Moviegoers have put up with it for years – seeing trailers for other movies before the one they have actually paid to see. Advertising in theatres, however, has traditionally been confined to what appears in the theatre programme (that you also pay for, but don’t have to buy). Lately, too, there’s been signs (literally so) of corporate sponsorship around, from the National’s branded Travelex £10 season to the American Airlines bars that have started popping up in theatres around town. But now theatregoers at venues around the world will have the joys of London theatre promoted to them, according to a report in today’s Independent, in specially created “ads” that are acted out in front of them before the main event.
According to James Bidwell, chief executive of Visit London, “London’s theatrical heritage and reputation are revered worldwide. It is a highly creative way of leveraging this unique platform to connect with potential visitors to London and we are proud to spearhead this world-first. We wanted to do something which exemplified the creativity which is inherent in a modern city that does things first.”
In New York, there have already been walking theatrical video billboards, but this is the first time that live actors will be sent into live theatres from Dublin to Philadelphia to sell London’s wares. It’s certainly a novel approach – but quite how cost effective it can be in terms of the number of people it actually reaches is another question, though the scheme promises that it will be backed by a print and online promotional campaign.
In Chicago in the U.S., a small theater company did "live previews" in other small theaters of their adaptation of "Macbeth" last year before they opened it--don't know if it actually got people to see their show.
Looks like this is the dawn of a new age for London theatre promotion. Just read today in Breakingtravelnews.com that ConciergeDesk.co.uk, a London concierge ticketing service, has launched a service providing travel agents worldwide with the opportunity to sell London theatre tickets from their own office computers. Let's fill up those seats!