13. MERCI! JESSICA BERLIN Social Media Manager [email_address] @cirquelasvegas & @jessberlin
Editor's Notes
Company began in 1984 as a group of 20 street performers A Simple Mission: To invoke the imagination, provoke the senses and evoke the emotions of people around the world. Montreal based with 4,000 employees from 40 countries Currently have 17 shows running simultaenously 80 Million People have seen a Cirque show since 1984 Close to 10 Million Worldwide in 2007 20 Million in Las Vegas in 15 years
City Center (Elvis) - 2009 As Cirque continues to grow, so does our fan base. Each new show reaches a group we haven’t before. (i.e. Criss).
Lucky to work for a brand that has a great reputation. Each show has a niche audience but overall we reach all demos. Our fans are young and old and utilizing ALL channels.
What type of experience have our fans had? What do they like/dislike? Is their information accurate? While we can’t change a show, we can help. (Cell phones, Zumanity) What else do fans want? Who are our biggest evangelists and influencers? How do we find them? How can we utilize them? When fans can’t come to a show, what do they want to stay connected to the brand?
Never underestimate the power of a blogger!
Wikio – News search engine of media sites and blogs Twing – content rich sites (forums, on-line communities) When customers are writing about your brand – positive or negative - they are engaging with your brand.
Difference between when LOVE opened 2 ½ years ago and now! Zumanity didn’t open to the best reviews. People feel we strayed from our core values. Messaging that we’re an entertainment company, not just a circus anymore. Demo skews younger, more active on social media channels. Case of media initially affecting the show’s reputation and using our relationships to change that. DEI has helped us to generate buzz and also messaging emphasizing the preview period of the show and turning the negative press around.
Old way of doing PR – telling people what our message was. Very one sided. Updates the traditional media release to include RSS, video, digg, delicious.tags. Using SM for our relationships with journalists. Getting to know them/getting to know us through Twitter, Facebook before pitching. Employees – We encourage participation in all 2.0 channels. Spreading news about our brand for us. They are an extension of the brand.
Used to be afraid. We don’t control messaging or content. Just make sure they have all of the info they need/want. MySpace over 30,000 friends.
YouTube – exclusive Videos Facebook – photos, blogs, contests Twitter – insider info and promotions Shift from communicating directly with fans instead of media. Viral Games – upcoming contest is actually giving fans a chance to improve our marketing