Cirque du Soleil is known for its shows featuring acrobats, athletes, and clowns, all performing incredible feats. Now, the company is attempting an even more complex operation.
After expanding its offerings on stages around the world, Cirque is expanding the ways people can access the entertainment it offers. The company still hopes people will travel to places like Las Vegas and Berlin to see its extravagant shows, but it’s also working to ensure silk glasses are available at the push of a button for those who want them.
People have long thought of Cirque shows as “two-hour productions,” Anne Beliveau, Cirque du Soleil’s chief revenue and customer officer, said in a recent interview. “But the truth is, in today’s world, that’s not enough.”
The company plans to debut a new pay-per-view format that will be available on TV and mobile devices, and fans will be able to choose their viewing angle and even get a behind-the-scenes look, she said. Cirque has already launched free ad-supported channels that are disrupted through mediums such as Amazon Fire and Pluto, she says. And we’re focusing more on products and other ways to connect with our fans.
“The great thing about all of this is that the journey doesn’t stop at the show. Through music, collaborations and collections, we can bring silk home and it becomes part of our daily lives,” says Béliveau. “We’ve basically moved from a performance brand to an experience platform.”
To get the word out, Silk hired advertising giant Dentsu as lead creative agency and devised an extensive “umbrella campaign” that would star the entire company. Most of Cirque’s marketing in recent years has focused on show elements. Now, “this is our first time really experimenting from a master brand perspective,” Béliveau says. The company will focus its campaign on Las Vegas, where it will perform five consecutive shows. We run multiple events in Spain. And in Canada, people wear glasses.
“In a world where unity and relationships are more important than ever, Cirque du Soleil has a huge role to play in inspiring audiences,” said Stephen Keeley, CEO of Dentsu Canada and CEO of TAG North America. “Cirque du Soleil is more than just entertainment, it is a movement of inspiration, and we are honored to be able to help expand this vision globally through creativity and storytelling.”
Cirque represents the brand and “will be able to express itself more fluidly across shows, experiences, content and products, ultimately allowing us to increasingly engage our fans and diversify our revenue,” the executive said.
Cirque runs 10 to 12 different shows at any given time, but found itself needing to diversify its revenue base during the coronavirus pandemic. “It was a big shift for us from being a ticketing company to being a platform for inspiration and engagement,” Beliveau said.
And while live events still have some currency in the modern media space because they attract a wide audience watching at the same time, Cirque’s efforts demonstrate that live events can’t be an entertainment company’s only product. In fact, Netflix has made new forays into consumer products and games in recent years. Many other media companies are also grappling with ways to extend popular products into everyday resources, much like Versant’s CNBC has done with subscription products focused on investing and stock market strategy.
To survive, Belliveau said, fans need to be able to access Cirque whenever they want. “I’m fighting everyone” for attention, she says. “I’m fighting against Netflix, against all the entertainment that’s being offered these days, on screen and online. That’s why Cirque couldn’t stop at just that two-hour production. We had to really expand ourselves and really reach our fans.”
