It’s a matter of attention: the marketing of theatres in the age of social media

This study is aimed at understanding how theatres might adjust their marketing in order to capture the attention of audiences and stakeholders in the age of social media. Effective utilization of social networks enhances the success of marketing efforts in terms of both revenues and revenue diversification. The authors report the results of a cluster analysis of economic performance in a time series (2011–13) of a sample of 100 Italian theatres. The focus then moved to stakeholder engagement. A subsample of Milan theatres were surveyed about their use of social media. The authors conclude that offline and online marketing efforts must be maximized in the age of social media. They report on evidence in the realm of economic performance.