increase in ticket sales.

Measuring social media success is not heavily discussed in the literature, but information from the researcher’s interviews fills in this hole in the data. Interviewees agree that long term growth and engagement are stronger indicators of success than numbers such as follower count or likes on any one specific post. When it is effective, a Broadway social media account will also experience an increase in organic, unprompted fan interaction. However, as is the case with online WOMM, social media success may not be associated with ticket sales.

Next, based on the literature review and interviewee data, Chapter Seven will make conclusions and provide recommendations for how to best utilize social media for Broadway shows.

CHAPTER 7

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the literature review and primary research, several conclusions can be drawn pertaining to Broadway social media. Subsequently, recommendations can be made regarding how to most effectively use social media platforms for Broadway musicals in order to promote their show, attract audiences, and instill a sense of community.

Broadway social media and community managers should diversify their content across the different platforms in order to target the different audiences present on each application; the big three to focus on are Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, with TikTok as an emerging fourth priority. Content on Facebook should be aimed at an older audience who tend to be the active ticket buyers. Media here should be more information based, as these fans are the ones most often involved in financial transactions and research. Instagram, on the other hand, is populated by younger fans who create their own content. Media on this platform should strive for visual appeal, and community managers should emphasize the importance of interacting with fans through comments, stories, and fan accounts themselves. Twitter also tends to attract a younger audience, and social media content should be created with this demographic in mind. Due to its quick nature, Twitter is the best application in which to experiment with new content and stay on top of trends as they fluctuate in popularity. Finally, TikTok is an up-and-coming application that social media managers should begin prioritizing. Fans on TikTok prefer content that is casual and not highly produced, unlike Instagram, and Broadway musicals should feed into this relaxed environment. It is also effective to get cast members involved in videos and ongoing trends.

Social media managers must embrace the idea that no one size fits all and should create media explicit to their particular show. Social media posts for a Broadway musical should play off of the show’s content, and managers should connect the social media to this source material. 61

It is useful to create several guides for each show which dictate elements such as branding, style, tone, voice, and overall strategic plan. These elements will depend on the content of the show and the demographics of the show’s intended audience, and social media managers should stick to their guidelines to ensure consistency.

To be effective online, Broadway shows should also ensure that social media content appeals to as many audiences as possible. These groups include fans of all ages and geographic locations, and marketers should focus on those patrons who are not able to come to the theatre just as much as those who are able to attend. As previously mentioned, content should be diversified across the different platforms to appeal to the demographics present on each application. For example, a meme that is successful with Twitter audiences may not be as accessible for audiences on Facebook, since they tend to skew older and prefer more informational content as opposed to the casual content typically found on Twitter. Additional strategies to increase accessibility online include posting behind-the-scenes content, providing audiences with backstage looks, and involving cast members and other show employees in content creation. Audiences thrive on being included in this exclusive type of content and enjoy experiencing media that feels restrictive.

Furthermore, it is vital for Broadway accounts to be active and post frequently to remain a consistent presence across their fan’s own social media feeds. To deepen this relationship marketing, social media managers should interact with fans like friends in an organic, easygoing manner. Social media users want to feel welcomed by official Broadway accounts, and may be alienated by robotic responses that are not personalized to each situation. Pre-written replies can save time, but social media managers should customize each response as much as possible to make fans feel special and included.

Similarly, the community managers who are tasked with responding to fans online should work toward building personal connections. Followers want to feel seen and heard by accounts representing their favorite musicals and are thrilled when they are recognize directly. As is the case with relationship marketing, community managers should interact with fans in a personal, effortful fashion to further build their loyalty. To be engaging, it is essential that social media content prompt online interaction. Asking followers to submit user-generated content, for example, is an effective strategy supported by the research that engages fans while increasing excitement and engagement. Community managers can repost fan art and cosplays to show their followers they care; this type of content should be mixed in with professional content. Non- virtual events such as meet-and-greets can also be advertised online, and surprise and delight opportunities go a long way in prompting fans to be excited about a particular show. Community managers should also ensure that they interact with both fans who are able to attend a performance of the show and fans who are not able to attend.

Opportunities for future research are abundant as technology is constantly changing and best practices will come and go frequently. As social media is still a recent concept, more research can be conducted to identify its strengths and weaknesses within different environments. Additionally, it would be useful to explore the relationship between Broadway and social media further by continuously investigating new social media platforms, trends, and musicals. For example, there is plenty of room to research the effects of TikTok due to its novelty. In today’s time of Covid-19, research could be conducted to explore how social media can be used to create alternative ways to experience theatre. Due to the changing nature of social media and the constant creation of musicals, this research cannot be fully complete. However,

more data exploring the field will prove to be beneficial and allow Broadway shows to improve their social media presence and, subsequently, their success.

APPENDIX A

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. In your work, are there best practices or generally accepted principles for how to best use

social media on Broadway?

2. What are some shows that have championed social media? What makes them succeed?

3. Which social media platforms are the most or least effective in promoting a musical? Do

they correlate with show or audience type?

4. What are some best practices or strategies you would recommend for Broadway social

media teams to improve their social media presence?

5. How has social media influenced word-of-mouth marketing?

6. What are some trends in how fans are engaging with shows and with other fans online?

7. How would you define success for online audience engagement?

8. What are some best practices or strategies you would recommend for Broadway social

media teams to foster fan's feelings of community?

9. Where do you see the future of social media going, and how can it benefit Broadway

musicals?

10. Is there anything I did not ask you about that you wanted to touch on?

APPENDIX B

LIST OF RESPONDENTS

1. Cameron Bond is an actor and creative producer who has performed in Broadway shows

such as Be More Chill and Finding Neverland.

2. Jane Doe (not her real name) is an employee at a Broadway trade association where she

works within technology and internet fields.

3. Caitlyn Gallip is a Social Media Manager at RPM and has worked on social media for

Broadway shows such as Chicago the Musical, Waitress, and Phantom of the Opera.

4. Caitlin Moynihan is a Content Producer at Broadway.com.

5. Erin Reed is an Account Manager at Marathon Digital and has worked on social media

for Broadway shows such as Hamilton, Hadestown, and Freestyle Love Supreme.

6. Avery Brunkus is a Social Media Manager at RPM and has worked on social media for

Broadway shows such as Moulin Rouge, Sing Street, and Phantom of the Opera.

7. Felicia Fitzpatrick is the Director of Social Media and Creative Strategy at Playbill.

8. Jenna Rich is currently the Marketing Manager for VOYEUR: The Windows of

Toulouse-Lautrec and the Co-Chief of Staff for Be An #ArtsHero. Previously, she was a

Marketing Associate at RPM where she was the Social Media Manager for Chicago the

Musical.

9. Chase Haylon is a Social Media Assistant at The Pekoe Group and has worked on social

media for Broadway shows such as Six the Musical and The Play That Goes Wrong.

10. Sally Green (not her real name) is an employee at a Broadway marketing agency where

she works on social media for several popular Broadway shows.

11. Linda Smith (not her real name) works in the communications field for a nonprofit

theatre in the Midwest. She has previously worked at a Broadway marketing agency

where she assisted with social media and other communications and business needs.

12. Jim Glaub is the founder of Super Awesome Friends and has previously held the position

of Vice President of Content and Community at Serino Coyne. Jim has worked on many

Broadway shows including Girl from the North Country and the revival of Promises,

Promises. He has also worked abroad as the Deputy Director of Content and Digital

Media for the Society of London Theatre/UK Theatre.

13. Kat Kelly is currently a Community Manager at RPM. Previously, she was a Social

Media Manager at RPM where she worked on social media for Broadway shows such as

Waitress, Moulin Rouge, and Chicago the Musical.

14. Jennifer Tepper is the Creative and Programming Director at Feinstein’s/54 Below. She

has also produced several Broadway shows including Be More Chill and Once Upon A

Time in NYC.

15. Stephen Sosnowski is a Senior Vice President at SpotCo where he oversees the account

services team and the strategy for many different Broadway show social media accounts.

Past Broadway work includes Kinky Boots, Hadestown, and A Gentleman’s Guide to

Love and Murder.

16. Nicole Pieri is a Junior Community Manager at Situation Interactive and has worked on

social media for Broadway shows such as Mean Girls, Jagged Little Pill, and Dear Evan

Hansen.

17. Brian Dratch is the Director of Social Media at SpotCo and has worked on several

Broadway shows including Kinky Boots, Beetlejuice, and Fun Home.

18. Karen Brown (not her real name) works in digital media for a regional nonprofit theatre

which frequently hosts shows before they transfer to Broadway. She runs all social

channels and creates digital content for the theatre.

19. Sara Robillard is the Digital Marketing Manager at New York City Center.

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