Two strategies for meeting butts-in-seats goals:
1) Hold it out of reach: NC-17
“could shock an unprepared spectator”
This reeks a bit of the bait and switch, so I can’t quite get behind the idea of trying to titillate patrons into purchasing tickets when the final product offers anything but. That said, some of this stuff is pretty raunchy.
[via Proper Discord]
2) Put it in easy reach: Thank You for Being a Friend
On the other side of the coin–or cookie, as the case may be–there’s something to be said for melding your social networking strategies with good, old-fashioned, real-life friend making. In my experience, people like to feel that they genuinely belong to a scene and to believe that their presence at an event is important (at the very least) or actually makes the event itself better (at the very best). Your fans don’t have to become best friends, but the chance to exchange a few words or contribute personal time/talent to a project can turn a casual attender into an invested fan. All you need is a comfortable opportunity.
As for the former, I’d love to see some follow up research on how effective this sort of marketing is. Who are they targeting? The subset of Reservoir Dog fans who would love opera if only they were tricked into seeing it? This is not a viable long term strategy.
As for cookies, that IS a viable long term strategy. Give the people what they want. And everyone wants cookies.
Kinda reminded me of this story out of the black rock desert:
http://burncast.blogspot.com/2010/01/official-cookieman-burning-man.html