I really hesitate to comment on the awesomeness of the In the Heights video banner ads on Playbill dot com, because the last two Broadway productions whose marketing I praised on this blog either closed with a quickness or never opened. Still got it, Ameer. Stiiill got it.
I’m going to risk it, though: In the Heights, beware.
The In the Heights banner ads are great because they give you a real sense of the live show experience. Why hasn’t The Emerson String Quartet ever done a video banner ad for one of their albums? If you see them perform live, you want to buy their albums. At least I do. But if you can’t picture what they’re doing to generate the music you’re listening to – and you probably can’t, unless you’re a strings player yourself or maybe if you work in the biz – the albums are less desirable, I think. I am strongly, strongly biased, but I think 15-30 seconds of watching Hilary play Bach, even in little thumbnail banner ad window, would convince more than the average crew drop the $9.99 on iTunes next fall.
Are video banner ads prohibitively expensive for Joe/Jane the Classical Musician? I don’t know, but I am going to do some pricing research. The In the Heights ad, though, is pretty basic – very well produced and clearly professionally done, but not over the top (like the Doctor Atomic banner ads, for example). We work in the performing arts and are alive at a time when ads can actually show artists performing; if affordable, video banner ads should be no-brainers.
And now for some sad news: after reading Playbill dot com for banner ads, I learned that the February 2009 revival of West Side Story seems to be using the nearly-exact same logo as the movie version of the musical:
For the love of Rita Moreno, West Side Story, of all things, can speak to New Yorkers in 2009. If this logo is any indication, something’s coming, I sure know – what it is – and it’s not, – gonna be great…
A-round the corner
A show that won’t deliver
Culturally-relevant-social-commentary-on-gang-warfare-and-racial-tension-in-2009,
To meee!
Well that’s the thing, isn’t it…
Given that this is a revival, not a brand new musical: Do you, in the shallow space of a banner, use a distinctive typeface/wordmark that will attract the eyes of those who know and love the show? Or do you go for something quite different that might not help viewers to make that connection in the split second, if that, which they devote to the banner?
As you suggest, the typography on the film poster, for better or worse, has established itself as a kind of “logo” for the show. It’s an instantly recognisable aspect of the West Side Story “brand”. If you presented the words “Romeo and Juliet” with the same type treatment you could guarantee that a huge number of viewers would make a subconscious (or conscious!) association with WSS. And what company or “product” is going to reject such a powerful visual reference. Especially if you want to capitalise on the principle of “going from the known to the unknown”.
I guess the argument that could be taken here is that the type treatment could have referenced the film’s wordmark in some way while changing it just enough to suggest a fresh or “culturally relevant” approach for the revival.
On the other hand, as you seem to imply (albeit negatively), perhaps the banner is honest. Perhaps the show will be a loving revival in which you can draw all the parallels with contemporary life that you want while experiencing a drama that happens to be set in the past.
What would I rather see? I’m easy. A production “for 2009” is great. As long as it’s done well and as long as any “updating” isn’t cringe-makingly gratuitous or forced. But if the updating is going to be awful (and too often such things are), I’d think rather see that loving revival.
No, you’re right: the accepted West Side Story font got my attention in a short time, so sticking with what people know “worked”, in its way. I also think an ambiguous campaign – a la the Godspell “Prepare Ye” posters – would have gotten my attention, though. (And, again, that show didn’t open, so perhaps that’s not the best approach!) “Something’s coming…February 2009…broadwaywestsidestory.com” is an obvious one. Incidentally, they could have jazzed (hands) up that URL: http://www.somethingscoming.com is available. Thanks for commenting! -AA