The Power of the Fan: 2023 Research Key Takeaways

The theatrical market in the UK has flourished anew since the pandemic, yet the dynamics of human interaction with live experiences have unmistakably shifted. At Situation’s London office, we’ve witnessed a robust recovery, but we were keen to delve deeper into uncovering the subtleties of the market’s evolution since 2019.

Situation’s New York City office has undertaken “Power of the Fan” research on numerous occasions over its 20+ year history, and we deemed it an opportune moment to revisit this concept for the West End. Our aim was to ascertain how the theatre habits of fans have transformed since 2019 while fostering collaboration across various shows within the UK theatre community.

We chose to focus on the fans because they represent an audience often underappreciated in their collective value, yet they constitute the lifeblood of the theatre community and warrant our attention, curiosity, and respect. Fans frequently serve as the most ardent supporters and vocal advocates of our shows. As the cornerstone of the theatrical community, it is imperative that we heed the voices of our fans to gain a deeper understanding of their desires both on stage, across our social media platforms, and within the industry as a whole.

For the purpose of our survey, we defined a “fan” as someone who follows the show on a social platform (most likely Instagram), has encountered the survey post (indicating engagement with the show’s content), and expressed a desire to participate in the survey (without any incentivisation). The resultant sample comprised highly enthusiastic and engaged theatre fans who are enthusiastic about the future of the West End.

We presented the intricate details of our research at an event attended by clients, participating shows, and agency partners. However, we’d like to outline some of the overarching key insights for those unable to attend.

• Competition with other shows: Fans are most likely to reside in the UK (but not London), be under 35, and follow more than one show. Knowing that your (potentially) most engaged followers are following and interacting with other shows, consider how your content stands out amongst other brands in the industry.
• Competition with other live experiences: Shows are not just competing with other shows for share-of-wallet; they are competing with many other leisure activities.
• Content is king: Those who have not seen the show but follow the show on social, they are most likely drawn to the content they’ve seen. Your social media content must find the correct ratio of content being created that is insidery versus inviting in new audiences.
• Barriers to entry: Those likely seeing less theatre are mostly affected by personal circumstances rather than macro forces. Lower pricing could change that.

• Advance Sales: Fans who are purchasing tickets buy further in advance and are driven by an increased passion for theatre. Fans may respond to incentives to purchase further out since it’s more in their behaviour than the general ticket buyer.
• Repeat attendees: Most fans have seen the show (though not necessarily in London), are potentially repeat attendees, and may or may not have started following prior to attending. After reviewing your own data, consider welcoming newly acquired followers with a specific message. 
• Non-Attendees As Advocates: While Fans who have seen the show are your biggest advocates, those who have not seen the show can be quite strong ambassadors. Fans who have not seen the show can provide marketing value even if they themselves never see the show. We talked about this with Broadway News here.
• Not Slowing Down: Fans who reside in the UK are highly likely to attend at least the same number of shows they saw in 2019 if not more. Knowing how many fans have seen the same show more than once, consider a “come back and see us” campaign.