Theatre Port

Actor’s Advertising Campaigns – When to Stay in Touch and When to Bang Your Drum

In order to help advance their careers, actors must learn how to use the two basic methods of publicity.

In the world of marketing, there are two distinct kinds of advertising campaigns – an “Ongoing Campaign” and a “Promotional Campaign.” These two kinds of campaigns work hand in hand to create a sense of recognition and momentum for a business (or an actor) which, in turn, can create opportunities ..

..for them to succeed. But knowing each one’s form and function is crucial to getting the results you want.

There Is No Yardstick

Before we get started, understand that it is very difficult to measure the success of any kind of advertising endeavor. John Wanamaker, the father of modern advertising, famously said, “I know half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, the trouble is, I don't know which half.” Most actors approach their ad efforts as if they were planting a garden; for every postcard, flyer or invite they send out, they should get a response…plant a seed, get a flower. But it simply doesn’t work that way.

The Ongoing Ad Campaign

All businesses must establish a baseline level of recognition by the public of their product/service. They do this by creating, every month, generalized advertising that tells the public who they are and what they do; in marketing this is know as “The Five Touch Rule.” This builds a link in the public’s mind between the company, the product/service and the logo of the business. It might be something as simple as, “Here at Starbucks we serve hot coffee in a cool atmosphere,” along with a picture of the store.

This is analogous to you sending out one postcard, flyer, etc., every month detailing what you’ve been up to. Like clockwork, your piece of advertising should float across the casting director’s desk, helping them link your name with your face. What you’ve done that month isn’t nearly as important as the fact that you continue to stay in touch. The implied message is, “You are a professional working actor that they should call in for an interview or audition.”

At the very least, all you need is one piece of information, such as:

You took a certain acting class
You made the callback for a project
You’re sending them an updated picture/resume You went to an industry related event You saw the play they directed or that was produced at their theatre

The Promotional Campaign

This kind of campaign gets put into action when you’re working on a project which has the potential to really boost your career. Suddenly, you will be sending out more ad material to promote this project in the hopes of getting them to finally commit to spending their time to see your work. Here is where the “Ongoing Ad Campaign” becomes so important. It acts as a springboard to help create that tipping point where they say, “Okay, Sean seems to be an actor in demand and is someone I need to go and see.”
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