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A quick calculation shows that our French production of Grease now has 30 partnerships, which is rather a lot. We weren’t out to set a record when we started with our commercial plans many months ago. It’s just the end result of numerous initiatives Stage Entertainment France has taken, together with some deals initiated by external partners.
Combined, these partnerships not only result in substantial savings in production and media costs but also in a dynamic environment and positive energy around the show demonstrating real interest in the title and our work.
One partnership illustrates this commitment quite nicely. A saxophonist in the show’s band suggested we contact the company that made his instrument—Henri Selmer Paris—because he thought there might be possibilities. We learned that this French musical instrument company was over 100 years old and that it had headquarters and manufacturing facilities near Paris. Their instruments are highly respected and played by well-known musicians like Marcus Miller, Steve Coleman, Sonny Rollins and David Krakauer, to name a few. As a part of our agreement with Henri Selmer, our Grease musicians will receive the company’s instruments for free. And the publicity surrounding this arrangement will help to profile our partner and increase brand awareness in the market. All because of a spontaneous tip from one of our band members.
Need a saxophone? See: https://www.selmer.fr
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This same creative spirit enabled us to successfully tie-in with Maastricht-based Top Vintage, thanks to Arno Bremers, costume designer, who brought the company to the attention of our costume designer. Top Vintage has gone on to become an important resource for Grease-style clothing, giving artists and ushers everything they need to achieve a perfect 50s look. Apart from supplying clothing, we are now discussing a joint PR campaign as well as opening a pop-up store in one of the theatre foyers.
As Top Vintage brand director Evelyne Rigliaco-Kleikers says: ‘Creativity, passion and making people happy is what we both stand for! That’s why we love, or even better, why we are hopelessly devoted to this partnership.’
Another Dutch company recently gave the green light to a partnership deal that will help create strong awareness for our show. Magnum, the ice cream brand that is a part of Rotterdam-based multinational Unilever, will offer their many loyal customers the chance to win tickets for the brand’s new “lovers’ seats” that will soon be installed in the Mogador Theater. Magnum is very popular in France, with over 12 million customers! I don’t have to tell you how significant the communication and financial impact will be for us thanks to this partnership. And Magnum, of course, will also benefit by strengthen its brand in a very competitive market.
We at Stage Entertainment can leverage our local reputation and leadership position to entice brands to tie-in with us, generating added value on both sides. As a One Company, we can also think bigger and push beyond country boundaries by making multi-country agreements as we currently are considering with Accor Hotels and Unibail Rodamco. This will prevent us from continually reinventing the wheel and give us the opportunity to consolidate our reputation as a valuable and powerful partner.
Marketing and Sales director
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