Rising to the Challenge: Exceeding Ambitious Goals for TBT’s The Nutcracker
Texas Ballet Theater set higher-than-ever ticket goals for their 2024 performance of The Nutcracker, creating an exciting challenge for us at Schaefer. With increased expectations compared to the prior year, our task was clear: exceed these ambitious targets. Adding to the complexity, fewer pre-Christmas performances were scheduled, making it more difficult to hit our goals during the critical early sales period. Despite these challenges, we knew that The Nutcracker ticket sales are vital for funding TBT’s year-round productions, and rose to the occasion.
Optimizing Strategy for Maximum Impact
We crafted a strategic plan that balanced tried-and-true tactics with new optimizations to drive results. By targeting the right audience through paid search, social media, display, TV, and email, we ensured that every marketing dollar worked harder. Our focus was on refining audience segmentation and utilizing retargeting strategies, especially with urgency-driven messaging designed to boost conversions. We also placed a strong emphasis on media optimization, ensuring that our tactics captured valuable prospects. With creative content across social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, we aimed to maximize engagement and reach the right people at the right time.
Transforming Media Strategy into Unmatched Results
Our media strategy paid off in a big way. Paid search, the star of our campaign, generated an impressive $730K in revenue with a stellar return on ad spend (ROAS) of 13:1. Social media efforts made a significant impact as well, driving over 7.3 million impressions and 77,000 clicks with a 1.86% click-through rate. On TikTok and Facebook, ads resonated with the audience, while display and streaming video ads kept engagement high. Email and text campaigns also played a crucial role in pushing conversions, achieving a remarkable 18.28% CTR for text messages and a solid 13.94% for emails. Through strategic optimization and a combination of media channels, we created a seamless experience that kept sales momentum strong, even in the face of the slower start.
Delivering Historic Success: The Nutcracker Exceeds all Expectations
The results were nothing short of remarkable. We exceeded our revenue goals by 19%, with total tickets purchased near 52,000 (120% to goal). Not only did we surpass our original ticket sales targets for both Fort Worth and Dallas, but we also delivered the highest sales for The Nutcracker in TBT’s history. This campaign not only demonstrated our ability to rise to the challenge but also set a new benchmark for success. With our creative strategy, smart targeting, and optimized media plan, we helped TBT achieve its most successful Nutcracker season ever.
