Zurich October Revolution
Theater Marketing I The Zurich Schauspielhaus kicks off its final season of the Marthaler era with a “Theater Monday.” Publicis is using Russian revolutionary graphics for the campaign.
Theater marketing I The Zurich Schauspielhaus heralds its last season of the Marthaler era with a Theater Monday. When the curtain rises on the 2003/04 season on September 27 at the Schiffbau and a week later at the Pfauen, Switzerland's largest spoken theater will not only be vying for the public's favor with classics and blockbuster revues. In order to attract large numbers again, additional measures are required in addition to classic subscriptions. However, no subscription sales figures are expected as in the Marthaler hype of 2000/01, when sales soared to over 4800 subscriptions in line with the high expectations. Today, Schauspielhaus sales manager Christoph Stuehn puts the peak figure at that time down to a large proportion of temporary adopters - in his view, many theatergoers also bought a subscription in that peak year who subsequently found out that they were not real "Abotypes". However, since the massive slump to 3124 paid subscriptions purchased for the 2001/02 season, the situation only recovered slightly last season (3396 subscriptions). For the last season of the Marthaler era, Stuehn expects a stable to slightly increasing trend.
No price increaseSubscription sales at cultural institutions have been declining for years. Consumers are no longer willing to make long-term commitments to the theater either. This also affects the multi-award-winning Schauspielhaus, under Marthaler of all people, who dared to make a political break into the world. But counterculture and subculture, even if they are presented by renowned ensembles in Zurich, have a hard time. Especially during the economic crisis.
Various efforts were made to get the finances back on track. Stuehn: "The Schauspielhaus still has a high revenue target compared to German-speaking theaters." Consequently, a large proportion of the income has to be generated at the box office. "We were looking for a mechanism to attract people to the theater more cheaply without undermining the price structure or cannibalizing other offers," adds Stuehn. The sales manager found the solution in the theater Monday, the day of the week with the fewest subscriptions. In consultation with Migros, one of the two subscriptions was canceled and, with the massive support of the Migros Culture Percentage, the new offer is now being introduced, in which standard prices apply.
Although those responsible at the Schauspielhaus are modest about this innovation, the Publicis crew led by Markus Gut saw something revolutionary in the new offer. As the original campaign was likely to trigger a strong image effect, the creatives wanted to implement it in line with the uncomfortable appearance of the Schauspielhaus.
Peace to the cash registers!
Based on the slogan of the Russian Futurists - "All art - for all the people!" - the launch campaign takes up the visual language of Russian Constructivism and exaggerates the revolutionary motifs of Lissitzky or Rodchenko in a theatrical way. The red flag was retained, but the hammer and sickle were removed and replaced with the familiar shipbuilding chair. However, it is not members of the cultural elite who sit on them, but workers, peasants and soldiers of equal status. In three motifs, the cultural experience is elevated to a collective act. In the style of propaganda, Markus Gut adds with a grin: "The class system of prices has been abolished, the Schauspielhaus is looking forward to the storm at the box office!" We can only hope that the introduction of Theater Monday will bring the next artistic director an auditorium bursting at the seams.
The crowbar is used to advertise for the Monday audience.
Theater marketing The Schauspielhaus Zürich introduces aTheatermondag with standard tickets - Markus Gut plundered Russian revolutionary poetry for the launch campaign >> p. 7
Luca Aloisi
No price increaseSubscription sales at cultural institutions have been declining for years. Consumers are no longer willing to make long-term commitments to the theater either. This also affects the multi-award-winning Schauspielhaus, under Marthaler of all people, who dared to make a political break into the world. But counterculture and subculture, even if they are presented by renowned ensembles in Zurich, have a hard time. Especially during the economic crisis.
Various efforts were made to get the finances back on track. Stuehn: "The Schauspielhaus still has a high revenue target compared to German-speaking theaters." Consequently, a large proportion of the income has to be generated at the box office. "We were looking for a mechanism to attract people to the theater more cheaply without undermining the price structure or cannibalizing other offers," adds Stuehn. The sales manager found the solution in the theater Monday, the day of the week with the fewest subscriptions. In consultation with Migros, one of the two subscriptions was canceled and, with the massive support of the Migros Culture Percentage, the new offer is now being introduced, in which standard prices apply.
Although those responsible at the Schauspielhaus are modest about this innovation, the Publicis crew led by Markus Gut saw something revolutionary in the new offer. As the original campaign was likely to trigger a strong image effect, the creatives wanted to implement it in line with the uncomfortable appearance of the Schauspielhaus.
Peace to the cash registers!
Based on the slogan of the Russian Futurists - "All art - for all the people!" - the launch campaign takes up the visual language of Russian Constructivism and exaggerates the revolutionary motifs of Lissitzky or Rodchenko in a theatrical way. The red flag was retained, but the hammer and sickle were removed and replaced with the familiar shipbuilding chair. However, it is not members of the cultural elite who sit on them, but workers, peasants and soldiers of equal status. In three motifs, the cultural experience is elevated to a collective act. In the style of propaganda, Markus Gut adds with a grin: "The class system of prices has been abolished, the Schauspielhaus is looking forward to the storm at the box office!" We can only hope that the introduction of Theater Monday will bring the next artistic director an auditorium bursting at the seams.
The crowbar is used to advertise for the Monday audience.
Theater marketing The Schauspielhaus Zürich introduces aTheatermondag with standard tickets - Markus Gut plundered Russian revolutionary poetry for the launch campaign >> p. 7
Luca Aloisi
