1. What is our communication objective?

The communication objective is to change the audiences view on theatre

productions and the cultural and entertainment value they afford. Low ticket sales of
theatre productions compared to other entertainment businesses suggest that selling art
isnt the problem, however, selling this kind of art specifically, is. If we can open the
audiences eyes to how emotionally striking or just plain impressive a live theatre
performance is, interest in live theatre should increase in general, which puts the BU
Theatre Department in a good position with consumers.
2. Who is our target audience?
The target audience most generally includes all students and faculty of Bradley
University. Within this group, fans of non-theatre live-action entertainment media such as
television or movies are best to target because of an existing interest in this sort of
entertainment. Also, as most college students arent very wealthy, our target audience
isnt rich enough to spend a lot of money for live entertainment. To get a better idea for
our target audience, the following is an illustration of a targeted customer:
Jenny is a freshman at Bradley University. She loves to go to the movies with her
friends on the weekends, but since coming to Bradley, the closest movie theater is out of
reach and there are movie showings on campus only a couple times a month. Its Friday,
and shes thinking of ideas for plans for the weekend. She walks past a bulletin board,
and sees an ad for Proof by the BU Theatre Department. Learning from the ad that the
live performance is similar to seeing a movie in a movie theater, she decides to get her
friends involved to go see Proof.

3. What are the key insights about this target audience in relation to our communication
objective?
According to my research, college students pay most attention to services or products that
are told to them through word-of-mouth from their peers. This poses a problem for advertising
on college campuses all together. But with this information, we can use traditional advertising
methods and use the right language so the ads are speaking as if they are being told to the
audience by a friend or group leader. A lot of college students are interested in entertainment
such as movies and television shows.
4. What is our big idea?
Experience something real.
5. Why do we think this will work?
Research was found on the number of Americans who have attended theatre throughout
the last few decades, and the number remains static. This means that a small number of
young Americans are wanting to be involved in live theatre performances, but the older
audience remains. This makes live theatre not relevant in youth culture of today. If our
campaign can change the minds of college students and make a trend in attending BU
Theatre productions, it can cause a rise of youth in theatre culture, which is exactly what is
needed to make things work.
Experience something real says a lot of messages about the benefits of going to a
theatre instead of watching a movie or a television show. It suggests an alternative to
anything fake for something that is real, real actors, settings, and the ability to see the
performance in person.

References
About Us. (n.d.). Peoria Players Theatre. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from
http://www.peoriaplayers.org/About%20Us.html
Aucoin, D. (2012, June 17). Phantom of the theater: Audiences are getting older. The Boston
Globe. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from
http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2012/06/17/theater_audiences_are_gettin
g_older/
Broadway Theater Series. (n.d.). Peoria Civic Center. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from
http://www.peoriaciviccenter.com/events/broadway-theater-series
Corn Stock Theatre. (n.d.). Corn Stock Theatre. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from
http://cornstocktheatre.com/
Department Summary. (n.d.). Bradley University:. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from
http://www.bradley.edu/academic/departments/theatre/aboutus/
Gioia, D. (n.d.). All America's a Stage. National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved September
19, 2014, from http://arts.gov/
Which Types of Ads Do College Students Pay Attention to?. (2014, July 15). MarketingCharts.
Retrieved September 18, 2014, from https://www.marketingcharts.com/online/whichtypes-of-ads-do-college-students-pay-attention-to-44096/