Putting Data at the Center of Arts Marketing Strategy

Music Theatre Wichita is the largest subscribed not-for-profit arts organization in Kansas, with an international reputation for excellence. With a team of just 13 administrative staff, they produce five Broadway-scale musical productions and two youth productions each year, bringing more than 65,000 visitors to downtown Wichita.

Their goal is to turn patrons from occasional attendees into subscribers, because they know patrons are often surprised and delighted by shows they might not have expected to love. Their work is funded by ticket sales, costume and set rentals, and corporate, private, and foundation contributions.

We spoke to Angela Cassette, Managing Director; Joshua Larson, Education Director; and Cheyenne Queen, Patron Services Manager, to ask how Music Theatre Wichita used powerful, integrated data, segmentation, and communications tools in Spektrix to drive post-pandemic recovery.

Music Theatre Wichita had a traditional, “cheaper at the back” pricing model for their hall and relied heavily on broad-brush advertising and physical mailings. They knew similar organizations were using segmentation, dynamic ticket pricing, and data-led strategies to connect more effectively with patrons, so in 2019 they decided it was time to move into the “21st century of marketing.”

They began work with TRG Arts to rescale their house and increase revenue from the most popular seats. Along the way, they discovered that their old ticketing system did not have the tools they needed to measure the impact of TRG’s suggestions or help them keep making data-driven decisions.

By switching to Spektrix, they could more easily target, report on, and measure the growth of each patron segment, using an integrated ticketing, marketing, and fundraising CRM with intuitive reporting features. That connected insight helps them shape an arts marketing strategy built around real patron behavior and long-term audience relationships.

With those integrated segmentation tools, Music Theatre Wichita can now target patrons based on how they have engaged with communications in the past, maximizing return on investment.

The team already knew its audience, but now it can use data to test assumptions and better understand what matters most to patrons. The marketing team can adapt its message around price, programming, or safety concerns, making communications more relevant to different patron segments.

The team has gone from mailing pamphlets to a broad audience to sending tailored emails based on nearly 90 different behavior-led patron segments, such as first-time members or single-ticket buyers who also donate.

This change in communication style went hand in hand with a new way of pricing seats. Music Theatre Wichita rescaled its hall and implemented dynamic ticket pricing. At first, the theatre had concerns about how to communicate the new pricing structure and how patrons would respond.

The team introduced the new pricing in printed collateral by listing prices as “starting at” and gave the sales team flexibility to guide patrons to different areas and adjust price levels and zones based on sales and demand. They saw no negative reaction from patrons to the variable pricing approach.

Physical and financial accessibility are important to Music Theatre Wichita, so in the new pricing model, they have placed inexpensive tickets in every area of the hall. By adopting dynamic ticket pricing, the team can maximize revenue while maintaining strong relationships with loyal patrons.

An expanded slate of educational programs has had wide-ranging benefits for Music Theatre Wichita. They’ve begun work with a children’s theatre and now offer classes and workshops for children, as well as opportunities to take part in mainstage productions.

Students were recently featured in a production of The Wizard of Oz as munchkins and were thrilled by the chance to perform alongside professionals and collegiate performers. The education team has worked to create a pipeline of engagement for young people, with opportunities for everyone from a child taking a first class to older students who might see a future career in musical theatre.

Music Theatre Wichita has found that as students progress through deeper levels of engagement with the theatre, their families also become involved – not just with the productions their children are part of, but with the theatre’s wider offerings. Often, families become dedicated patrons who return year after year.

Donors have also responded positively to the educational programs and to the work Music Theatre Wichita is doing with young people. By presenting their education activity as wrapped into – not separate from – their core programming, they can make sure most of those donations arrive as unrestricted funds.

This year, they are working to boost donations revenue through communications with individual and corporate donors, highlighting their long-term commitment to Wichita through education and community work, and being transparent about the impact when big shows like Hamilton come to other venues in town.

With more effective tools and a more connected approach, Music Theatre Wichita has improved its communications and optimized its pricing strategy while maintaining strong relationships with patrons. Its outreach work, educational programming, and fundraising now sit at the heart of a data-led arts marketing strategy that has helped it beat ticket sales benchmarks.