Final Conclusion…The End

For my final post, I wanted to address the changes I made from my original proposal, explain what I have learnt along the way and state what I would change if I did another blog.

Changes made from the original proposal:

• My original plan was to look at the marketing of theatre companies through their social media, but as the process unfolded, I found websites provided more material for me to give feedback on. I think that because of this shift, my blog will be more helpful for Reading Rep and others as it is less specific.
• I reduced the number of companies to assess from six to four because I found that I was recognising the same issues and planning the same feedback from the websites. By reducing this number, I feel my blog is more direct and easier to digest.
• The whole process ended up taking longer than my original December to January time frame. However, because of this extended time frame, I ended up looking into the website presentation of Proof and Out At Sea & Striptease, not just The Nativity Goes Wrong.

What I have learnt from this process:

• I have learnt that I do not want to pursue marketing in the future- I feel that I need a more active and creative job.
• I have benefited from the blogging process. I have learnt how to actually use a blog website and adjust my writing to suit this kind of media and the implied audience it brings.

Things I would improve if I did it again:

• I would stick to my time frame. Due to personal circumstances over the Christmas holidays and my work load at University this term, the blog has taken longer than I had hoped.
• If I did another blog, I would allocate more time to the presentation of it and I am not too sure if I would use wordpress.com again because unless you pay for premium, it is a challenge to upload photos. For most of my posts I needed photos to demonstrate my point. As a result, I find my posts too text heavy which is rather ironic, as that is a problem I have criticised others for in this blog.
• If I did another marketing blog, I would like to learn more about the process of marketing. As my third post states, I learnt about S.W.O.T and P.E.S.T, but I would love to know more. I worry that my blog seems amateurish because of my limited experience and knowledge of marketing.

I wanted to conclude saying how useful this process has been for me. At times it has been challenging and repetitive, but nonetheless, a useful learning experience. I have benefited greatly from all of this and I now have more of an idea of what direction to take my career in.

I really hope Reading Rep find the feedback in this blog helpful. Thank you for letting me do this.

National Theatre, London

National Theatre Homepage

The homepage of the National Theatre is instantly negotiable pointing to all the links you need. There are bright colours and the photographs of the productions are equally as attention seeking as each other, but complimentary when presented together on the page. There are two main panels- the top one directing you to the standard links; ‘Box Office’, ‘Discover More’, ‘Support Us’ etc. and the second panel at the bottom has links to the current productions. As a very busy theatre, this presentation works well. When you visit the ‘What’s On’ page, there are links to booking and more information about the productions. The only real criticism of the homepage is the inconsistent colour schemes, however, the layout of text and font is steady.

Box Office/ Shop

This tab is really useful and all the information you could need is provided. There is a best sellers panel and even opportunity to buy book copies of their productions. This part of the website is easy to negotiate and it is easy to spend money here!

Examples of options to choose under the ‘Plan Your Visit’ tab

Plan Your Visit

This tab provides all the help you would need to plan a visit to the National Theatre; restaurants, costume hire, hotel links, venue and disabled access information. This page presents London in an approachable and friendly way, enticing the customer to visit the theatre and the establishments they have links with.

National Theatre ‘Video Collections’ page

Social Networking

Instead of a link to an external YouTube account, the National Theatre have a ‘Video Collections’ panel on the website. This enables instant access, no hassle and full control for the company. The videos are presented in a collage style, showing a variety of video stills. This part of the website is original to the National Theatre, making them stand apart from their competitors I have looked at.

Of all the theatres I have looked at, the National Theatre’s Twitter account has the most followers; 143,000. There are regular updates from this account and the branding is transferred over from the website. However, there is little evidence of responding to customer enquiries and the overall tone is quite formal. No doubt the sheer size of their following provides a reason for their little interaction with customers, but it is something they should improve.

The impression gained from the Facebook account is much the same; they have just over 60,000 ‘likers’ with regular updates and consistent branding of productions. The Facebook account has links to individual pages for productions and areas of the company. For example, you can like ‘War Horse’ or ‘National Theatre Bookshop’. This means that advertising for the National Theatre extends beyond the one page.

Strengths: Their website is original and comprehensive. The ‘Video Collections’ and ‘Your Visit’ tabs are prime examples of this.

Weaknesses:They are a nationally renowned company and their website is relatively flawless. However, because of this size, simple customer care on Twitter and Facebook seems to go unnoticed.

Opportunities: The National Theatre should continue to work on the originality of their website.

Threats: As a nationally and internationally famous theatre, there are few obvious threats on the website to damage their reputation. However, they do need to monitor customer care and continue to be as creative as they are now, to ensure their position at the top.

Progress Theatre, Reading

Progress Theatre Homepage

The first thought that came into my head when I visited the Progress Theatre’s website, is they do not do themselves justice. Progress Theatre is very well established in Berkshire; Sir Kenneth Branagh is their patron and the range of their productions is fascinating. However, their website lets them down:

• The colour scheme, photographs and text lay out is dull. There is a very limited creative input.
• They have a side panel directing you to helpful links on the right, but it is overcrowded and presented in black and white.
• You have to search through the website to find out about Sir Kenneth Branagh’s involvement, which seems silly. His involvement is impressive and Progress ought to advertise this link better, to their advantage.
• The website is also missing a ‘Your Visit’ page. As a local theatre company, it would be very helpful for customers to be directed towards The Riverside or local restaurants in Reading.

About Us

The basic function of this section is to tell the customer about their history, core values and objectives. The website is informative on these issues, but it is not presented in a way which entices you to read it, which is a shame because their history and objectives are interesting. This is because the website is very text heavy and the only photograph used is a particularly dull image of the theatre door.

Limited Progress Theatre Booking Options

Booking

Although the booking page has the same presentation issues, it is a useful page. The information provided is succinct and all the contact details needed are available. It is a shame there seems to be no option to book online, but perhaps that is a logistic or budgeting issue. There is however, a very helpful average ticket price table, which is useful if you are just making an enquiry, or for example if you are budgeting for a big group.

Community Involvement

Once again this page is very useful, but there is no visual enticement to read it. They explain the benefits of becoming a member, and how that can lead to an involvement in the productions. The price is clear and there are contact details.

Example of interacting with the public on Facebook

Twitter & Facebook

There is a link in the top right hand corner of the website directing you to the Twitter which is useful. Progress Theatre have got the tone right on their page- it’s professional yet personal and gives their followers an insight into behind the scenes information. Although the cover photo and profile picture are not overly vibrant, they work well on the twitter and continue the website theme. However it would be good to see less linear images.

The Facebook page is of a similar standard, helpful, informative and with an inviting tone. Like the Twitter it is also updated regularly.

Strengths: An informative website and the basic information for a theatre goer is easy to find.

Weaknesses: The colour scheme and photographs are too basic, suggesting the content is dull. They also do not use their         patronage to their advantage much as they should. There is also no ‘Your Visit Section’ which would be helpful for a customer.

Opportunities: They should revamp the website, adding colour and new photographs. They could also write a blog about their relationship with their patron with a link to the website.

Threat: Visiting a dull website can turn away potential customers and members.

Definitions

After discovering S.W.O.T , P.E.S.T and their applications, I have focused on the former strategy and defined the application of them in my own way, to suit the nature of this assessment. Naturally, I am looking at ‘Strengths’ and ‘Weaknesses’ in the same way as any establishment would, but I have had to tailor my application of ‘Opportunities’ and ‘Threats’.

For this study, I am using the ‘Opportunities’ section to consider what the theatre I am assessing can do to improve their website. When writing this section I will also consider what what Reading Rep can learn, taken from these observations.

As this placement is focused on observation and advice from me, I am not  to going to consider the details of the businesses such as cash-flow issues or quality specification standards. Therefore I am going to use ‘Threats’ as a way to identify the issues the theatre companies face and the consequences of their problems in regards to customers.