OVERVIEW
With Tony Awards, critical acclaim and box office records from Broadway to Los Angeles to its credit, JERSEY BOYS - The story of Frankie Valli and Four Seasons – was an international hit when the show sought its first permanent home on the west coast. Co-produced by BASE Entertainment and Dodger Theatricals, JERSEY BOYS entered the competitive Las Vegas entertainment landscape with high expectations. However, because of recent history, it also arrived at a time when public perception was that Las Vegas was not an entertainment market that would support full-length Broadway-style musical productions. In addition to the challenge of convincing a doubtful media corps that a full-length, full-scale Broadway production – with an intermission! – would not only work on The Strip, but thrive came the challenge to ensure that a busy, vacationing public would differentiate that while Las Vegas might be the land of the tribute show, but JERSEY BOYS did not fit that bill.
To answer those challenges and cement JERSEY BOYS as one of the must-see entertainment options in Las Vegas, Kirvin Doak Communications developed and executed an opening public relations campaign that built on the success of JERSEY BOYS, developed strategies to raise awareness for those unfamiliar with the production and utilized the members of the Four Seasons as our best ambassadors for our messaging on the differences between JERSEY BOYS, other musicals and “tribute” performances.
TACTICS
Beginning with the tickets-on-sale release, KDC hit the ground running with a campaign that was as educational as promotional.
Interviews with original Four Seasons Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, and Tommy DeVito, director Des McAnuff and writers Rick Ellis and Marshall Brickman stressed that this was more than a collection of songs by one of the biggest selling bands of all time, it was an untold tale of four guys from New Jersey who overcame long odds with talent and perseverance.
As part of the opening strategy, it was important to be able to convey the history and creative process of how JERSEY BOYS came to be. With the ability to use the creative team for media purposes, we were able to secure larger scale, multi-faceted articles in both local and national markets in promotion of the show.
KDC built on the buzz that JERSEY BOYS had created in tour markets, targeting those markets individually as well as key journalists who’d already raved about the production; securing preview stories in outlets such as Variety, the Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, Chicago Tribune, Press-Enterprise and Honolulu Advisor.
With several cast members who’d already been a part of JERSEY BOYS, KDC compiled video and photography assets into new packages enabling us to let the vibrant staging and brilliant music tell the JERSEY BOYS story itself long before it hit the stage in Las Vegas. Photos and video were sent wide to travel, entertainment, music and theatre media, as well as used for preview pieces in both local and tourist media outlets. As the show moved closer to opening, creators and cast members did satellite tours with entertainment media and radio teams in key Las Vegas feeder markets to further spread awareness of the show as the exclusive west coast engagement. JERSEY BOYS upcoming opening in Las Vegas was covered by KTLA in Los Angeles, KFVE in Hawaii and San Francisco Magazine, Angeleno Magazine and VEGAS Magazine.
Though far from JERSEY in distance, the themes of JERSEY BOYS – music, gambling, and the mob – were are a natural fit with Las Vegas. On top of that one of the original Four Seasons, tough-guy Tommy DeVito now called Las Vegas home. KDC used those ties to capitalize on the steady stream of media attention “Sin City” receives as a travel destination securing mentions of the show in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, New York Daily News and San Jose Mercury-News.
With the knowledge that most Las Vegas ticket buyers make their purchases after arrival, KDC also focused on media catering to tourists creating a steady stream of news for them to cover, from the chance to observe the director in rehearsals to a sneak peek of the four Las Vegas JERSEY BOYS in full voice and costume, KDC created compelling photo opportunities fit for publication in the monthly, weekly and bi-weekly magazines well before performances began. KDC also secured the cover of Las Vegas Magazine, What’s On Magazine and 24/7 Magazine at opening.
As JERSEY BOYS was a show that had already developed a loyal following before the Las Vegas Company opened, KDC maximized the show’s exposure not only through working with JERSEY BOYS fan organizations but by also including the show’s fans in the media. KDC invited key journalists to Las Vegas to attend the Premiere celebration. Writers from the Toronto Star, Chicago Sun-Times and Oakland Tribune, as well as the fans who created the JERSEY BOYS blog and JERSEY BOYS podcast, were treated to a weekend of JERSEY in Las Vegas including the Opening Night show and gala as well as opportunities to meet with the cast and creators. By bringing those media fans into the fold we were better able to convey our unique selling points and push national media on the relevancy of the new Las Vegas Company.
The pinnacle of the campaign came when KDC coordinated a high-profile opening night, featuring a media-crowded red carpet arrival and a top-notch gala with cameras on hand to capture the cast singing “Happy Birthday” to Frankie Valli, who, as Vegas luck would have it, celebrated his 74th on opening night.
RESULTS
From opening night onward, JERSEY BOYS at The Palazzo has been a critical and box office smash. Considered one of Las Vegas’ top entertainment productions, JERSEY BOYS was named 2008 “Show of the Year” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The show recouped its investment in less than a year and advance sales remain extremely strong, despite a challenging economy and new entertainment competition.
KEY PLACEMENTS
Significant feature stories in USA TODAY the Los Angeles Times and the Toronto Star resulted in national and regional audience introductions. Cover stories were secured in all significant Las Vegas tourist media, Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Sun. Vegas magazine’s multi-page photo essay featured the JERSEY BOYS cast and introduced them to local and national audiences. Multiple local radio and television interviews leading up to and through opening. Show opening coverage ran extensively in online media, local and national broadcasts including all Las Vegas affiliates, Entertainment Tonight, KTLA, Salt Lake City Tribune, Oakland Tribune and Variety.
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