garfield Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 word of mouth. social media. whatever everyone is doing that's driving attendance...just keep going. do it. I do think the fan network has issue has in some cases get fans to shows they wouldn't have gone to otherwise. gas savings is probably offset by toll increases, food, lodging etc...I mean i'm predicting Allentown has the best numbers in years this year, but seeing hotel prices going up a lot since last year, who is saving? and...despite some naysayers...I think drum corps is just starting to get cool again This is exactly my point. Bingo. Yes, there are other contributors, but none of the other rationales mean anything without the draw to the field. Only corps (and judges, Brasso) create that. Drum corps is cool again. Well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcarlton Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Did your show reach out to local schools with news about the event, or did they simply discover it on their own? I had mentioned seeing a lot of buses in your lot, and since you mention Dublin specifically, I know Dublin Jerome students were there as a group, because I saw a block of kids wearing shirts for "The Blues", Jerome's BD-influenced show (with 50+ folding chairs) from last year. Last night at Erie, there was an ad for the Buffalo ToC event in the program, and someone walking around during the show (between corps) who went to every row of seats, handing out flyers for that event to each attendee. For the Dublin show we leveraged social media heavily. Primary contact with schools came from email to directors. All other promotion was done through consistent social media. Also, worked with Bluecoats and received permission to film and then interview members for personalized Facebook promotions. Worked with local ensembles, alumni groups and drum corps Facebook groups for cross posting and then spent money on promoted advertisements on Facebook through very strict targeting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 (edited) . . Do I trust my sources who were in the room? Yes. Yes, I do. It's not nefarious. It's actually slotting for the greater good of selling seats. . I merely asked for a clarification that you have heard that judges are now being asked to slot the scores to keep the competition closer. ( thats what you told us on this thread above ) Barigirl78, was like me thinking the scores that are close are just happening that way by happenstance alone. But now you are telling us that you have sources in the room where judges have been told to slot the scores to keep the competition closer and the rationale for this instruction is that it sell seats. Thats a bit shocking to learn, but if you have sources in the room where these instructions to the judges were given for this, then I guess we'll all have to accept this. None of us were in the room where the scores were requested to be slotted for closeness and for selling more seats. So I'll accept the word of those that were there in the room and then later told you this. But I am a bit surprised to say the least to learn of this, Garfield. Edited July 30, 2015 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 I merely asked for a clarification that you have heard that judges are now being asked to slot the scores to keep the competition closer. Barigirl78, was like me thinking the scores that are close are just happening that way by happenstance alone. But now you are telling us that you have sources in the room where judges have been told to slot the scores to keep the competition closer and also to sell seats. Thats a bit shocking to learn, but if you have sources in the room where these instructions to the judges were given for this, then I guess we'll all have to accept this. None of us were in the room where the scores were requested to be slotted for closeness and for selling more seats. So I'll accept the word of those that were there in the room and then later told you this. But I am a bit surprised to say the least to learn of this, Garfield. I'll just repeat this and you can draw your own conclusions. It's a good thing, Brasso. Evidence this year. In a completely subjectively-judged activity that makes its own rules, how do you create a competition among the participants that is heated enough to attract a crowd? (and I'll add, a paying crowd!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Did I tell you guys or what? It's on a new level now. actual drum corps might not be as big but the fan base is growing big time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 (edited) I'll just repeat this and you can draw your own conclusions. It's a good thing, Brasso. Evidence this year. In a completely subjectively-judged activity that makes its own rules, how do you create a competition among the participants that is heated enough to attract a crowd? (and I'll add, a paying crowd!) Sometimes people just misspeak.. this might be the case here with you... giving you the benefit of the doubt here. You can retract anything you'd like to at any time, Garfield, ok ? You said above that you have heard that judges were requested "to slot the scores this season to keep the competition closer". These are your very words. Then when inquired by a naturally curious poster such as me, for where this came from, you told us you had" sources in the room" when these requests for slotted scores came from. The rationale given was for" selling seats". Is there any part of this you would care to modify, retract ? Or should we just let what you said stand as is ?. Edited July 30, 2015 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besson57 Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 For the Dublin show we leveraged social media heavily. Primary contact with schools came from email to directors. All other promotion was done through consistent social media. Also, worked with Bluecoats and received permission to film and then interview members for personalized Facebook promotions. Worked with local ensembles, alumni groups and drum corps Facebook groups for cross posting and then spent money on promoted advertisements on Facebook through very strict targeting. If you'd like some help with the advertising budget next year, let me know. I have quite a bit of ad credit saved up, thanks to calling The Zuck boss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAvery Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Lower gas prices likely help, and the lack of media is probably helping, too. But I'm going to push back a little on those who claim an "improving economy" is a benefit. Without getting all geeky-statistic on everyone, IMO the very marginal improvement in personal economic circumstances doesn't explain the rather sizable increases in reported attendance. To the notion of DCI's "outreach" to schools, maybe this is true in the music/school media spending that DCI does, but I can tell you that neither the host school of our show, nor my son's school in a neighboring community (where's he's the DCI "Ambassador") has received anything from DCI as "outreach". It would seem that show-host schools would be low-hanging fruit, but Dublin music programs didn't hear a peep from DCI. I, personally, think the answer lies somewhere in corps doing a better job of entertaining and DCI judges being asked to slot scores tighter to create closer competition. Perhaps it's a perceived improved economy. My experience this summer leads me to believe more people are traveling and spending money. It looks there is some data to support it. http://www.statista.com/statistics/207088/travel-expenditures-in-the-us-since-2000/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Lancer Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Sometimes people just misspeak.. this might be the case here with you... giving you the benefit of the doubt here. You can retract anything you'd like to at any time, Garfield, ok ? You said above that you have heard that judges were requested "to slot the scores this season to keep the competition closer". These are your very words. Then when inquired by a naturally curious poster such as me, for where this came from, you told us you had" sources in the room" when these requests for slotted scores came from. The rationale given was for" selling seats". Is there any part of this you would care to modify, retract ? Or should we just let what you said stand as is ?. This is a bit disturbing if true. I am interpreting this, albeit perhaps wrongly, that the the tightness in scores, especially in the top 5 is artificial. Is it a case that spreads have been minimized to create an illusion of tight competition to get butts in the seats? I think not based on what I have seen thus far of the top 5, but the hairs on my arm are raised. Have any cell phones been destroyed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 On another issue I might "take the bait" (get it?) but this one isn't important enough to me. Suffice it to say that "slotting", as we describe it here, might not actually be how the term is used inside DCI or Cesario's office. Did I speak with them, in the room, when the subject is discussed? No, I didn't. Do I trust my sources who were in the room? Yes. Yes, I do. It's not nefarious. It's actually slotting for the greater good of selling seats. Or maybe a form of slotting, if you prefer. Our constant source of statistical data, N.E. Brigand, provided excellent evidence that the competition is tighter, less assured, less "pre-ordained". In a completely subjectively-judged activity that makes its own rules, how do you create a competition among the participants that is heated enough to attract a crowd? Hmmm? Along the lines of what BariGirl said about the corps just simply being closer to each other... Is it possible that since the Blue Devils are not quite the dominating force they were last season, that this is one reason the scores are lower and tighter? (Pardon the fractured grammar here. ) I don't know. I don't know a lot of things. The ceiling is a bit lower than last season, it would appear. Heck, last summer... if it had been possible, BD could have rung up a 105. LOL. They were that good, IMO. Whatever the reason(s)..... very nice to see that spike in attendance this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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