Abstract
This article describes the use of telemarketing as a tool for building audiences for university theatres. Drawing on campaigns at the University of Alabama, it explains how combining direct mail with telephone follow-up significantly increased subscription sales over multiple seasons. The discussion emphasizes the importance of training callers, selecting effective coordinators, and using motivated work-study students as sales staff. Strategies included incentive systems, a structured three-week campaign, and techniques for handling common objections during calls. Additional practices such as offering free tickets as promotional bonuses, tracking subscriber attendance, and over-selling to account for no-shows helped maximize revenue and audience engagement. The article concludes that while telemarketing requires careful planning and staff management, it provides immediate feedback, strengthens subscriber bases, and creates opportunities to promote productions directly to potential audiences.
Recommended Citation
Marshall, Kevin
(1988)
"Telemarketing: Building Audiences for University Theatres,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 66, Article 8.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol66/iss1/8
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