The New Theatre in Oxford is set to stage a production of the ballet Le Corsaire, a title which translates as 'The Pirate'. To promote the show, staff at the theatre embraced international Speak Like a Pirate Day on September 19. This involved dressing up in costumes and abandoning the humble 'hello' for 'ahoy there!' to create interest in the production, which will be staged by the English National Ballet in October.
The group sales and marketing assistant for the New Theatre, Craig Russell, spoke about this rather unconventional way of promoting the ballet, saying:
"We were really excited and it was a really fun way to promote the new show."
Many organisations working within the arts and the creative industries use their inspiration to combine experiential marketing activity like this with more conventional, result-driven promotions. Printing companies in Oxford, for example, are often asked to produce promotional literature using flyer or poster printing.
Oxford venues, including the New Theatre, play host to a number of productions throughout the year that could benefit from this innovative, cross-channel marketing approach. Programmes can also be produced to keep audience members informed.
Tickets for the production of Le Corsaire are available now from the box office at the New Theatre itself, or from the ATG tickets website and prices start at £11.90.