SDMT Launches #ReadyForTomorrow Campaign in Response to Wells Fargo Ad; Beth Malone & More to Contribute

On September 3, 2016, a Wells Fargo ad campaign activated the national and local arts community. The ad, to promote a "teen financial education day," featured a young woman with the headline: "A ballerina yesterday. An engineer today." And a young man with the headline: "An actor yesterday. A botanist today." The ads featured the tagline: "Let's get them ready for tomorrow."

Members of the Broadway community, including Josh Groban (Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812), Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple), Laura Benanti (She Loves Me), Andy Mientus (Smash), Michael Cervaris (Fun Home), and more, voiced objections to the ads, protesting the anti-arts messaging of the campaign to Facebook and Twitter.

San Diego Musical Theatre took to social media with its own response and launched a counter-ad campaign: #ReadyForTomorrow, shifting the Wells Fargo's tagline from, "Let's get them ready for tomorrow" to "The arts made me ready for tomorrow." The campaign shines a light on the impact the arts have had on individual lives and features individuals who make a living in the arts.

The first ad featured two stories, the first of SDMT's Executive Director, Colleen Kolla Smith with the headline: "A kid with a stutter yesterday. A professional actor, choreographer and Executive Director today." The other of San Diego performer Luke Jacobs, reading: "A couch potato with no interests yesterday, a professional performer with a life-long passion today."

Within 24 hours, the Facebook post had been shared by over 500 individuals and 72 hours after the original post it hit 945 shares, reaching over 180,000 people.

"With such a remarkable response, we decided to continue to share stories" says Kollar Smith. "The number of 'shares' was an indicator within the first 24 hours, but within that timeframe we also had numerous people reaching out to us and asking if we could create an ad for them, featuring their own personal stories. Wells Fargo responded to the community with a swift acknowledgment and apology, but by that time it was clear that the original ads struck a chord with people who wanted to share stories about the impact of the arts on their lives. We are honored to facilitate that conversation."

SDMT has decided to continue the campaign and has included stories from Beth Malone (Tony nominee for Broadway's Fun Home and Annie in SDMT's Annie Get Your Gun), Jay Donnell (Colehouse Walker in SDMT's Ragtime, currently performing in Disney's Frozen at the Hyperion), Jill Townsend (Artistic Director of SDMT), and Jackie Nguyen (union actor and frequent Huffington Post contributor).

The nonprofit theatre company plans to continue the campaign through September 17th - the day the original Wells Fargo ads promotes as "teen financial day." SDMT will encourage people to support the arts on September 17th by attending a performance, museum, or concert and by making a donation to a nonprofit arts organization.