Broadway breaks tradition to reach Gen Z with viral campaigns and low ticket prices

Broadway is undergoing a brand transformation. Long seen as a destination for upscale, older audiences, New York City’s theaters are now finding fresh appeal with Gen Z through influencer marketing and more accessible pricing strategies. The off-Broadway play “All Nighter,” for example, is on track to recoup its run with ticket prices between $50 and $99, and a much younger audience than the typical New York theatergoer. “With TikTok and social media, Broadway and [off-Broadway] shows are reaching people they haven’t ever before, especially young people,” said Adam Mersel of music and entertainment management firm Immersive Management, who worked on the marketing for the production. “Kids are consuming more than they ever have, and there needs to be more like [‘All Nighter’] that is accessible, is affordable and speaks to young people in a way that a lot of [Broadway shows] that are traditionally put up don’t.” The average age for Broadway ticket holders in the 2023-2024 season was 42, two years older than the season prior, per trade association The Broadway League. Yet 31% of conversions for paid media on Meta came from 18-to-24-year-olds for “All Nighter,” and 56% came from the 25-to-34 age group, according to a representative for the show. (The eldest Gen Zers turn 28 in 2025, while the youngest ones turn 13.) “All Nighter” has Gen Z appeal built in. Set in 2014, it follows a group of five young women staying up all night to finish their final assignments for their college degrees. And it stars headliners from Gen Z-appealing film and TV—Alyah Chanelle Scott of Max’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” Havana Rose Liu from the film “Bottoms,” Julia Lester of Disney+’s “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” Kathryn Gallagher from Netflix’s “Woman of the Hour” and Kristine Froseth of Apple TV+’s “The Buccaneers.” Chanelle Scott and Thomas Laub, who lead Runyonland Productions, produced the show with Mersel as well as actor Ben Platt and Rachel Sussman of Soto Productions. “All Nighter” was created by Natalie Margolin and directed by Jaki Bradley. Laub told Ad Age that from the outset, the production grappled with whether it could balance revenue goals with accessibility, and that if low ticket prices weren’t feasible, the show simply wouldn’t work. Broadway pricing is a personal matter to Laub, who moved to New York from college “and immediately was priced out of every single Broadway house,” he said. “That’s nobody’s fault, but rather it’s an economic system that has eroded over decades that has created these barriers to entry that feel so opaque.” With budget constraints in mind, “All Nighter” initially leaned on traditional digital marketing tactics like direct emails to theatergoers but quickly realized it would be drowned out by bigger Broadway productions starring A-listers. Currently, Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal are headlining a production of “Othello," with tickets ranging from $321 to $921 as of writing. Tickets to see George Clooney make his Broadway debut in “Good Night, and Good Luck” cost as much as $849. So “All Nighter” pivoted to a social and influencer-led campaign, a growing but still emerging tactic for Broadway and off-Broadway shows in the post-pandemic rebound. Laub joked that Broadway is historically five to 15 years behind tactics used by entertainment brands in film and TV, “and we’re eager to see the upcoming shift in marketing budgets to allocate spend across channels” rather than primarily in local out-of-home, print and tourism media. The first influencer campaigns for Broadway productions began around 2018, said Carly Heitner, founder of Our Time Influence, who leads influencer marketing for “All Nighter” as well as “John Proctor is the Villain” and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” The initial campaigns were a mix of Instagrammers and YouTube “mommy bloggers,” recalled Heitner, but the growth of TikTok during COVID lockdowns changed the game for productions. More recently, shows such as “The Great Gatsby,” “Maybe Happy Ending” and a production of “Romeo and Juliet” starring Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler have gone viral, driving young people in droves for repeat viewing. Broadway superfans, which The Broadway League describes as those who have seen a production 15 or more times, made up 6% of theatergoing and 35% of all ticket sales in the ‘23-‘24 season, per the group. “At first, people were hesitant [to adopt influencer marketing strategies for Broadway productions],” said Heitner. “Even years later, influencer marketing has definitely risen to the front of marketing strategies, but is still the last piece added to the puzzle.” “All Nighter” has found success from a mix of influencer tactics. On its owned channels, the play’s cast has jumped on viral trends and even created a finsta account, a term used by Instagram users for the fake accounts used to post content one only wants their closest friends to see, for superfans to see behind-the-scenes content. With influencers, “All Nighter” has balanced a combination of NYC lifestyle partnerships as well as broader-reaching creators to eliminate the exclusive perception associated with theatergoing. “All Nighter” also broadened its appeal beyond in-the-know New Yorkers through traditional marketing tactics, opting for first looks and partnerships with media outlets that rarely cover theater—such as Teen Vogue, Nylon and Reductress—rather than blending into the usual Broadway trades. Heitner advised that Broadway teams should get comfortable letting influencers in early to develop long-term partnerships throughout a show’s run. “All Nighter” initially invited creators to preview the show prior to its invited dress rehearsal, allowed the social team and influencers behind the scenes to capture content and invited those who consistently engaged to repeat viewings. Laub added that due to the show’s tight marketing budget and 12-week run, “All Nighter” couldn’t waste time on teases or campaigns oriented to theater insiders. Instead, the show focused on building awareness through digital media and influencers early on so that it could shift focus to converting potential attendees throughout its run. Although social posts like the one above may receive north of 1 million views, Heitner said not all will buy tickets, but that shows should think bigger than just pure sales. Instead, the show’s marketers are developing the production’s brand that will extend beyond its current run and impact the health of additional runs should it move to another city, go on tour or transfer to Broadway, as well as local and school productions that might license the play in the future. As such, high school productions have similarly leaned into social virality around the selection of their upcoming productions, which Heitner said further proves the value of influencer marketing to get young performers asking their teachers to let them perform “All Nighter” in future productions. Heitner said the “All Nighter” team can track social users visiting the site and exploring the story and cast—potentially swaying occasional NYC visitors or those who save up to see one show—while also creating a cultural moment that expands the brand much like film or TV. “I’ve never watched ‘The White Lotus,’ and I know that everyone is watching it right now, and I feel like I should, and I might, but I know all about it, and I know all of the culture,” said Heitner. “It’s important to sell tickets, but if we can create this culture around ‘All Nighter’ that without even seeing the show, you know what it is and you care about it, it creates that moment.”

Broadway breaks tradition to reach Gen Z with viral campaigns and low ticket prices

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