Market research- Survey

Results

Responses: 79

Quantitative data

Age:

Most popular: 23 yrs (9 responses)

Majority under 30: 67%

Gender identity:

Most popular: Female (88%, 70 responses)

Male (6%, 5 responses)

Other (non binary, demi, genderqueer, etc) (3.7%, 3 responses)

Question 4

68 definitive 'yes's = 86%

Question 7

Musicals mentioned more than once:

• Hamilton: 9
• Come From Away: 5
• Twisted: 4
• Les Misérables: 4
• Rent: 4
• Hadestown: 4
• Phantom of the Opera: 3
• West Side Story: 3
• Heathers: 3
• Everybody's talking about Jamie: 2
• &Juliet: 2
• Firebringer: 2
• Little Shop of Horrors: 2
• Waitress: 2
• Ragtime: 2

Question 8

Most common price: £30 (12 responses)

Second most common: £15 (11 responses)

(Some varying currencies- e.g. dollars (Australian and American), ils (Israel), kronas (Iceland))

Lowest price: $7 (£5.71)

Highest price: $100 (£81.60)

Average price range: £10 - £40

Question 9

Positive response: 53/79 = 67%

Uncertain/middle response: 12/79 = 15.2%

Negative response: 9/79 = 11.4%

Qualitative data

Question 3

Common associations: theatre (children's theatre- a few times), bees, Manchester, hardworking, teamwork, café/food (a couple of responses), busy

Most common adjective used: cute

The majority can see the theatre faces in the wings, and said that it's a clever touch, but there are some who said they are too subtle and some who couldn't even see them.

Main critiques given: theatre faces are too subtle, connection with theatre isn't obvious enough (the text is what gives it away), some people unsure of why it's called 'Beehive' Theatre, too sharp and pointed

Question 4

Reasons for uncertainty in some answers:

• Logo gives the illusion that it's for children
• Reliance on original material may not be financially viable
• Interest depends on location- is it local? (most brought up point)

Question 5

Potential competitors:

• Small local theatre groups
• Larger scale theatre companies
• Student and amateur dramatics
• StarKid
• Community theatre

Reasons

• They're putting on popular shows people are familiar with
• People involved in them that others will know, prompting them to see the shows (e.g. family and friends)
• Difficult to find a truly different USP that'll make Beehive stand out from other companies
• People are often more interested in individual shows than the theatre company so will be competing with any theatre company
• Other theatre companies making some of their content accessible online for free or at a reasonable price
• Already established theatre companies will have funds 
• Many impactful factors: ticket prices, dates, refreshments, proximity to transport, location
• It's harder to sell a new show than established popular ones
• Theatre companies are slowly leaning more into diverse casting

Question 6

• Full, well-thought out plot that is relatable
• Variety of song styles with compelling lyrics that tell the story
• Balance of emotion and humour
• Balance between book, music and dance- acting, singing and dancing are of equal importance
• Impressive vocals
• Acting talent that is on par with their voices
• 'Emotional journey'
• Songs are incorporated into the story, are well-timed and advance the plot
• Innovative costumes and set design
• Entertainment
• Well-developed characters
• Passionate cast

Question 9

Reasons:

• Can be distracting if not done carefully
• New mediums can bring in new audiences
• Allows for more creative freedom
• New
• Should enhance the story
• Puppetry is more 'aimed at kids'
• Can look tacky
• Need an open-minded audience

Other mediums: live onstage band, improv, stunts, projections

Question 10

Most responders don't personally need any extra accessibility services but think positively of the prospect

More accessibility suggestions

• Step free access
• Financial aid/discounts
• Sensory friendly performances (e.g. quieter music, dimmer lights)
• Allowing audience members to make seat requests that may help (e.g. being seated on a specific side)
• Visual guide/more informative programmes for Deaf/HoH audience members

Question 11

• Lower ticket prices
• More inclusivity/diversity
• New writing/concepts/voices
• More available in other countries
• More original content
• More chances for new talent
• Increase range of musical styles and voices
• More pro-shots
• Diversity offstage (e.g. writers, directors)
• Defy the stereotypes
• Bring back classics in new, exciting ways
• More touring productions

Route To Market strategies

What I've considered when looking at RTM options:

• I am selling to consumers
• I want to actively persuade them to pay for my service
• The consumers may need to be able to inspect the service (e.g. have songs to listen to, plot line for the musicals)
• This is likely a mid-range purchase
• My business will hopefully be both national and international as I will have both live performances and recorded performances to share online

Selling online is likely the best strategy for me because I'm not selling a physical product, but rather tickets to my theatre performances (live and possibly digital). It also makes my business easy to access because the internet is available to nearly everyone, everywhere. This means there shouldn't be many location barriers because those who aren't willing to travel will be able to access the productions online.

These days, most theatre tickets are sold through another website, instead of from the company/production's own website. For example, on 'todaytix' you can buy tickets for practically all of the shows in London and across America, not just musicals. This website also often has special offers on tickets for certain shows, which would entice a larger audience who can't quite afford the typically expensive tickets. Information about the shows is also provided such as a synopsis, show dates, warnings (e.g. strobe lighting), age suitability, the venue and what genre the show is. This allows potential consumers to know exactly what they're buying, which increases their trust in the website. Using these well known ticket websites would promote my productions to a larger audience who are already interested in theatre without having to do much promotion myself. 

There's also news websites that focus primarily on theatre, such as 'The Stage, a British newspaper and website that covers the entertainment industry with theatre as a specific focus. It's highly well known, so a website like this producing an article about my company would be a great way to reach a wide, theatre-loving audience. There's even a page where theatre tickets can be purchased, so people could easily get them straight after reading about a particular show. However, The Stage is UK based, which would make it more difficult to access more international consumers. They also produce reviews, which can be risky when a negative review could be written and promoted to everybody, which would discourage a large amount of people from engaging with my company and its productions. 

Social media is also a particularly effective way of promoting anything to a large audience because so many people use it every single day. However, not everybody uses every social media platform, so I would need to make sure I make profiles on the socials my target demographic would mainly use. I believe Instagram and TikTok would likely be the best platforms to use because my main customers are creative people and are younger adults. These are also all very visual platforms so I'd be able to share eye-catching and promotional images and videos. However, on Instagram, you have to pay to promote your posts. You determine the cost depending on how long you want the promotion to last and how many profiles you want to reach. It is possible to promote without spending money (e.g. sharing posts on your story, using hashtags, tagging people, linking people to your profile), but this method takes a lot longer. There are sponsored ads on TikTok, but it's much easier to gain recognition on it over Instagram. Anything that catches people's attention can quickly become popular as people like and share and comment, which then catches the eye of more people and it quickly grows. Using popular audio, hashtags and doing popular trends (but in a unique way) is the best way to gain popularity on the platform.

Customer profiles and commonalities

Customer type 1

Name: Jess (she/her)

Age: Late teens

Where they live: Typical British town

Occupation: College student (studying Fine art, English and Performing arts)

Income: None 

Hobbies/interests: Making art, writing stories, watching/listening to musicals, reading

Media they engage with: Books, musicals (live and online), Netflix (teen shows e.g. Glee)

Where they shop: Etsy

Distinctive qualities: Musical theatre enthusiast

Why they're interested in my product: Loves musical theatre, keeps up to date with new upcoming shows, likely in the local area

Customer type 2

Name: Barnabus (he/him)

Age: Early 70's

Where they live: Cottage in rural England

Occupation: Retired (was an architect)

Income: None

Hobbies/interests: Playing piano, ballroom dancing lessons with his wife, going out for tea

Media they engage with: Nature documentaries, doesn't really use technology often

Where they shop: Book shops, marketplace

Distinctive qualities: Interested in traditional musical theatre, very old fashioned

Why they're interested in my product: Learn about how theatre has changed, he'll be exposed to more diverse theatre to change his old-fashioned views, not a fan of new musicals that are remakes of popular films

Customer type 3

Name: Jeanette (she/her)

Age: Mid 30's

Where they live: Small apartment in London

Occupation: Fiction writer

Income: Around £15,000 a year

Hobbies/interests: Attending protests/marches, supporting charity

Media they engage with: Poetry, amateur theatre productions, BBC dramas, Pinterest

Where they shop: Charity shops, smaller businesses

Distinctive qualities: Very supportive of and involved in community projects 

Why they're interested in my product: Interested in new theatre pieces and is an advocate for diversity

Customer type 4

Name: Leighton (he/they)

Age: Teenager

Where they live: Rather rundown apartment block in an urban area of England

Occupation: High school student with a part time café job

Income: Minimum wage 

Hobbies/interests: Performing, singing, dancing, fashion designing 

Media they engage with: Musical theatre (newer, modern musicals), fashion magazines, RuPaul's Drag Race, social media (especially Instagram)

Where they shop: H&M, SHEIN

Distinctive qualities: Interested mainly in modern musical theatre

Why they're interested in my product: Loves new musical theatre and highly creative

Customer type 5

Name: Ricardo (they/them)

Age: Early 20's

Where they live: Very small apartment in London

Occupation: Actor 

Income: Around £20,000 a year

Hobbies/interests: Going to the theatre, listening to music, photography, going to rock concerts

Media they engage with: Musical theatre (mainly rock musicals), rock music (through Spotify or records), old music videos

Where they shop: Vintage shops, record shops

Distinctive qualities: Is pursuing an acting career

Why they're interested in my product: In the musical theatre profession, aims to create more diversity in the industry

Customer type 6

Name: Delia (she/her)

Age: Mid 40's

Where they live: 'Fancier' regions of England 

Occupation: Violinist in an orchestra

Income: Around £55,000 a year

Hobbies/interests: Writes her own compositions, gardening, going to the opera

Media they engage with: true crime documentaries and crime TV shows, not really present on social media

Where they shop: Waitrose, Selfridges, M&S

Distinctive qualities: Typically interested in classical music and performance, but is open to seeing new productions

Why they're interested in my product: Interested in the arts and is open to seeing new productions if the premise interests her

Customer type 7

Name: Katy (she/her)

Age: 19/20

Where they live: In London 

Occupation: Dance student with a part time job at a florists

Income: Minimum wage

Hobbies/interests: Dance (ballet and tap especially), stretching and exercise, flower arranging, makeup and self care

Media they engage with: Nearly all social media platforms

Where they shop: Asos, boohoo

Distinctive qualities: Is highly creative and specialises in mainly dance, but also interested in makeup

Why they're interested in my product: Is indirectly interested in theatre through dance, has an appreciation for aesthetics which I also do

Customer type 8

Name: Jonathan (he/him)

Age: Early 30's

Where they live: Crowded, rather grungy apartment

Occupation: Aspiring musical theatre writer and composer, with a part time job at a diner

Income: Minimum wage

Hobbies/interests: Scriptwriting, composing, songwriting, swimming

Media they engage with: Old music on records, books, not interested in modern media

Where they shop: Vintage shops, small businesses

Distinctive qualities: Has very similar aspirations to mine

Why they're interested in my product: Also creating his own musical theatre shows, interested in new theatre

Link to Pinterest boards: https://pin.it/AbHvYkC

Commonalities

Age range: 17 - 35

Geographical location: UK

Occupation: Creative careers or studying creative subjects (especially in theatre)

Income brackets:  Minimum wage -  £30,000

Common leisure interests: Creative hobbies (e.g. reading, writing, performing, art)

Media channels: Theatre, books, Netflix shows, Instagram and Pinterest

Shops: Vintage shops, charity shops, businesses with handmade products (smaller businesses)

Attitudes: Support amateur theatre and the theatre industry, advocates for diversity and accessibility

Common themes: All like musical theatre in some way

Common reasons for wanting my product: Agree with my mission statement (interested in new theatre productions and want to see more diversity in theatre)