Theate League Hires Dream Team for Bway Branding Campaign

The League of American Theatres and Producers has announced the selection of three creative agencies to work together with the League to develop a new national branding campaign for the Broadway industry.   Although Broadway is already an established and powerful name in the entertainment industry generating more than 30 million admissions each year across North America, this campaign will reinforce efforts to promote Broadway as a national and international brand, while supporting Broadway shows running in New York, across North America, and globally.  

This team led by New York-based cultural marketing agency LaPlaca Cohen, will focus on strategy and media. Two West Coast agencies will also bring their expertise to the table: Trailer Park of Hollywood, CA, will provide creative services, and The Buddy Group of Lake Forest, CA, will handle electronic applications. The campaign is expected to launch in late 2007.

"One of the key missions of the League is to strengthen the brand identity of Broadway as a national and international industry," commented  Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director, The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc.   "Through this campaign, we hope to not only develop new audiences for today and the future, but to increase the frequency of theatregoing by our core audiences. We are delighted to have assembled this team of experts to help us create excitement and visibility for the Broadway brand."

In addition to its cultural impact in the more than 240 cities in the U.S. and Canada that touring Broadway shows visit each year, Broadway is an economic powerhouse.  Broadway plays and musicals contribute more than $4.8 billion annually to New York City's economy. Touring shows are a major driver in the growth of many urban areas across the United States.

LaPlaca Cohen has extensive experience reaching arts and culture audiences, having developed branding campaigns for such leading cultural organizations as the Walt Disney Concert Hall/ Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Morgan Library and Museum, Joyce Theater and the Hollywood Bowl. Trailer Park has developed identity programs for leading Broadway productions such as Wicked and Legally Blonde. The Buddy Group is an interactive design company that specializes in interactive Flash websites, rich media advertising, online video integration, and branded entertainment and games.

The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc., created in 1930, is the official trade association for the commercial theatre industry.  The League's 600-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general manager throughout North America, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry.  Each year, League members bring Broadway to almost 30 million people in New York and across the US and Canada.

The League also sponsors three annual free outdoor concerts: Broadway on Broadway® (with the Times Square Alliance) which attracts upwards of 50,000 theatre fans to Times Square each fall to kick off the new theatrical season; Continental Airlines presents Broadway's Stars in the Alley®, a celebration in the Theatre District's historic Shubert Alley marking the official end of the season; and Broadway Under the Stars™ (with NYC & Company) on the Great Lawn of Central Park, which inaugurates New York City's summer outdoor concert series.

The League maintains and operates programs designed to provide consumers with information about Broadway and a convenient means of accessing tickets. ILoveNYTheater.com is the first-ever multilingual website offering a comprehensive guide to Broadway theatregoing in New York. The site, which is available in six languages, offers tickets to Broadway shows as well as information about hotels, restaurants, transportation, and shopping.