Publicity

written by John M. Silah of Image Associates

    Theatre is an art form.  "The storyteller's art," "performing art" - however you wish to phrase it, it is a craft and an art.  Those who prefer things to be divided into levels, and love the idea of progression, hopefully upwards, prefer to think of it as a craft, with the potential to be art, if it is executed well enough.  Each aspect of a production, then, can start out as a craft and be elevated, through the talents of the participants, up to the level of art.  This can even apply to artistically designed posters, well-written Press Releases, etc.

    All well and good, but sometimes in our quest to be more artistic, we focus a bit too much on the artistic aspects and less on the commercial, which is considered a lower aspiration.  But lower or not, the commercial aspect - selling tickets - is critical to the success of any theatre program.  Especially for a group like FdLCT, that relies almost entirely the income from ticket sales to continue, the shows must be well-publicized for the troupe to survive.

    One might think of selling as an art form, too.  But the goal is slightly different - sales.  Ironically, if this "lower art form" does not succeed in its goal, the art of theatre can be lost.  Without an audience, who will see the art?  This is why the Publicity, all aspects of publicity, must be designed to sell first, and to be artistic second.

    As an aid to those helping out with Publicity, we have included this page as a guide for that type of work.  Out of necessity, it will deal with all of these things as selling tools, not as art.

    The basics - There are several ways to get publicity for a production.  The following list is in alphabetical order, by subject.

Advertising

        Buying advertisements in the local newspaper and/or shopper is easy to do, although it can be expensive.  The easy part is designing the ad.  You do not need to have any layout or graphic design talent.  The salespeople at each publication will assist you in designing an appropriate ad.  It is helpful if you have an idea of what you want.  Take the poster and/or table tent design in to their office to use as a guide.  Remember to specify who, what, when, where, why and how.

Community Calendars

    Most radio and television stations and newspapers have a Community Calendar in which they make announcements of upcoming events, usually free of charge.  This is great free advertising, but it requires someone to make up a list of who has these calendars, who is in charge, what their criteria are, etc.  Then someone has to tailor a message for them and get them to the person in charge of each.  A lot of work, but worth it in publicity value.

Electric Signs

    Something relatively new, or at least becoming more common today, is the electric message sign.  These are scrolling messages on signs, usually at banks, credit unions, etc.  Some of them will allow groups to put messages up on these signs for a limited time, usually free of charge.  This is great free advertising, just like the Community Calendars, but it also requires someone to make up a list of who has these signs, who is in charge, what their criteria are, etc.  Then someone has to tailor a message for them and get them to the person in charge of each.  Again, a lot of work, but worthwhile, if you can find a volunteer willing to do it.

E-Mails

    Email is a great way to communicate, and has enabled communications to be improved significantly in recent years.  It can also become advertising, due to the advent of Mass Emails.  These are emails that are sent out to an entire group of people at once.  There are two ways in which this can be done.  One way is to use a pre-existing email address list and simply copy-and-paste the list into the "To" box of your out-going email.  The second way is more difficult, but has a big advantage.  This is to create a group out of your individual contacts.  The procedure is as follows, although it may vary depending upon your particular email program:

1. "New Contact" - Open your address book.  Click on the "New" box.  Select "New Contact."  Create a separate contact for each individual member of the group you want to email.  Fill in as much or as little information as you want, as long as it includes the name and an email address.

2. "New Group" - Click on the "New" box again.  Select "New Group."  Create a group.

3. "Select Members" - Double click on the group name.  Click on the "Select Members" box.  Scroll through the list of your contacts, and choose the members of the group. 

4. Send to the Group - To send out an email, simply type the name of the group in the "To" box.  When you send it, each member of the entire group will receive the email.

Poster Design

    One of the most cost-efficient methods of advertising a play is the poster.  A well-designed poster does not have to cost much per unit, and yet each poster can sell many tickets.

    First rule - Make it good, or don't make it at all.  The first thing one has to realize, however, is that, whether you like it or not, the public will judge your show by your poster.  If your poster is small, people will tend to think your show is small.  If it is cheap-looking, people will tend to believe it is a cheap show.  If it is carelessly put together, they will think the show is as well.  Conversely, the good news is that if the poster looks great, they will believe the show is great, too.

    Second rule - The poster must sell the show.  A lot of people want the show's poster to be artistic, stylistic, and unique.  That is fine, and that does work, but the poster must be considered a selling tool, first and foremost.  So the first consideration has to be: Will the poster sell tickets?  When people see the poster, it should evoke a response.  Whatever else comes to mind, the viewer should be thinking, "That looks exciting (or fun, or funny, or outstanding).  We should go see that show."  If the poster does not evoke that "we must see that show" response, it has not succeeded in its function.

    So, how do you design a poster that works?  The design process can be broken down into its individual elements.

Design

    The overall design of the poster must be clean and clear.  It must have all of the basic information that the ads have: the who, what, when, where, why and how.  And perhaps more.

    Size - Although there are those who believe that an odd shape or size is best, since it is unique and draws people's attention, there are two sizes that have become the standard, most common ones in use.  The small size is 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches.  This is the size best known for most uses.  It used to be called "typing paper," and is still known as the standard computer printing paper.  This makes it the least expensive way to produce small posters, since it can be run off on a home computer and/or photocopied.  The disadvantage is that it is smaller than the usual theatrical poster, therefore people tend to assume it is about a smaller show.  The standard size for posters in a small-to-medium sized city is exactly twice that size, 11" inches by 17" inches.  This is also a size that can be photocopied, and also run off at any small print shop.  It is economical and yet large enough to make the show look substantial.

    Aspect - The shape of almost all posters is rectangular.  This shape can be printed in either a vertical (commonly called "portrait" in computer language) or a horizontal (commonly called "landscape") aspect or direction.  Some posters look better one way or the other.  However, there is a greater consideration.  Like it or not, the horizontal poster is perceived to be "laying down" or passive, while the vertical poster is looked upon as upright or active.  For theatrical posters, you almost always want it to look active (exciting, full of life, etc.)  So almost all posters are printed vertically.  Sometimes people want to use a horizontal aspect, just to be different and set theirs apart.  But vertical is recommended anyway, to avoid that passive look.  People just don't respond to anything that does not look active or alive.  You don't want to sacrifice ticket sales just to look different.  Especially since there are better ways to set your poster apart.

    Art - The poster must capture people's attention.  One of the best ways is to have a large, eye-catching graphic - artwork or photograph.  Most people are visually oriented.  They are attracted by pictures.  A good, striking image will cause people to look at the poster.  If they like what they see, they will then start to read the wording.

    Title - The second thing people will see is the title.  It should be the largest lettering on the poster.

Lettering

    There should be two different fonts or typestyles used on one poster, but rarely any more than two.  This is because the poster looks disjointed or disorganized when too many different fonts are used.

     Title font - The first is the font chosen for the title.  This should reflect the play itself.  Often this is put out by the play company itself, in the form of the show's logo, which usually includes the title.  If there is one like that, it should be used, because it will be instantly recognizable by theatre-goers.  They will know that this is the play they think it is, and not some similar title.  You may have to get permission to use the logo, even when you already have permission to perform the play.

    Body copy - The second font is used for all of the rest of the lettering.  It is nice if the lettering can reflect the style of the show, and tie in with the title/logo lettering, but the most important consideration must be readability.  If the lettering is hard-to-read, people will give up on it, and not read on down to the dates, times, etc.  Which means that they are less likely to consider going to see the show.  A good example of this is Old English typestyle.  It is a great, traditional, highly stylistic font, and really works for some plays.  But it should used sparingly, perhaps only for a title, because it is more difficult to read.

Color

    Multiple colors - If you have a large budget, and you can afford multiple colors, perhaps even full color, you have the potential for a great poster.  If you have them printed in very large quantities, or if you have access to a full-color computer printer, this is feasible for some groups.  In that case, the biggest consideration is how to make the best use of the color.  One wants to design a poster which is eye-catching and colorful, but not gaudy.

    One color - Most theatre groups have a limited budget.  They can only afford only one single color, so they have their posters printed onto a colored paper or card stock that works well for the particular show.  Black ink is cheapest, especially since photocopy toner is black, and posters can sometimes be run off on a photocopy machine, instead of a printing press.  You can photocopy onto colored paper, so you can still have a bright, colorful poster.  Yellow is very commonly used, since it is bright and catches people's attention.

    Two colors - Actually, even a simple photocopied poster is two-color.  It is black toner on white paper, or black toner on colored paper.  So the poster should be thought of as two-color; most people just don't count the black as a color.  This is because in many fields, such as interior design for example, black, white and gray are considered neutral and don't usually count.

    Color combos - However, since colored ink is not very expensive, it is a small step to go to a two-color poster.  Then one can begin to think in terms of a two-color combination.  This makes a big difference in the look or "feel" of the poster.  Some combos are very striking and very effective.  Red on white is a great combo for any Christmas show, so FdLCT used it on posters and table tents for "A Christmas Story."  That combo also works well for "Annie."  Plain, inexpensive black on white worked well for "Nunsense."  The classic Halloween color combo of black on orange worked for "Frankenstein, a Gothic Romance."  Other well-chosen color combinations can work equally well for other shows.  Take some time to think of the way colors work together to create a good combination that is appropriate for a show.  Check previous posters to see how different combos worked.  Avoid the most over-used combos, which are black on white, and black on yellow, unless they have some special significance.

    Also be aware that certain combinations are so well known that you cannot avoid the association.  Whenever you use the colors black and orange, people will think of Halloween.  When you use red and green, we think Christmas.  When you use green and gold, people are going to think of the Green Bay Packers.  This does not mean that you can never use these combos, but it does mean that you have to be aware of these associations.  Make sure that you don't use a combo that works against you, or that brings to mind an inappropriate association.

    Quantity - Generally, the more posters you print, the less they will cost per unit.  And the more publicity you will get.  The trick here is to know how many your group will actually get posted in public places, so people will see them.  Guidelines - In a small town, such as Campbellsport, Lomira or Waupun, an active publicity group probably won't be able put up more than 50 to 100 posters, tops.  In a medium-sized city, such as Fond du Lac or Oshkosh, 100 to 200 are possible.  If your group is active, and a lot of people are willing to put them up, try for the higher quantities, and it will pay off in increased ticket sales.

Press Releases

    Newspapers and other publications are always looking for news.  When a group sends a news item to a news medium, such as a newspaper, the news item is called a Press Release or News Release.

    The "trick" to getting good publicity is to put out a Press Release only when you have actual news to announce.  Remember, it must be new to be news.

    There are several times in the course of a production when you have news to give them, and thus receive free publicity.  Take advantage of them.

Table Tents

    Restaurants often like to have table tents on their tables, since it gives their customers something to read and talk about while they are waiting to be served.  They also like them because the suggestion of a "dinner and a play" will bring them more business.

Websites

    A website, such as the one you are reading now, can be an important advertising resource.  The trick here is for everyone to keep the Webmaster informed, and for the Webmaster to keep the site updated.

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