@kat-skuback
Active 1 year, 11 months ago-
Kat Skuback posted a new activity comment 3 years, 6 months ago
Hi Damarah. I was also heartbroken ZARA closed! I enjoyed reading about what ZARA was doing with AR technology to enhance the experience of their shoppers both in the app and within their brick-and-mortar stores. Retailers like Macy’s, Urban Outfitters and Target are using “beacon technology” to do the same.
Beacons are small, batte…[Read more]
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Kat Skuback posted a new activity comment 3 years, 7 months ago
Thanks Elaina! You should definitely try to get on a cruise at some point, they’re so much fun! That article is great. I definitely think that Royal Caribbean and Thrillist address a lot of what the article calls out as ways to win over Millennials. I really agree with the article when it says “Millennials want to engage with authentic brand…[Read more]
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Kat Skuback posted a new activity comment 3 years, 7 months ago
Their ships are amazing! I recently went on a cruise with them to their renovated private island in Coco Cay. They really do a great job building out experiences to address every interest and this video captured that in almost every way!
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Kat Skuback posted a new activity comment 3 years, 7 months ago
When I think of Coachella, or almost any major music festival for that matter, I immediately think of social media. I think it was smart that they leaned in to social media opportunities to support its events. It seems that brands themselves acknowledge the tremendous opportunity presented at Coachella.
For instance, Childish Gambino was…[Read more]
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Kat Skuback wrote a new post, Sailing to Success with Thrillist + Royal Caribbean, on the site Social Media Innovation MIS 5603 Fall 2019 3 years, 7 months ago
On May 29, 2016, Royal Caribbean launched the Harmony of the Seas, which at the time, held the title for the world’s largest cruise ship ever to set sail. It started its maiden voyage in Europe, specifically […]
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Kat Skuback wrote a new post, Interview with an Expert: Emily Broxton – Influencer Marketing, on the site Kat Skuback 3 years, 7 months ago
Anyone who watches The Bachelor or The Bachelorette on ABC knows that after the final rose (pun intended 🌹), comes a tidal wave of new influencers for products like FabFitFun, SugarBearHair vitamins, or MVMT wat […]
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Kat Skuback wrote a new post, Driving Awareness with Stories, on the site Social Media Innovation MIS 5603 Fall 2019 3 years, 7 months ago
The Nature Conservancy and the Alzheimer’s Association are both nonprofit organizations, both working hard to drive public awareness to their causes. That is the extent of their similarities. The Nature […]
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Kat Skuback posted a new activity comment 3 years, 7 months ago
No worries at all! I know what you mean about missing the notifications! I had to remind myself to turn mine back on when I came back from vacation recently. That not only was beneficial to myself (for knowing if I won) but also for Hamilton to be able to target push notifications to me as an active listener.
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Kat Skuback posted a new activity comment 3 years, 7 months ago
Totally get where you’re coming from Matt about whether other productions could have used a similar mobile app experience. When you think about some of the most successful Broadway productions, like Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, or Wicked, none of them had this experience and were still massive hits with the public. I don’t think it would…[Read more]
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Kat Skuback posted a new activity comment 3 years, 7 months ago
Great minds think alike Nicole! I have been stalking this app and it’s lottery every day for me to try to win tickets (unsuccessfully, since August). But I keep trying! I like that the app provides me with some insight into the performance, since I haven’t been able to attend yet. The app is a great example of edutainment, the educational…[Read more]
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Kat Skuback posted a new activity comment 3 years, 7 months ago
Thanks Amanda!
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Kat Skuback posted a new activity comment 3 years, 8 months ago
While I don’t follow Airbnb, I have used them for travel both domestically and internationally. What I liked most about their Instagram content is the variety in the types of pictures they post. The photos are bright and eye-catching. My biggest pet peeve is when the photos are overly filtered, edited or always shot from the same angle. I also…[Read more]
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Kat Skuback wrote a new post, Beyond the Curtain Call with Hamilton: An American Musical, on the site Digital Innovation in Mobile Marketing and Communication MKTG 5606 Fall 2019 3 years, 8 months ago
Hamilton: An American Musical finally made its way to Philadelphia in August 2019. But I, like many others, was unable to get tickets for the show. Thanks to an article in the Philly Voice, I learned about the […]
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Kat, this was so great to see unfolding and in-action, especially after reading the case, “Hamilton Won More Than Twitter.” The case spoke heavily on the social media presence of both Hamilton and creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda but it was enlightening to see that not only does Hamilton have an app but that you utilize it. I love how Hamilton is known for its inclusivity outside of attending the show, i.e. #Ham4Ham contests. This musical does a wonderful job of not only utilizing a mobile strategy but tying all of its endeavors, both on and offline, together. Great, post!
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Thanks Amanda!
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Great commentary. It’s a testament to an effective strategy when it remains relevant this long after it’s been featured in a case study. I’ve used that HBR case for other classes but have had to retire it since everyone uses it!
Whether it’s the ticket lottery, the behind the scenes content or the other features, this has proven an extremely evergreen way to keep people engaged and excited about the production. I’ve now been lucky enough to bagel on tickets in three cities (struck out in NYC, Pittsburgh and now Philly). One day I hope to see it (though I settled for getting my wife tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child instead!).
Any other productions or events that you think a similar strategy might work for? Given the time and effort it takes to produce this much content, what’s the payoff to the producer/production company? When you’ve already sold out the whole run, the ROI opportunities are limited!
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Posting on behalf of Alyssa:
Honestly, the point of a first national tour is really to discern the feasibility of paying back investors over the long term. It spreads theater out of a local, tourist driven market in New York to local communities. From there, the point is to scale back as much of the original production as possible (which is built with specific HUGE stages in mind…the Wilma Theater is the only stage in the city as large as all but 3 Broadway stages; these shows simply can’t be done in exactly their original form due to physical and logistical constraints, even before the financial constraints).
It’s the scaling back that saves money (sometimes even on the Broadway production), brings the show to new audiences, and, ultimately, opens up the licensing path. The licensing is what will keep making money for Hamilton’s investors in the future; I’m talking about the time when we start seeing this as a shortened, high school/college productions all over America, when the high school band starts playing meddlies of Hamilton music in their programs, etc. And I can guarantee kids are clamoring for it already. The timeline on that is likely 10 years out, so they can profit as much as possible while maintaining total control of their brand, the reputation of which drives this future revenue.
Broadway’s historical purpose (in terms of income for investors) was in part was as a feeder of popular music, all the way back to Cole Porter. It stopped being that, but Hamilton’s connection with modern music provides a pathway back to a different engagement with the american musical. And musicals themselves are uniquely American creation.
Every 10 years or so, some Broadway production is THE THING. When I was in high school, it was Wicked. Hamilton is arguable a lot more relevant to the greater cultural and political conversations in America than Wicked ever was. If you want to read a pretty offensive article about how the Kimmel Center decided to select Hamilton:
“The Woman Who Brought Hamilton to Philly Didn’t Initially Love It”
https://www.inquirer.com/arts/hamilton-musical-broadway-kimmel-center-lin–20190824.htmlHamilton needs an audience of advocates. It’s very premise doesn’t seem profitable to a mostly white, male producing circuit; it seems like a risk. But you can tell from the first video of the first performance of the first song at the White House Poetry Jam in 2009 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNFf7nMIGnE) that Lin Manuel was able, through his particular world view, see a unique, juxtaposed, and timely idea for a spectacle that would resonate with millions of people that musicals normally cannot reach.
This contrast of ideas (starchy founding fathers, but rapping, and these powerful figures being played specifically by a non-white cast) is what makes Hamilton intriguing at first sight. It’s a traditional musical in many ways structurally. So the contrast brings you in, maybe you need the lottery to afford it, but in the meantime, here’s snippets of it, a daily trivia, etc. All of this enriches your understanding of the story (which relies a lot on some untaught history) before you arrive.
The case study ignores that Lin Manuel was already a successful Tony and Grammy award-winning composer of In the Heights, another musical that was a “surprise” hit. It’s a surprise because the audience for these shows is far younger and more diverse than for standard Broadway fare. So they made touchpoints for theater that normally wouldn’t exist. (It’s hard to film a rehearsal, there’s LOTS of union rules involved about access, posting, credits, etc. even for social media), and found alternate ways to engage an audience that very rarely sees a character that looks like themselves on the stage.
It’s a rare thing, done impeccably well, created for an audience that’s broader, younger, and more diverse than Broadway is used to seeing. Unless people start picking up that this is the future of theater in America, the idea of an app for an individual production likely won’t work, because there will be too few loyalists to support it with your standard once a decade hit (Hamilton, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Les Miserables…)
In terms of American theater, colorblind casting is still an uphill battle. (Dispute over Hamilton’s Call for non-white actors https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/03/hamilton-casting/476247/).
Hamilton had to be impeccable to succeed while insisting that the founding fathers be played by people of color. It’s exactly that which makes it a success. It’s an anomaly, but it is pointing out the future of stories we could start telling to reengage a younger more diverse audience than has ever existed. That audience is on social media and, as we discussed, mobile is a primary way we consume social
An app in this context brings focus in a way social media run campaigns could not.
The frenzy, loyalty, and novelty has led to an app, I’m just hoping what Hamilton offers becomes normalized so american theater tells stories that have relevance in our contemporary lives and understanding of who we are and what we could be. That’s the whole point of art in the first place: expression and aspiration.
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Thanks for sharing your insider’s perspective, Alyssa. I agree the case study favored a “simple” origin story of sorts on Miranda’s ties to the show. He certainly had honed his craft and established a reputation that was part of the success of the show.
SMH on that article. I sometimes wonder if people read what they write out loud, but then I guess we all shove our foots in our mouths at times.
I’m always curious on the business side of the engagement. Given you point that this is all an effort to “pay back” the investors, I just can’t help but feel that this type of content generation is a bit of unnecessary overhead at a certain point.
True, once you stop you can’t exactly turn it back on. It’s just that the tickets are sold out for an indefinite period of time and I don’t know if this approach is seeding the “next generation” of Hamilton-goers as it is keeping short-term demand high. I’d value your perspective here as this is clearly an area I’m interested in, but haven’t had much exposure.
If I’m catching your point, the takeaway here is that this kind of parallel content production may well be a cost of doing business if the future of theater is to transcend beyond just what’s on the stage.
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Kat, super interesting. I’ve had the Hamilton app for a couple years now. If I have a free weekend I try to get tickets to the NYC show. Keep trying, there is still a month left in Philly! To Greg’s post, I’m not sure if it could work for another production or if it’s even been really tried. I think the demand would still be there for Hamilton. Phantom of the Opera has been playing on Broadway since 1988 without an app. I would be interested to know how they monetize it, maybe merchandise revenue. The app does make it ease to enter the lottery. I know broadway shows that do run lotteries for their shows either use their website or a third party website to run it and do not provide that rich content. Telecharge, the Shubert Organization, runs lotteries for their shows on their website. https://www.telecharge.com. They don’t make them easy to find.
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Totally get where you’re coming from Matt about whether other productions could have used a similar mobile app experience. When you think about some of the most successful Broadway productions, like Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, or Wicked, none of them had this experience and were still massive hits with the public. I don’t think it would be worth it for any production to have an app with the sole purpose of running a lottery, though it would make it easier to find! Like we’ve learned from Hamilton, the app needs to bring something more to continue and enhance the experience of past, current or future audiences.
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I guess I should have scrolled back further and read everyone’s post before posting myself on Hamilton!! The Hamilton app was one of the first mobile experiences to come to my mind and I just think it’s brilliant. My only worry is I might actually win and then miss the notification like happened to a friend. I’ve since warned all my other Hamilton-app user friends to beware.
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No worries at all! I know what you mean about missing the notifications! I had to remind myself to turn mine back on when I came back from vacation recently. That not only was beneficial to myself (for knowing if I won) but also for Hamilton to be able to target push notifications to me as an active listener.
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Kat Skuback wrote a new post, Miele's Tone Deaf International Women's Day Message, on the site Social Media Innovation MIS 5603 Fall 2019 3 years, 8 months ago
March 8th is International Women’s Day. A day that celebrates women and their achievements, raises awareness against gender bias and advocates for equality. But, I’m not sure anyone told this to Miele, a Ger […]
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Kat Skuback wrote a new post, Influencer Ethics: Kendall Jenner + Proactiv, on the site Social Media Innovation MIS 5603 Fall 2019 3 years, 8 months ago
Proactiv is the subscription-based skincare line that boasts itself as “America’s #1 Acne Brand”. The brand is no stranger to working with big name celebrities, having previously partnered with Alicia Keys, Britn […]
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Kat Skuback wrote a new post, Enhancing Your Disney Experience with a Mobile App, on the site Kat Skuback 3 years, 8 months ago
As I mentioned in a previous class post, I am a big Disney fan. Up until two years ago, I had no idea how much work goes into planning a Disney trip. After the planning is done, the tickets are bought and the […]
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Kat Skuback wrote a new post, Power Plays on Social Media for Business, on the site Social Media Innovation MIS 5603 Fall 2019 3 years, 8 months ago
The avid Devils fan in me (#sorrynotsorry) could not resist another NJ Devils and LA Kings match up. If you’re not a hockey fan, the two teams faced off in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012. It did not turn out so g […]
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Kat, this was an excellent analysis of major sports utilizing social media platforms to meet business objectives and increase ticket sales. It’s clear that both campaigns were a success but I think it’s easy to see that the Devil’s strategy was better received by its consumers. A 12x return in impressive for any company, especially considering they only increased their marketing budget by 30%. That is considerably better than less than a 4x return on an over 40% increase in spending by the Kings. According to an excellent article on Fantelope, Facebook is by far the most viewed platform of major sports fans. Take a look at this article for the breakdown: https://fantelope.com/sports-fans-and-social-media/
Choosing the correct platform is half the battle when deploying a new campaign strategy and obviously both teams did their research before choosing Facebook and Instagram. According to the article, 8 out 10 fans are willing to take additional action after liking a brand and 35% were willing to make purchases.
Overall, I’d say the Devils are making the right move in efforts to increase ticket sales. Expanding their Facebook and Instagram engagement has had great success and they could probably do even better in future with what they learn from this go-around. Personally, all of my feeds usually consists of Premier League soccer teams and Eagles pages but their strategies seem to use the same principles. My only suggestion is you need to trade in your Devils jersey for a Flyers jersey! Great breakdown of the NHL’s efforts to utilize Facebook and Instagram!
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Kat Skuback posted a new activity comment 3 years, 8 months ago
I love that you found Comcast through Comcast Cares Day! My organization has repeatedly returned to the same park in the Overbrook section of West Philly to revitalize the park by planting flowers, trees and herbs. I love giving back outside of work, but it really is great to have an employer who is also invested in helping out the local communities!
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Kat Skuback posted a new activity comment 3 years, 8 months ago
Thanks Karen! 🙂
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Kat Skuback wrote a new post, Shopping Made Easier by Social Sharing, on the site Social Media Innovation MIS 5603 Fall 2019 3 years, 8 months ago
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These are a few of the fashion bloggers I follow on Instagram. I love using Pinterest or Instagram for inspiration. These social media platforms are […]
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Kat,
Great post and I’m a huge Royal Caribbean fan! Not only am I a fan, but I’m a big customer as I’ve been on numerous cruises with them. In 2015, I went on Liberty of the Seas and at that time, they continued to push and promote their new ship, Harmony of the Seas in multiple ways, one that included a buy one get one free sail, during a promotion they had on the ship. I decided not to purchase it (as I was only in college) and didn’t have the $2,000 dollars to purchase the trip, but it definitely grabbed my attention.
As it relates to Royal Caribbean and their partnership with Thrillist, I don’t think it could have been a better strategy. As their target audience was millennials who traveled, I frequently check the site for trusted reviews over other companies like Trip Advisor and Booking.com, because I feel I can trust the reviews on Thrillist.
I think their social strategy was key in targeting millennials through entertaining content and live engagement in which that allowed them to capitalize on this campaign.
Great post!
Their ships are amazing! I recently went on a cruise with them to their renovated private island in Coco Cay. They really do a great job building out experiences to address every interest and this video captured that in almost every way!
Hi Kat!
This was really interesting to read! I’ve never been on a cruise, but it’s on my list to do! I
definitely think this strategy helped the campaign to be successful. There is a lot of research
out there that discusses how to best engage with millennials and one of the ways to do this is
through live engagement. Millennials want to connect with brands and the article below explains this further, the idea that millennials want to interact with brands on various social platforms. They’re looking for conversations, so Royal Carribbean/Thrillist capitalizing on this was a smart move. Forbes reported that 62% of millennials surveyed said that they were more likely to become a customer if a company engaged with them personally on their social media channels, and by providing an opportunity for a collaborative experience, this brand is doing just that and thus potentially increasing the sales that they could have!
I included a link to an article that outlines ways to connect with millennials and one of the ways it
specifies is through content and collaboration! https://www.lyfemarketing.com/blog/marketing-to-millennials/
Thanks Elaina! You should definitely try to get on a cruise at some point, they’re so much fun! That article is great. I definitely think that Royal Caribbean and Thrillist address a lot of what the article calls out as ways to win over Millennials. I really agree with the article when it says “Millennials want to engage with authentic brand messages and stories that help them better understand their challenges and also get to know who a company is and what they stand for.”
When Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas, Royal Caribbean and several other cruse lines shared that they intended to provide monetary donations towards disaster relief and that they would be sending ships to deliver water, toilet paper, food, flashlights, generators and more to those in need. This type of messaging helps to demonstrate that the brand also cares for people and the communities it serves. This message will sit really well with Millennials, especially.
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/hurricane-disaster-relief