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Research
Jul 1, 2020

Social Media Marketing and the Performing Arts Industry: The Effect of Twitter on Broadway Ticket Sales

Abstract:

The integration of social media marketing into the Theatre District has shifted Broadway from a passive experience to a multi-dimensional dialogue. A Broadway show’s cast and creative team now have the opportunity to connect with fans directly as well as to release social media content to the public for further show enjoyment. What research has yet to address, however, is the extent to which an effective social media presence directly translates into increased ticket sales. My research explores this question by analyzing the effect an active Twitter presence has on weekly ticket grosses for six long running Broadway shows. To examine this relationship, I first performed a series of difference-in-difference estimations to determine if simply creating a Twitter account impacted weekly ticket grosses. I then went into greater depth and ran a multiple regression analysis to determine the extent to which volume of show-related tweets impacted weekly ticket grosses. The results indicate that Twitter and volume of tweets likely do not have a discernable impact on ticket sales.

Author: Elizabeth Lang, Class of 2020                 
Advisor: Richard Blackburn, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

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