BRAND NEW MUST READ HURRICANE HANDS BLOG!
When people ask me what my role is on this project, they are always left with confused expressions on their faces, to which I then I have to follow up with a lengthy explanation as to what I actually do. So naturally, to save your own confusion, I should probably do the same.
When you go shopping, why does your eye get drawn to that gorgeous red dress on sale in the window? Or even the latest iPhone, with unlimited everything, on an unbeatable tariff. Why do you get sucked in? Why do you reach for your wallet? Why do you buy it?
Because someone sold it to you. Not just anyone. The person who designed the font on that ‘sale’ sign. The person who picked the right colours to go on that tariff poster. Even the person who came up with the cheesiest of lines to go with it like: ‘at an unbeatable price, its a must buy now!’ All of these intricate details that most of us barely consider on a daily basis, are in fact the most important forces in selling something, anything, heck, even theatre. Its all marketing. And its all my job.
I was at London Pride last week, and on reflection, I realised that by the end of one of the maddest week-ends of the year, I had accumulated countless flags and sashes as well as having consumed copious amounts of alcohol. While its natural to do so, I found that the only reason I had poured my wallet out to all this paraphernalia was because someone was very good at displaying those offer signs in Sainsbury’s and waving those flags up and down Regent street.
By the way, if you’re still reading this, that’s because I definitely sold it to you with that title, am I right?
I suppose the twisted beauty of marketing is being able to creatively and artistically manipulate people, to put it bluntly. And yes, before you ask, I quite like it. But particularly when its theatre, its more than that, its being a part of a project, from its inception to its final performance, building the character, appearance and life of the piece throughout and beyond the rehearsal room. Why do we keep going to see Wicked, because those green lights are addictive and that poster, that wicked poster, you know the one I mean! And then there’s the reviews in big flashy writing all over the place. ‘ONE OF THE GREATEST MUSICALS OF OUR TIME’. Yes, we get drawn in, but with theatre, that’s fine because you're being drawn into a moment, a story, an event that you get to be part of. It isn’t just any red dress that will end up at the back of your closet, to which one day you’ll ask, why did I even buy this? In years to come, you will look back at those theatre tickets stuck to your wall and remember every moment of that one evening that you belonged to.
So, where are we so far for Hurricane hands? Well, by reading this, you’re already checking out our blog, which is on our all new website, and of course, if you’ve found the website, you’ve probably seen our awesome Facebook page, Twitter and even Instagram account, where we upload pics daily… you see what I’m doing here? Hurricane hands is all online, and let’s face it, now a days, that’s where the marketing is. The Internet. What would we do without it. (sad yes, but true).
However, the Edinburgh Fringe is a whole new game. The internet can only go so far, particularly during a festival that is predominantly based on the ‘physical’ and the ‘material’. There is no point posting something on Facebook, when the audience we are trying to attract are walking around us every day, focusing on what is in front of them. At the fringe, our best friends are posters and flyers, banners and programmes, live demonstrations, t-shirts and megaphones. (that last one I think I’ll especially love). This is the challenge that Hurricane Hands now prepares to face, and for a marketing director who has never been to the Fringe before, (a.k.a. me), its one that I’m gearing up for. Of course, while nobody necessarily wants to be walking around in cold Scottish weather for a few hours every day flyering, its all for what I like to call, ‘the greater good’. Truthfully my concerns are far more focused on the amount of budget we have for printing, though I’d rather let Chicken and Phoebe worry about that.
There is a lot more to marketing than meets the eye, and within the theatre industry, it is one of the most enjoyable jobs I’ve discovered. The possibilities are endless. So the next time you meet someone who says they do marketing, just think, they are the people who control your wallet. And the next time you see those ‘buy one get one free’ signs while you’re shopping and gasp in joy, just remember, they are doing their job very well.
Join us at the Edinburgh Fringe this year to see Studiospace Bristol’s new FREE Fringe Production, The Girl with the Hurricane Hands! SEE YOU THERE!
