Theatre Quadra: Publicity Campaign and Collateral Design for “Chicago: The Musical”
Theatre Quadra, a vibrant local theatre company, is a not-for-profit group whose purpose is to entertain, educate and enrich their community with quality theatrical experiences. They provide ambitious, inclusive, meaningful, and engaging productions, offer creative outlets for individuals of all ages to develop their dramatic talents, and provide learning experiences in various aspects of theatre production and management.
When Theatre Quadra undertook the production of “Chicago: The Musical,” they faced the unique challenge of promoting ticket sales without the use of paid advertising. We crafted a fresh visual identity for all of their promotional materials, including advertising, tickets, programs, and posters. The design aimed to capture the organization’s enthusiasm while paying homage to the iconic style of this widely celebrated theatrical production. We then undertook an ambitious marketing campaign that leveraged free print outlets, online event sites, and the power of social media to spread the word.
Process Notes
The main challenge for this campaign was to find creative ways to build buzz and excitement around the production without relying on traditional paid advertising methods. Due to the licensing agreement, all paid advertising was prohibited. Our solution was to creatively leverage the power of visual storytelling and community engagement to ensure the ticket sales were excellent.
A secondary challenge was present for some of the print collateral. All of the theatre programs and the tickets needed to be designed in black and white only.
A strategy was developed that used a mix of traditional and digital mediums, ensuring maximum exposure with an extremely limited budget.
Important components of the campaign strategy included leveraging local news outlets for coverage with human interest pieces, creating a robust social media campaign to drive community engagement, and using local event listing websites and print outlets to get the word out about the stage production.
The results of the publicity campaign exceeded expectations. The initial three-show run sold out in record time, leading to the addition of two extra shows due to overwhelming demand. The additional shows also sold out in a matter of days.
Theatre Quadra's "Chicago" publicity campaign exemplified the power of creativity, community engagement, and strategic storytelling. By skillfully harnessing visual design and embracing social media, the campaign's success proved that with innovation and resourcefulness, outstanding results can be achieved even within the constraints of an extremely limited advertising budget. The journey of "Chicago" to the Quadra Island stage is a testament to the impact of a well-executed publicity campaign that resonates deeply with the audience.
