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A Broadway show uses many of the typical avenues to get its name out there, from TV ads and social media campaigns to OOH components across New York City, and even the buzz of celebrity-cast involvement.<\/p>\n
Then there is the merchandise itself, bespoke pieces often emblazoned with the show\u2019s name or creative references to the source material, which can organically promote the show to a fan\u2019s family, friends, coworkers, or even passers-by who are sharing the same subway car.<\/p>\n
But what happens when fans think the merchandise is\u2026well, uncool?<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, popular theater TikTok creator and podcast host Jonathan Lewis, better known online as The Sweaty Oracle, posited in a video that \u201cBroadway is actually allergic to producing any kind of attractive merchandise.\u201d Lewis, who has more than 90,000 followers on the platform, critiqued several current shows\u2019 efforts and suggested that merch is suffering from the trend of oversimplified logos and a general lack of creativity. The comment section reflected broad agreement, with several users lamenting that recent theater merchandise can feel more like a \u201cwalking ad\u201d than a service to fans.<\/p>\n
Michael Rego, founder of the agency The Araca Group, has created and strategized merch for long-running shows like Wicked <\/em>and The Book of Mormon <\/em>as well as limited runs like last season\u2019s Glengarry Glen Ross<\/em>, and he said that while merchandise is made for fans, it does also function as an ad.<\/p>\n \u201cA very wise person in the advertising business once said to me that every dollar we sell in merchandise is two to three dollars we don\u2019t have to spend in advertising,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n With that said, some Broadway marketers, both established and independent, are looking to give merchandise a reboot to superserve savvy fans who want something a little different.<\/p>\n The Araca Group was born out of Rego and his co-founders\u2019 desire to produce theater in New York, and the company operates a show production arm in addition to its marketing services, which Rego said informs its merchandise strategy.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us, merchandise really was an offshoot of our producing, content-creation mindset,\u201d he said. \u201cWe started handling merch because we just weren\u2019t really satisfied with a traditional form of merchandise.\u201d<\/p>\n Rego traces the beginnings of Broadway merchandise back to the \u201980s, when shows like Les Mis\u00e9rables<\/em> and Cats<\/em> began selling attire and tchotchkes mainly featuring show logos. When The Araca Group came onto the scene, he said, such an approach was no longer enough.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the time we came into the business, we said, \u2018Gosh, there\u2019s so many other ways that intellectual property merchandises itself,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cFor the sense of trying to be fashion-forward, of being on brand, having an integration with marketing, to creating a retail destination.\u201d<\/p>\n Being fashion-forward seems to resonate particularly with modern fans, he said, and some fans online have shared a desire for more subtle merchandise, leaning into an \u201cif you know, you know\u201d aesthetic over bold show logos. Rego\u2019s company aims to serve this audience, he told us.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a certain audience that wants to have the brag,\u201d he said. \u201cBut then there\u2019s a whole other audience that\u2019s out there that wants to emulate the feeling that they have from seeing a show. It\u2019s something more aspirational, and they don\u2019t want to actually feel like they\u2019re doing a hard sell when they wear a T-shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Araca Group\u2019s internal sales data shows that more subtle merch is in high demand, and Rego said talking to theatergoers on the ground also helps inform the types of merch and design ideas that eventually get made. But fans aren\u2019t the only ones influencing the merch machine, with show producers, authors, and investors all being stakeholders in the merchandise business. And their opinions hold weight, especially as Broadway, like movie theaters, continues to look to make up for slow-to-return audiences.<\/p>\n Still though, Rego thinks that seeking to serve the audience first is what makes merch work for both the fan and business-minded.<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately, merchandise really should go back to help the marketing of the show,\u201d Rego told us. \u201cIt should help sell tickets. It should help create word of mouth and give our audiences a feeling of being an ambassador for the show.\u201d<\/p>\n For those unsatisfied with current Broadway merch, though, there is a booming sub-industry of independently designed products being made and sold on platforms like Etsy and Redbubble. While not officially sanctioned by productions, occasionally those designs catch the attention of the shows themselves.<\/p>\n Julia Lawrence\u2019s T-shirt design featuring themes inspired by John Proctor Is The Villain<\/em> is one of these. Lawrence, a graphic designer and self-described theater kid, originally made a design inspired by the hit show, which is about a group of high school students studying Arthur Miller\u2019s 1953 play The Crucible<\/em>, using imagery from the original cover of the play, that quickly picked up steam among theater fans online. The show reached out to her to commission a new design, as it didn\u2019t have the rights to the original cover art, which is how Lawrence landed on imagery depicting girls dancing and featuring the quote \u201cI contain freaking multitudes,\u201d a standout line from the show.<\/p>\n Lawrence has posted various other digital redesigns of theater merch on her TikTok page and website, and she said her artistic approach to design is what she believes drew the JPITV<\/em> team to her.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I design a merch piece, [I think] \u2018Would I want this hanging on my wall as a piece of art?\u2019\u201d Lawrence said. \u201cI never want it to be a logo or words just slapped on a shirt. These productions are so beautiful and intricate in their works of art, and I believe the merchandise should be an extension of that.\u201d<\/p>\n As theater fans connect online and shows shift their own approaches to social media, Lawrence said she believes merchandise is at a turning point, and said that tapping into the feedback loop available through social media could be a way forward.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are some productions that are\u2026listening to what fans want, and so they\u2019re building online communities, even among fans who haven\u2019t had the chance to even see the show live,\u201d Lawrence said. \u201cThat kind of reach, I think, creates a demand for merch that helps fans feel connected to the show, even from afar.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nIt\u2019s time to try
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