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Industry
Arts & Culture
Goals
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis sought to expand its owned audience by growing its marketing database and capturing actionable audience insights to support more targeted, segmented marketing and follow-up campaigns. The initiative aimed to generate awareness of The Rep's 60th Season lineup and drive subscription and single-ticket sales, attracting both new and returning theatergoers. At the same time, the campaign reinforced The Rep's position as one of St. Louis' premier live theatre organizations, showcasing its diverse productions and inspiring audiences to experience professional theatre during this milestone season.
Results
Through the collaborative sweepstakes campaign, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis achieved a 39% opt-in rate and increased marketing email opt-ins by 24% from 2025 to 2026. The campaign generated more than 500,000 impressions, attracted 1,012 quiz submissions, and drove 1,394 total engagements.
Key Product
Sweepstakes
The Solution
A Strategic Sweepstakes Built to Deliver More Than Entries
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis partnered with St. Louis Magazine to launch an interactive quiz paired with a sweepstakes promoting its landmark 60th Season. Participants answered questions about their entertainment preferences — from their ideal night out to what they hope to feel when the curtain comes down — and were matched to one of five productions in The Rep's season lineup, from the heartfelt Little Women to the suspenseful And Then There Were None. Entrants who completed the quiz could then enter for a chance to win a Classic Mainstage Subscription, giving them a personal, low-barrier introduction to the season built around their own taste.
Distributed through St. Louis Magazine's newsletters, dedicated emails, website placements, social media, and digital advertising, the campaign reached theater lovers and prospective patrons across the St. Louis region who matched The Rep's prospective attendee profile.
What The Data Revealed
To better understand prospective attendees, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis embedded two survey questions designed to capture audience age and planning behavior. The contest collected more than 1,800 total responses:
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Longer Planning Windows: The majority of respondents plan their theatre attendance more than a month in advance, with the largest single group planning 1–2 months ahead. This suggests The Rep's audience responds best to early-window marketing.
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A Core of Loyal, Established Patrons: Nearly three-quarters of respondents are age 55 or older, reflecting The Rep's strong base of loyal, longtime theatergoers.
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A Reachable Younger Audience: 252 respondents — more than a quarter of those who answered — are under the age of 55, representing a meaningful opportunity to grow The Rep's audience among younger patrons.
Why This Matters
These opt-ins represent a highly engaged audience—396 individuals actively raised their hands to receive more information about upcoming shows and events happening at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis! Because both the survey questions and the email opt-in were optional, every response reflects genuine, self-selected interest.
The audience insights collected provide The Rep with a stronger understanding of how potential ticket purchasers plan, purchase, and engage with live theatre experiences. Most importantly, The Rep can immediately activate this audience, turning quiz and contest engagement into long-term audience development.
What To Do With This Information
The Rep added 396 new marketing opt-ins, creating a valuable audience for ongoing customer engagement. By nurturing these leads through a series of targeted email campaigns, The Rep can deepen engagement with its loyal, established patron base while building meaningful connections with a younger, more diverse audience — all using the collected first-party data to deliver more relevant, segmented marketing messages throughout the 60th Season.
Ways The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis could segment their follow-up campaigns:
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464 respondents are age 65+. The Rep could develop campaigns that promote season subscriptions, patron benefits, weekday performances, and behind-the-scenes content that encourages repeat attendance and long-term loyalty.
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252 respondents are under the age of 55, representing a valuable audience for future growth. The Rep could create campaigns that highlight first-time theatre experiences, date nights, group outings, special events, and productions that appeal to younger audiences.
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393 respondents indicated they typically decide to attend a show one to two months in advance. The Rep could launch production announcements, cast spotlights, subscriber messaging, and early ticket offers during this planning window to influence purchasing decisions before patrons finalize their plans.
Ready to partner together?
