November 6, 2006

A Chorus Line Promoted Through Word of Mouth Reviews

In the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) blog, I came across a post about theater ticket vendor Broadway.com's new theater review program called "Word of Mouth (WOM)."

What's particularly interesting about the new WOM program is that video reviews are conducted by a diverse range of theatergoers, non-professional critics, who will be sharing their thoughts and reactions throughout the 2006-2007 Broadway season.

Here are two screen shots from the video review of "A Chorus Line" conducted by a student, a "domestic goddess" and a mortician:

In its FAQ, Broadway.com says it's replacing its professional reviews with its new WOM program. They explain:

For years we have watched as professional theater critics (ours included!) slam shows that audiences love and swoon over pieces that bore audiences to tears. We think that by showing real people's opinions, we're providing the most useful information possible to help you decide how to spend your hard-earned money when choosing a show.

And another advantage of non-professional theater reviews is that you get some juicy nuggets of insight about the "critics" for each show. Scott, our "Afterlife Care Facilitator," says that if he were stranded on a desert island, he would want the following three things:

I'm pretty low maintenance but a 72" plasma TV, a hammock and a hardy supply of diet cola chilled to 37 degrees Fahrenheit would help ease the pain.

In the FAQ, it also says that reviewers "share their honest reactions with our cameras so that we can create a video feature for you about each new show." But after watching a good chunk of the Chorus Line review, it seems more like an upbeat conversation among friends than anything resembling a theater review - but that's probably what they wanted to create.

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