Ticmate

Case Study

West End Star and Spamalot

The television show that is attracting a Swedish audience to musicals in London.

Before

On the 8th Feburary 2007, a meeting was held between Crispin Ollington, Marketing Director for the musical Spamalot, playing at the Palace Theatre of London in the West End, and Marcus Moeschlin, General Manager for Ticmate. The preliminary work began: West End trends were analysed, and the audience segment attracted by the musical Spamalot. The successful television show, How do you solve a problem like Maria? which has just ended, was an enormous success and has, throughout the season generated a large and partly new kind of audience for the musical Sound of Music. And in England this spring they’re planning to air another two similar shows. So the idea was conceived to export this marketing trend. As Monty Python’s films have been such a big success in Scandinavia, and a large number of Swedes visit London each year, it was decided that a television show should be launched in Sweden. The goal was to put Spamalot among the, for Swedes, top three most popular musicals in London and to sell 13,000 tickets to Swedish people for the twelve weeks during which the winner of the show would be performing.

During

West End Star was launched as Swedish TV3’s major Saturday night entertainment, starting on the 18th December 2007. Previous experience has shown that interest in productions increases considerably if there is a national connection, e.g. a Swedish artist among the cast. This is why the winner, the Swedish female lead role in Monty Python’s musical, Spamalot, in London’s West End, would be voted for by Swedish television viewers. The nine-programme show will air its big finale on Saturday 2nd February. See link.

Preferred sponsor partner for the TV show is Ticmate’s website, Londonmusikaler.se, who is helping the show to reach close to half a million musical fans on prime time each week, through adverts showing the Swedish website’s address, before, during and after the show.

As a result of press coverage of the television show, general interest in musicals is growing, something which in the long run will also have a positive effect on sales.

The première in London will be on the 11th February 2008, when the winner will enter the stage for the first time at the Palace Theatre in London. Celebrities, the Swedish and British press, leading Swedish travel agents and Swedish and British ticket agents are all invited to the première and subsequent party, see appendix.

The person who is voted winner will have the leading role for at least three months.

During this period, considerable marketing activities will be planned to generate further sales for Spamalot. For example, Ticmate will be introducing the project to Visit Britain, Britain’s Tourist Office in Stockholm, which has proven to be very helpful in marketing the project, go to visitbritain.se.

After

As the project has not yet come to an end, it is too early to carry out a more detailed analysis or provide any final results. However, a clear tendency in the statistics is already beginning to show: before West End Star began, the Spamalot musical held tenth place on the sales list on Londonmusikaler.se, Ticmate’s Swedish website. Two weeks after the première of West End Star, Spamalot was already in second place, and after the première, it is estimated to be Swedes number one choice of musicals in London.

Contact

Are you an eventproducer wanting to reach an international audience? Email international.event at ticmate.com and let´s get talking.