 Project:
Selling The Big Wig Experience
Services Provided:
Objectives:
Sign-up Those Music Fans!
Summerfest’s Big Wig program makes music fans feel like A-List Celebrities. The Big Wig experience puts fest patrons, and their VIP guests, in the coolest ampitheater seats, for the hottest acts in the music world. Big Wig members get Reserved Seats right in front of the Marcus Amphitheater stage - for all Summerfest shows and every public concert at the Marcus Amphitheater for an entire year. These private seats are in Section 2, exclusively … and Section 2 is as close as you can get.
Despite A-List Reserved Seating and several other very worthwhile perks Summerfest was struggling to sell Big Wig memberships.
According to Kerry Draeger, promotions manager, Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., the biggest challenge was to get the word out about the Big Wig program. In 2005, Milwaukee World Festival decided to face this and other hurdles and “go public” with the program. Previously, the Big Wig program was marketed through word-of-mouth and loosely targeted direct mail efforts.
Kicking off the marketing effort in early spring, Milwaukee World Festival (MWF) hired a Milwaukee agency to develop space ads to run in local newspapers and magazines. After several weeks, the ads generated just a few cold leads and zero sales.
Strategy:
Johnson Direct Pumps Up the Volume
With just a few weeks remaining before Summerfest opened its gates, MWF came to Johnson Direct with its goal to sell 75 Big Wig memberships.
“We had to assess their situation quickly and come up with a strategy that could be executed within a very, very tight timeframe,” explains Jamie Lauenstein, marketing advisor, Johnson Direct.
“Looking back, I’m surprised we had the guts to pull together a multi-channel strategy that included consulting, direct branding, direct mail, e-mail marketing and public relations with so little time.”
Draeger says the key to announcing the program was public relations, specifically the positive news stories by the Business Journal and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and radio “chatter” about Big Wig by local DJs. These efforts were consistent with the messaging in the direct mail campaign, space ads and follow-up phone calls.
"Johnson Direct provided a well-crafted strategy that resulted in hundreds of leads," she adds.
Results:
The Leads Measure Up
“The Big Wig Experience” contributes to Summerfest’s double-digit revenue increase.
Following Summerfest 2005, officials released information indicating that Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., the non-profit organization that plans, promotes and produces Summerfest, The World’s Largest Music Festival, exceeded 2004’s combined revenue totals from gate ticket sales and food & beverage commissions generated during the 11 day run by 12% as well as exceeding the 2005 budget for those items by 3%.
By the time Summerfest’s gates opened on June 30, 2005, 70 new Big Wig memberships were sold. Since the launch of the program, revenues increased by 21% and the program reached the highest earnings in its history.
Testimonial:
"Given the abbreviated timeline and reduced budget available, Johnson Direct performed admirably.
Launching the first public introduction of the Marcus Amphitheater Big Wig program was outside the scope of our internal marketing department. Johnson Direct’s expertise was just what we needed.
Johnson Direct has a strong team of talented dedicated professionals who are smart, responsive and really know how to reach a targeted audience. We would most definitely recommend Johnson Direct for this type of marketing initiative."
Kerry Draeger
Promotions Manager
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc.
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Summerfest engaged Johnson Direct to orchestrate the selling of its "Big Wig" seats. Revenues increased by 21% and the program reached the highest earnings in Summerfest's history.
