We've written about theater etiquette here on Selling Out (You can see people’s biggest theater etiquette pet peeve here). It's something we all think about as people who market (and attend) live events. Last year, we covered what are known as relaxed performances, which don't frown as much on late arrivals, noise or movement. In his Guardian article, David Jays examines the rise of relaxed spaces where anything goes. Jays quotes performer and activist Jess Thom, who has Tourette syndrome: “These spaces can...

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A few years ago, we covered the Pokémon Go craze. We highlighted how businesses could get in on the excitement and five lessons for content strategy that the game could teach you. We've just learned, according to Shannon Liao at CNN Business, that Pokémon throws a celebration every year. February 27, 2020, was the annual celebration. Liao writes, "The company held various online events ... to engage with fans. One of them included asking fans to vote for their favorite creature...

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Jim has written about the benefits of streaming a live event, and we've highlighted NT Live, the broadcasting arm of the National Theatre. Here's some news from CNN Business about how virtual reality is changing the live music experience. Nathan Sing reports: "In the last few years, musicians have been able to stream concerts to virtual reality headsets ... " Sing writes, "As well as being able to watch from a position in the audience, users can view the concerts as if...

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In this Chicago Tribune article, Chris Jones highlights how Aurora's downtown has been significantly impacted by the Paramount Theatre. It's an interesting read about how a single arts organization can impact an entire city. Jones points out that part of the theater's success is its focus on mainstream, family-friendly entertainment: "Family entertainment with familiar titles often attracts a far more diverse audience than socio-political drama foregrounding race. All Americans like to have a good time out with the people they love and...

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In this HubSpot post, Pamela Bump lists five alternatives to Facebook, Google and Amazon ads. Bump highlights a few of the most popular ad alternatives and also points to examples of brands that use them, like this one below: "Twitter Ads Twitter Ads are similar to Facebook Ads in that you can pay to promote tweets or launch native ad-styled campaigns. While promoted tweets show up higher in the feeds of target users with a "Promoted" sign on them, campaigns might show up...

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In Vogue Business, Lucy Maguire writes, "Gen Z is reinventing social media marketing." Maguire suggests that "brands should evolve their marketing strategies and reconsider platforms to reach younger audiences." "Young people aged 16 to 24 spent an average of seven hours per day online in 2019, three of which were spent exclusively on social media, according to GlobalWebIndex," writes Maguire. "But in markets like the US, growth on platforms like Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook is slowing, while newcomer TikTok grew rapidly in...

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Kids and families love Nutcracker performances (btw, did you see who won the 13th Annual Goldstar National Nutcracker Award?)! But now that the season is over, how can we keep families coming back? Dance Magazine's Rebecca Ritzel highlights how some companies "are adding kid-friendly performances to court the same audiences who buy Nutcracker tickets." And some companies are including pre-show activities, like crafts and demonstrations. Here are a few of Ritzel's examples: In 2012, Ballet West artistic director Adam Sklute debuted the...

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The popularity of circuses, carnivals and sideshows have ebbed and flowed, but there has been a resurgence of late.  This week’s guest, Todd Robbins, has built a successful career in the New York City area utilizing what he calls “arcane” forms of entertainment. He is a veteran of numerous television, sideshow and off-broadway productions.  In this episode, Todd joins host Jim McCarthy to talk about eating glass, the changing of carnivals over time, and the differences between European and American audiences...

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The holidays are an important time for everyone -- arts marketers, too. Marketing Land reports, "The surge of emotions that accompany the holidays is an ideal opportunity to forge a lasting connection with consumers new and old alike." Below, Peter Minnium shares strategies for navigating the pitfalls and possibilities of holiday marketing: "The holidays warm hearts; your brand should too This time of year, more than any other, consumers are listening to their hearts more than their heads. Ads that are clear, direct,...

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We've talked about moving art out of traditional venues on Selling Out, and in his post Pick a Venue, Make a Statement, Jim talks specifically about when the site and the content have a powerful connection. Dance Magazine reports that, during the holidays, New York City's On Site Opera is presenting Amahl and the Night Visitors inside the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, which serves lunch to the homeless on weekdays. "The one-act opera recounts the story of the three wise men...

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