[JohnGaring]

This is a genuine question. I am doing some research for my studies and need a bit of input. In telling friends and family members that I am interested in, even passionate about, theatre I invariably get the same response - a rather unenthusiatic comment along the lines of "Its a bit naff isn't it?". Either that or some old uncle pipes up and says he is a theatregoer and, when you press him further, the last thing he went to see was Cats or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

So, I bang on about David Tennant and John Barrowman and Jude Law and those people off the telly to try and get then interested but it doesn't seem to register. The overwhelming sense is that those who love it love it and those who think it is naff will not be persuaded otherwise.

So how do you make it sexy to a lay audience? Should we even bother? My course is marketing not theatre but I chose to focus on theatre because I love it.

[Jan Brock]

Why bother ? You don't need their approval. "The strongest man in the world is he who stands alone" (Know which play that quote is from ?).

[JohnGaring]

Why bother ? You don't need their approval. "The strongest man in the world is he who stands alone" (Know which play that quote is from ?).

I am not looking for anyone's approval. I don't care what they think. That is not the point. It jut got me thinking, how do you market the concept of theatregoing as being a cool, interesting thing to do for people who would not consider it?

[Weez]

I usually find the best response is a pitying smile and a patronising "I guess you just haven't seen the right plays". Because when someone is determined they will hate an entire entertainment medium - and frankly, decrying ALL theatre is no less dumb than refusing to ever read a single book, or watch any television whatsoever - then there is no converting them, so I may as well be a snarky biotch about it. I mean really, if someone is determined that they hate, say, all sea-food, then they're not going to thank you for pressuring them into trying just one tiny bit of lobster, go on, it's quite meaty really, you'll never notice, please, just one bite.

It sounds like you have very strange friends and family, to be honest. I have friends who won't see musicals, I have friends who declare all straight plays are dull (they DEFINITELY haven't been seeing the right plays! XD), but not one of them would refuse a trip to the theatre all together.

Perhaps "banging on" isn't the best way to go about things. It's a shame you're looking from a research perspective; if you were just looking to get someone to admit that theatre's not all bad after all, I could come up with all sorts of insidious methods of fixing them. But properly marketing things to people? As I said, if they're *that* dumb/against theatre, then there's no fixing them. *shrugs*

[Trev]

I am not looking for anyone's approval. I don't care what they think. That is not the point. It jut got me thinking, how do you market the concept of theatregoing as being a cool, interesting thing to do for people who would not consider it?

Why on earth do you care? I had an uncle who collected stamps, a hobby which doesn't interest me in the least, I was happy that he was happy, a friend plays the ukelele. My selfish concern is only that whatever I want to see has enough takings to last until I get around to seeing it.

****Enemy of the People - do i get a prize?

[Weez]

Be fair - he has explained that he's looking at it from a marketing perspective. He's not asking "wah wah how do I make my friends like the same thing as me?", he's saying "wah wah my friends think I'm weird, but this is interesting, so I'd like to use it in my education". Probably without the "wah wah"s, but I'm a little prickly today; you would do well to not take anything I say *too* much to heart.

[Jan Brock]

I am not looking for anyone's approval. I don't care what they think. That is not the point. It jut got me thinking, how do you market the concept of theatregoing as being a cool, interesting thing to do for people who would not consider it?

Well, if you don't care what they think then the answer to "Should we even bother" is plainly "no".

[Alexandra]

Trev, he's doing a marketing course - he's not trying to persuade his friends because he feels lonely. Why don't men ever read the bloody instructions?!

But I don't know the answer, John. I suspect most of us had our theatrical interest sparked by being moved or thrilled by an outstanding production or performance (or several of them). But if someone won't go in the first place, that can't happen. I suppose you have to get them in by finding some way of connecting it with something they are interested in. For example, I got someone to go and see Arcadia because it was about Fermat's Last Theorem (it wasn't of course, but I lied, and he quite liked it - I think I might possibly be able to get him to see another Stoppard).

[Jan Brock]

****Enemy of the People - do i get a prize?

Correct. No.

[Kathryn2]

Does advertising ever manage to convince people who think something is naff that it's not?
I mean, really? I know advertising companies would like their clients to think so, but the effect
that even good advertising has on people actually buying something is always hard to quantify.
They might have bought it anyway. And most advertising isn't actually that good.

If even personal recommendations, which are normally the most effective form of promotion, can't persuade someone then there is probably no hope.

I have this with my dad. My mum wants to see War Horse, and I've already seen it, so we tried to persuade my dad to see it with her rather than me seeing it again. Absolutely no interest despite telling him how brilliant it is. Even when I told him I was convinced he would really enjoy it, and how many times have I been wrong about that? I'm always recommending films that he likes, and I regularly buy him a couple for christmas that I know he'd never bother to watch otherwise, and I don't think I've struck out yet.

Advertising can't persuade them to want something that they don't, but it can sway the 'maybes', the people who want something but aren't sure which one to actually get.