Beyond Christmas in July: Maximizing impact of holiday shows

I am currently sitting on my deck with my laptop, enjoying an idyllic summer afternoon. Christmas and all things winter should be the farthest things from my mind. But it is August and I know there is no time to waste when it comes to planning marketing strategy for an annual holiday production. In fact, other marketers and I started months ago.

Whether you had your own Christmas in July promo recently or saw others’ in your social feed or inbox, you’re probably aware that last month was the unofficial start to the holiday event sales season.

It can be easy to think that these shows “sell themselves” and while that can be true to some extent, truly maximizing their potential is achieved through the design and execution of a thoughtful and deliberate marketing strategy. Christmas in July promotions may be just one part of that strategy.

In an earlier blog post, I cautioned that everything is different post-pandemic and that the patterns and routines we relied on before do not always apply anymore – and this is doubly true for holiday shows. Not only might things be different than they were a few years ago, but they are also generally different from other events in your season. Look at everything with fresh eyes and an open mind. Since every situation is unique, I can’t lay out a detailed strategy here that will work for everyone*, but here are some things to think about.

Audience

Pay attention to what your holiday audience looks like as opposed to your typical audience. The demographics will probably be different, with more families attending than usual. Look at the geography, too. If you are in an area with a lot of holiday entertainment options, you may draw more from your immediate area than usual, but conversely, if your holiday offering is particularly unique, you may find more people willing to make a longer drive.

The mix of returning patrons, new-to-you buyers, and never-been-to-any-theater-before buyers is probably also going to look different for this show. Holiday events often attract people who are coming to the theater (your theater or any theater at all) for the first time. Be sure you are making them feel comfortable and welcome – not just once they arrive, but in your advance marketing communications, as well.

(Come back in January for a post with insights on how to retain all these new buyers.)

Pricing

Pricing for your holiday shows doesn’t have to (and probably shouldn’t) follow your typical pricing strategy. You’ll want to review the prices themselves as well as when and how those prices are applied. Be sure to use not only instinct here, but also your data – specifically from past holiday events.

Chances are good that there is a higher tolerance for increased prices for your holiday show, but also a bigger need for a wide range of prices, especially children’s prices, which many of us might not have in place for most shows.

Once you’ve got a sense of your range of prices, you’ll need to apply them to specific performances, and that will probably look different than usual. Instead of basing your pricing on weekday vs weekend or matinee vs evening, consider when the performance falls in the run. If Christmas Eve is a Wednesday, that should be your highest price ticket, even if Wednesdays typically wouldn’t be. If you have matinees during school break and are catering to families and kids, price those differently than your typical weekday matinees. If you are frequently applying dynamic pricing increases in the week before Christmas, you may want to raise those prices right away, while also offering lower prices earlier in the run.

Timing

When people buy tickets for holiday shows is probably different than for other shows (sensing a theme yet?). Since the holidays are so busy for people, you are generally going to see fewer last-minute purchases because calendars are already filled up. You want patrons to buy early to get the date on their calendar so they can plan everything else around your event, and not the other way around. That means that marketing must start earlier, too. (Thus, all the Christmas in July sales.) And it means that you should also be adjusting your expectations of how close to goal you want to be by the start of rehearsals or Opening Night.

Messaging

Holiday patrons are buying an experience and a memory. They are not buying tickets because they’ve never heard the story of Ebenezer Scrooge before. Sell the experience – not the plot. Whether that experience is rooted in tradition (if you are producing the same show every year), adventure (introducing a new holiday show), or a mix of both (if you have the same title but a different production.)

Just like the holiday season in general, the holiday ticket sales season has the potential to be stressful and joyous. A good marketing strategy though can minimize the stress and maximize attendance and revenue.

*But I can work with you directly to develop a strategy that maximizes the potential of your specific situation. Contact me soon for help with this year’s holiday event or anytime for more advanced planning.