Groundhog Day Marketing?

MadonnaMusical Profile Photo
MadonnaMusical
#1Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/19/17 at 6:18am

Am I the only one who thinks that Groundhog Day's marketing campaign is terrible? The poster in Shubert Alley only has a giant quote from a critic on it in big black letters and it's not even repeated!!!! 

I don't claim to know anything about advertising but it seems like a no brainer that whatever their campaign is... it should be repeated over and over and over. Thoughts?

Updated On: 2/1/17 at 06:18 AM

neonlightsxo
#2Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/19/17 at 9:18am

It's horrible.

 

CATSNYrevival Profile Photo
CATSNYrevival
#3Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/19/17 at 7:08pm

It truly does appear as if no thought was put into it at all. A white background with black text in a poorly chosen font with a clock for the "o" and a groundhog's head. It's not even a cute groundhog. How many people did it take to come up with that? 

gypsy101 Profile Photo
gypsy101
#4Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/19/17 at 7:44pm

i still think it's weird they cast someone as dashing and handsome as Andy Karl when that character in the film was a schlub


"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."

Skimbleshanks2 Profile Photo
Skimbleshanks2
#5Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/19/17 at 8:29pm

THIS WAS MY POINT!! Persecuted here for being right... there's no marketing... I'm so worried...


"See that poster on the wall? Rocky Marciano." - Andy Karl as Rocky in 'ROCKY'

BroadwayConcierge Profile Photo
BroadwayConcierge
#6Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/19/17 at 9:17pm

It really is rivaling In Transit for worst marketing of the season. Which is saying something.

Skimbleshanks2 Profile Photo
Skimbleshanks2
#7Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/19/17 at 9:50pm

It's never a great sign when ORFEH KARL is doing the majority of your PR legwork...


"See that poster on the wall? Rocky Marciano." - Andy Karl as Rocky in 'ROCKY'

Cfried
#8Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/19/17 at 10:33pm

Thank goodness I'm not the only one! Their marketing is a travesty. Just PLAIN hideous and has absolutely nothing to do with the show. It appears no thought went into ANYTHING. I feel it's far worse than In Transit''s marketing, and I didn't know that was possible. Yikes. Very disappointed. 

LightsOut90
#9Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/19/17 at 11:26pm

this is this seasons Leap of Faith

broadwayguy91
#10Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 4:34am

LightsOut90 said: "this is this seasons Leap of Faith

 

"

or Honeymoon in Vegas. 

(Amelie might befall the same fate too.)

neonlightsxo
#11Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 10:19am

The new poster above the August Wilson is literally just white space with a tiny groundhog and then in tiny font it has the title. Who came up with that?

WiCkEDrOcKS Profile Photo
WiCkEDrOcKS
#12Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 10:25am

Did anyone else read the reviews from the West End...?

 

Leap of Faith? Really?

neonlightsxo
#13Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 10:39am

Some of us saw it in London (me) and didn't like it. Also this thread is about marketing not the quality of the show.

Also it didn't play the West End. It was at the Old Vic.

Updated On: 1/20/17 at 10:39 AM

ajh
#14Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 10:40am

Have to agree with you.

Saw the West End production just before it closed and I absolutely loved it. Would have gone back had it been on longer and not sold out, but the poster campaign/image for Broadway is pathetically bland, which is ironic given how vivid and punchy the show itself is.

Andy Karl is sensational and a genuine threat to Ben Platt wandering off with every Best Actor prize, and I just hope that the marketing either changes or that the paying public can see past it. I admit that, if I didn't know how damn good this show actually is, none of the advertising would be selling it to me.

macnyc Profile Photo
macnyc
#15Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 10:42am

I didn't even know there was a marketing campaign. So that's a fail.

neonlightsxo
#16Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 10:43am

macnyc said: "I didn't even know there was a marketing campaign. So that's a fail."

 

This just made me laugh on what's been a rough morning!

 

little_sally Profile Photo
little_sally
#17Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 6:11pm

I saw the marquee last night and it is dreadful. 


A little swash, a bit of buckle - you'll love it more than bread.

canadian fan
#18Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 6:36pm

Seems to me that at the end of the day the most important marketing tools there can possibly be are the reviews and the word of mouth once the previews have started. If the reviews are great and a buzz starts, the show will be successful regardless if the marquee isn't pretty enough etc. Conversely it wont matter how much marketing there is or what the marquee looks like if the show itself falls flat. No pretty lights or signs will save it. So for those of us who have bought tickets with a little blind faith, lets put more stock in the seemingly decent reviews from London and the rave reviews for Andy Karl.  And yes a few people on this board have seen it London and some enjoyed it while others didn't. I think that would pretty much be the case with any show on Broadway, we all have differing opinions. So until it hits the masses and more people on this side of the pond have seen it, lets all take a deep breath just look forward to seeing it. My two cents worth :) 

Robbie2 Profile Photo
Robbie2
#19Groundhog Day Marketing/Advertising
Posted: 1/20/17 at 7:11pm

little_sally said: "I saw the marquee last night and it is dreadful. 

 

True...btw, who's handling the marketing/Advertising?Groundhog Day Marketing/Advertising

 


"Anything you do, let it it come from you--then it will be new." Sunday in the Park with George
Updated On: 1/20/17 at 07:11 PM

clb10162
#20Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 7:28pm

canadian fan said: "Seems to me that at the end of the day the most important marketing tools there can possibly be are the reviews and the word of mouth once the previews have started. If the reviews are great and a buzz starts, the show will be successful regardless if the marquee isn't pretty enough etc. Conversely it wont matter how much marketing there is or what the marquee looks like if the show itself falls flat. No pretty lights or signs will save it. So for those of us who have bought tickets with a little blind faith, lets put more stock in the seemingly decent reviews from London and the rave reviews for Andy Karl.  And yes a few people on this board have seen it London and some enjoyed it while others didn't. I think that would pretty much be the case with any show on Broadway, we all have differing opinions. So until it hits the masses and more people on this side of the pond have seen it, lets all take a deep breath just look forward to seeing it. My two cents worth :) 

 

Good point.  I seem to recall a number of complaints about the Dear Evan Hansen marquee and marketing.  And now it's SRO 

 

Dallas Theatre Fan
#21Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 7:38pm

Robbie2 said: "little_sally said: "I saw the marquee last night and it is dreadful. 

 

True...btw, who's handling the marketing?Groundhog Day Marketing?

 


A freshman in a Intro to Marketing class that waited for the last minute do to this project.

 

broadwayguy91
#22Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 7:45pm

clb10162 said: 


Good point.  I seem to recall a number of complaints about the Dear Evan Hansen marquee and marketing.  And now it's SRO 

 


the diference is that DEH had a stellar off-Bway run = already garnered a core NY audience who will definitely come back and re-experience it on Bway.

"

 

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little_sally
#23Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 7:54pm

All of the stars on the front of the theater (I guess to show all of the 4 star reviews it received in London?) are a really awful touch. It made me think of the artwork for David Bowie's last record, and was a terrible marketing choice.


A little swash, a bit of buckle - you'll love it more than bread.

TimesSquared Profile Photo
TimesSquared
#24Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 9:20pm

I just want to point out that any art you see for a show, the logo, the posters, marquees, tv ads, magazine ads, billboards, etc.—that's the advertising, not marketing. Yes, advertising is a component of marketing, but if you're referring to the artwork you see in print, on tv and on the theater, that's advertising. 

Marketing includes PR, sales strategy, pricing, market research, advertising, and on and on.

Sorry to be pedantic! 

MadonnaMusical Profile Photo
MadonnaMusical
#25Groundhog Day Marketing?
Posted: 1/20/17 at 10:34pm

Advertising is part of the marketing. It falls under the 'Promotion" aspect of the four P's of marketing. My general dissatisfaction with the marketing covers the artwork, the advertising slogans, and the lack of a creative PR campaign to get the word out about the show. The show seems to have very little word of mouth (aka buzz) at this point and I disagree that a show can depend on reviews and word of mouth to keep it open. There have been many examples of shows with great reviews that have failed financially because they couldn't sell the tickets or build a word of mouth campaign fast enough. It takes a good six months to develop a strong word of mouth. If a show can afford to stay open that long then they can make it. Dear Evan Hansen had the luxury of not running while their six months of buzz grew. Likewise, The Great Comet had two years of positive word of mouth. I was merely commenting that the campaign behind Groundhog Day isn't doing enough to garner buzz. The show itself might be brilliant. I'm just worried that even if the show is brilliant, it might not be enough. Hopefully I'm wrong.