This is London’s Apollo Theatre, currently showing The Royal Court Theatre’s production of ‘Jerusalem’.
This ‘comic and contemporary vision of rural life‘ has been the subject of many a rave review with such headline grabbing one liners such as:
‘UNARGUABLY ONE OF THE BEST DRAMAS OF THE 21ST CENTURY’
– The Guardian
‘AN INSTANT MODERN CLASSIC’
– The Daily Telegraph
‘A BRILLIANT HYMN TO A VANISHING WORLD’
– The Independent
These rather catchy and awe-inspiring reviews are in fact so good, that the company in question has had them blown up and put on the outside walls of the theatre itself.
However, when I buy my ticket later this week it won’t be because of any of the press that I’ve demonstrated so far. Nor will it be thanks to the rave review that my hairdresser gave me only a few weeks ago.
The reason I want to see Jerusalem (and in fact the only reason I want to see Jerusalem) is this:
See them?
This photo was taken at 9:26am on a Tuesday morning. Every day I walk past this theatre on my way to work and every day since the play first opened, there has been a queue of at least twenty people waiting in line, in the rain, to get their hands on tickets of their own.
Yes, the play really is that good.
But what of word of mouth? I already confessed that my hairdresser had told me herself that it was good. But that wasn’t enough.
I’d read the reviews, again – still not quite enough.
This final piece of the puzzle, this commitment to the cause made real, completed my purchasing journey almost instantly.
In short:
- Your customer’s purchasing journey could start anywhere.
- Is this WOM? No. But I’m telling you, right?
- Did WOM help? Not really, but it was part of the journey.
- Above you can see at least twenty nascent advocates CRYING OUT to be engaged with. Apollo umbrellas? A thank you for their patron? Something?
How can you make your guest experience more conversational?
Think. Just think.