Monday, January 17, 2011
Department of Consumer Affairs Now Satisfied with Spider-Man Advertising
Playbill.com: "New York City's Department of Consumer Affairs, the New York Times reports, is now satisfied with the updated advertising for the new musical Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, which now more clearly indicates that the production is currently in previews prior to its official opening March 15.
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7 comments:
I feel like there's a large number of audience members attending Spiderman who don't have any interest in the production itself. Here we have one of the most expensive shows made in years, with a state of the art rigging system (I've heard it's the first time a system like this one has been used), a stunning set from what the pictures have been able to show, and people are more interested in seeing an actor potentially fall to his or her death than a potentially great piece of theatre. I'd say that people don't really care that the show is still in preview, they just want to see some gore. Maybe the DCA should require an actor to be injured on a nightly basis to give more audience members what they paid for.
I feel that if you are a theatergoer you should know and understand the performance you are attending. For a show setting the longest preview on broadway audience members should realize that they are attending a preview. The thrill and experience of the performance with state of the art technology might be a definite factor for why audience members attend, but making it clear that performances are a preview is important. The importance may be making it clear that the show could be stopped to change material during a preview, and not that a preview is just a pre-opening performance or final product. It should be up to proper advertising as well as the audience to clearly understand and realize what they are expecting when purchasing a ticket.
Audiences should not be dumb. David has a good point, and I think people know that they are not attending a final product. I think the appeal of Spider-Man to a lot of people IS that it could change. People will be able to say, "I saw Spider-Man when it still had this element," or the like. And those who do not know that the show is still in previews are not the type of person who really cares; those people are just there to see Spider-Man or amazing feats. The advertising was not wrong or immoral, it was capitalism, and if people really cared whether they were seeing a preview or not, they would look it up. Can't blame for-profit companies for making money, it keeps Broadway alive.
I wonder what the motivation was for the original advertising which was unclear about the show being a preview. It's easy to say that it was an obvious ploy to deceive patrons and make more money, but I wonder if it's possible that the producers just didn't really think about it. The people producing this show have been negligent in other aspects of the production, so why not in advertising. Personally, I think it was intentional, but it's worth considering.
I agree with Meg, the point of advertising is to attract attention to your product to gain consumers. They were simply designing with their goal in mind. I'm sure they made the information available as to whether or not the performances were still in previews online, they aren't obligated to advertise it. There are lots of things that companies are allowed to choose to advertise or not regarding their product.
I think this is just a ploy for more press for Spider Man. The department of consumer affairs has a valid point, but this is getting out of control. On the other hand, people travel to NYC as tourists and may not be following the drama in the news. They do have a right to know. They are only there as tourists and not avid theatre goers. So when the see a sign that says still in previews, how many of them really know what that means. I wonder if the box office has had any angry patrons demanding their money back? If so, have they done it?
I think that if you are paying for a preview performance, you should be informed that it is such. There is definitely a difference from a preview performance and a frozen show. The advertising should reflect this. If there is a change of date for opening the advertisements should be updated to reflect this. Or at least have a sign online and at the box office.
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