~Caught in the Web~

I often find that arts marketing is stalking me. Just today I was in my bedroom reading The Globe and Mail online and whilst on the lifestyles page an add for a painting contest interrupted my reading and my mouse became like a paintbrush, scrawling ink all over the text. "Paint your way to NYC!" it said. If i could paint, I'd be all over it. I love Broadway as much as the next theatre enthusiast (maybe more) and I would love to see the shows. How is it that marketing has become so intrusive?

Today in class, we were discussing the concept of marketing performances via facebook and google. Did you know that market researchers can buy key words, so that anyone who types in "glee" resides in London, ON could see the ad designed for that target market? The internet opens up a world of possibilities for promoting and the younger generations are more apt to enter their darkest secrets onto the web with the touch of a keyboard. Facebook and blogs are no longer considered weary threats to personal security anymore... but a medium for expressing yourself. Dangerous or not is irrelevant. Just this morning as i was cruising my facebook profile I saw that 3 ads were chosen specifically for me- Soulpepper Theatre, The Stratford Festival, and a random ad for shoes. Clearly, someone knows my priorities (minus the shoes, I'm more of a purse person myself), and it is truly frightening that I could be targeted so carefully.

From the marketers stance this is golden. It is so easy to be accessibly to people who share an interest in the arts. The Grand Theatre uses this method to capture audiences. I think it could be a great way of dealing with the problem of aging audiences. The average subscriber is 60 years old! As the baby boomers continue to age, the arts could be suffering for audiences. It's time people put more value into their culture.

This photo was taken in the Summer of 2010 at The Ex in Toronto. The art is formed with sand. I think it symbolizes the tragic decaying state of audiences... but perhaps that's a bit melodramatic :)

Using online tactics is a great way to attract younger, and more technologically savy theatre enthusiasts. It is smart, concise, and it could be the best way to market to younger audiences. The web will continue to expand and hopefully marketers can use it for the greater good! Save the arts!