KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Do not spend advertising dollars on demand that is already coming.
- For established holiday events, use media to support the dates and ticket options that still have room to grow.
- Keep part of the campaign flexible so budget and messaging can shift as sales develop.
- When capacity is constrained, use advertising to increase per-capita revenue through premium tickets, food and beverage, and other add-ons.
The job of advertising changes when the event gets popular
Not every holiday event sells out.
For newer or less established events, advertising may still have a straightforward job: build awareness and sell more tickets.
But once an event becomes well known, some dates may sell with very little support.
Friday and Saturday nights may fill quickly while opening week, Sundays, weekdays, or later dates still have room to grow.
At that point, advertising should stop treating every ticket equally.
The job becomes shaping demand.
Support the nights that need help
Start with the ticket calendar.
Which dates tend to sell themselves? Which nights need more support? Where is there still meaningful capacity?
If Saturday is nearly full, continuing to advertise Saturday may generate conversions without creating much incremental revenue.
Put the media behind the nights where advertising still has a chance to change behavior.
Build demand early
People make holiday plans in advance.
Start early enough to influence not just whether someone attends, but when they attend.
Use the early part of the campaign to build broad excitement and advance sales. As the calendar fills, shift the message toward the dates that still need help.
Keep part of the plan flexible
Some media should be secured in advance.
But not every dollar should be locked before ticket sales begin to develop.
Paid social, search, digital video, and other adjustable channels give the campaign room to move budget and messaging as demand changes.
The media plan should respond to the box office.
Increase the value of the visit
Once attendance is strong, there may be limited room to sell more tickets on the most popular nights.
That does not mean the revenue opportunity is over.
Use advertising to highlight VIP tickets, premium experiences, cocktails, s’mores, food and beverage, and other add-ons that can increase per-capita spending.
Sometimes the next dollar of growth does not come from another visitor. It comes from increasing the value of the visit.
Let ticket data steer the advertising
Review sales by date throughout the campaign.
Look at remaining capacity, sales pace, premium ticket availability, and revenue by night.
Then adjust the media accordingly.
If a date no longer needs help, move on.
If another night is soft, support it.
If capacity is already constrained, shift the message toward higher-value ticket options and on-site spending.
Don’t just make the event more popular
A strong holiday campaign should do more than generate ticket sales.
For established events, the opportunity is to use advertising more precisely: support the nights that need help, shift demand across the calendar, and increase revenue from the guests who are already planning to attend.
