Case Study: Audience Loyalty Program Research

Summary: By taking time to gather real, honest data from patrons, we will be able to put together two different but related programs to thank patrons for their loyalty. For the price-motivated, this means revamping our discount punch card program. For the brand evangelists, this means exclusive events and special access to our shows. Both initiatives will result in increased sales, stronger patron affiliation, and greater brand evangelism.

Challenge: In past years, the Brave New Workshop’s marketing efforts have been focused largely on getting new patrons through the doors. Repeat patrons and longtime fans could be counted on for consistent ticket sales, but there is no system in place to reward or acknowledge those who keep coming back. During a marketing meeting with our president and managing director, there were two main questions that kept sticking out: Challenge A) How do we get people to come back? And Challenge B) How do we thank those who do, in fact, come back?

Challenge A is driven primarily by revenue goals. If we could take even a small percentage of once-per-year ticket buyers and convince them to buy twice per year, that would represent a significant increase in revenue for our theatre, which is especially important at off-peak times.

Challenge B was inspired by our gratitude for the patrons who come again and again to our shows, as well as tell their friends to come, and talk about us on social media. These brand evangelists are a powerful force for getting people through our doors, but there has been no system in place to reward and thank them for their help in spreading the word. Our thinking goes, the more thanked and included those evangelists feel, the more likely they are to keep doing what they’re doing for the BNW (and more).

Action plan: I used a two-phase approach to getting information on our patrons. In the first phase, I designed and emailed a multi-page survey to a cross-section of patrons, ensuring that the list included frequent patrons as well as one-time visitors. I asked a variety of questions, designed to tease out each respondent’s sentiments regarding entertainment in general, and the Brave New Workshop specifically. I also asked them directly about their feelings towards rewards programs and what (if anything) would they want out of a BNW rewards program.

For the second phase, I conducted phone interviews with survey respondents who had volunteered their information for that purpose. I found these phone interviews to be not only informative, but truly enjoyable. Digital metrics are an outstanding tool, but they are no substitute for actually talking to the people who use your product or service. These patrons shared a remarkable amount of insight about what motivates them to engage with different brands and how we can keep the Brave New Workshop as a top leisure destination for them.

Results: Through the survey and phone interviews, I was able to split our patrons into two general groups: Those who are motivated mostly by price (I’ll call Group A), and those who are motivated by exclusive access and meaningful engagement (Group B). For Group A, we already have a program in place, our punch pass program. Patrons buy a punch card for a flat fee, and then can redeem each punch for a ticket, with no restrictions. However, this program had been lying fallow for years. Information was not presented clearly, and box office personnel have not been trained on upselling patrons on this option. These survey results act as the catalyst to re-establish these punch passes as the best value for theatre patrons.

For Group B, we discovered that the price was a non-issue. In fact, they were happy to pay full price for what they deemed to be a worthwhile organization, even if though they were coming multiple times per year! Instead, the added value they were looking for takes the form of increased engagement and exclusive access. They were interested in interacting with the cast, getting early access to better seats, and connecting with other BNW fans.

Ongoing action: We are redesigning our website, and my mission is to prominently feature the punch pass option as an upsell to ticket buyers in Group A. It is both a great value, and an excellent way to augment our ticket revenue.

Catering to Group B will be more complicated, but ultimately more rewarding. I have been working with both the cast and the staff to come up with program ideas that invite frequent patrons behind the scenes with our actors, and even give them a chance to try improv themselves via exclusive workshops. These are set to be group activities, which will serve the dual purpose of granting exclusive access and fostering connection among diehard fans.

With both groups, I am confident that these programs will increase our word-of-mouth advertising, which has been one key to our success for nearly 60 years.