What Broadway Can (Ethically) Steal from Real Estate Moguls, Wellness Gurus, and Tax Season

Broadway is nothing short of extraordinary. It’s where stories come to life in ways that can’t be replicated anywhere else, where a few hours in a theater can transport audiences across time, space, and emotion. It’s a cultural institution, an engine of creativity, and, for many, a lifelong dream realized. But while the magic of Broadway is undeniable, getting audiences to fill those seats is no small feat. Marketing a Broadway show isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for the relentless, the creative, the slightly masochistic souls who look at a three-digit ticket price in an on-demand entertainment world and say, “Challenge accepted.”

For over a century, Broadway producers and marketers have pulled off what should be impossible: convincing millions of people to leave the comfort of their homes, brave the chaos of midtown Manhattan, and sit elbow-to-elbow with strangers for a live performance they can’t pause, rewind, or watch in sweatpants. That’s nothing short of alchemy.

That said, survival isn’t the same as evolution. We live in a world where ease is the ultimate currency—where subscriptions, same-day delivery, and AI-powered recommendations have trained people to expect entertainment to come to them, not the other way around. So, how do we continue this great tradition of marketing ingenuity? By stealing—ethically, of course. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot from our non-Broadway clients about audience engagement, and some of the most valuable lessons have come from industries that, on the surface, have nothing to do with theater. Here are a few unexpected insights we’ve learned about Broadway from some unexpected places. 

For the sake of confidentiality, we won’t name names—but trust me, the insights are real, and they apply more than you’d think.

Every year, tax season follows a familiar pattern—but it’s never exactly the same. Budgets shift, customer behavior evolves, and unexpected factors (like, say, government volatility and IRS uncertainty) throw in last-minute curveballs. Financial service providers navigate this unpredictability by staying nimble—adjusting spend, messaging, and strategy in real time based on customer demand rather than sticking rigidly to a set plan. The biggest lesson? You don’t just plan for tax season; you adapt to your customers’ timelines.

Broadway already moves to its own seasonal rhythms, but what if we thought beyond the traditional peaks and valleys? The Tonys and holiday surges matter, sure—but so does the first day of school for parents, the lull before a big election, or even that quiet stretch when locals reclaim the city after summer tourists leave. Audience behavior isn’t dictated solely by our calendar—it’s shaped by theirs. Instead of marketing in broad seasonal strokes, what if we fine-tuned messaging, pricing, and promotions to align with the real moments that drive decisions? Planning is essential, but the real magic happens when we meet audiences where they are—right when they need us.

If you’ve ever visited one of the major observatory decks in New York City, you know it’s more than just a tall building. If height were the only draw, you could go to any number of skyscrapers in Manhattan. We’ve had the honor of working with a number of these iconic buildings, where we saw firsthand how strategic branding, marketing, and audience engagement transform a property into a true destination.

The best Broadway shows do the same. Seeing a Disney show on Broadway isn’t just about the performance; it’s an identity, a fandom, a rite of passage. The most successful productions don’t rely on their good reviews and a splashy opening. They build mythology, cultivate nostalgia, and position themselves as a must-see—not just for theater lovers, but for anyone who considers themselves culturally literate.

The lesson? Your show’s brand isn’t just its poster and tagline—it’s how people talk about it, how they dream about it, how they position it in their personal narratives. The more we invest in that long-term brand identity, the more staying power a show can have.

In the world of food marketing, authenticity is everything. Some of the most successful brands thrive because consumers care about where their food comes from, how it’s made, and whether they can trust the company behind it. They succeed by doubling down on transparency and realness—ensuring every product tells a story of quality and trust.

Broadway is no different. It isn’t just about what happens on stage. It’s about the energy, the anticipation, the human connection that makes live theater so electric. That’s what marketing should capture. Instead of just polished campaigns, we should lean into real, unscripted moments: behind-the-scenes glimpses, candid interviews, audience reactions as they happen. Theater is alive, and our marketing should be too.

Industries that deal with workforce management have had to evolve rapidly in recent years, adapting to remote work, AI, and shifting employee expectations. The companies that thrive aren’t clinging to the way things have always been—they’re investing in the future, integrating new tech, and rethinking traditional structures.

Broadway should be doing the same. What are our customers doing now that they weren’t doing ten years ago, or even two years ago? Imagine using AI to personalize ticket offers based on browsing behavior, or leveraging virtual reality to give potential buyers an immersive taste of a show before they commit. The future of Broadway marketing isn’t about replacing tradition—it’s about enhancing it with tools that make engagement easier, smarter, and more intuitive.

Every year, a national youth organization pulls off a marketing miracle: they take a simple box of cookies and turn it into an event. They’re not just selling treats—they’re selling nostalgia, tradition, and the mild panic that if you don’t stock up now, you’ll regret it until next cookie season. And they do it brilliantly through storytelling (and, to be fair, some obscenely adorable salespeople).

Our sister agency Town Hall has seen firsthand how effective this approach can be—helping organizations amplify their story, rally their community, and remind the world that saying “just one box” is a lie we all tell ourselves.

Broadway can do the same. A show isn’t just a night out; it’s the thing you’ll gush about to your friends, the memory you’ll hold onto for years, the moment that makes you feel something real. The more we tap into that emotional pull in our marketing, the more people will feel like they need to be part of it—not just want to, but have to.

The wellness industry has cracked a crucial code: people don’t just buy products; they buy identities. One of the best examples of this is how wellness festivals and membership-based fitness brands have gone beyond just offering events or workouts. They cultivate communities—turning casual customers into lifelong advocates.

Broadway has the potential to do the same. We should be thinking beyond traditional marketing campaigns and creating spaces where audiences can engage beyond the performance itself—whether it’s exclusive digital content, meetups, talkbacks, or even subscription-based memberships that make people feel like insiders, like they belong.

Broadway has always been an industry of ingenuity. This is why I love working in it. It’s how we’ve survived, adapted, and thrived for over a century. And as audience behaviors evolve, so will our strategies. The challenge now is to take those insights, make them our own, and continue Broadway’s long-standing tradition of turning the impossible into reality. Because if there’s one thing Broadway knows how to do, it’s making magic happen, even before the lights go down.