IN THE SPOTLIGHT
DRIVE-INS ARE BACK IN STYLE! Tips for Marketing This 20th-Century Throwback in 2020
event.” The Rose Bowl has since followed suit. Brooks’ July performance, meanwhile, was “filmed exclusively for this drive-in concert event,” according to Vivid Seats. A NOSTALGIA HIT Drive-in movies are an old-school experience, so why not push the nostalgia further with a theme or period concessions? One successful operation in New York does just that. The Finger Lakes Drive-In opened in 1947 and made USA Today in June for its juxtaposition of the past and present. Its classic films screen just beyond an electronic billboard of a pointing Uncle Sam admonishing, “I Want YOU to Wash Your Hands.”
theaters across the country. If you’re planning a drive-in, here are three marketing strategies you can steal from Brooks and his peers. THE SAFETY FACTOR Safety is an obvious point in favor of drive-ins and makes them attractive for people at higher risk of catching COVID-19 who otherwise might stay home. In your marketing, remind potential attendees that cars are like built-in social distancing bubbles. Stay inside them, and suddenly it’s safe for hundreds or even thousands of people to gather bumper-to-bumper in one place. EXCLUSIVITY If your event is one of a kind in any way, put that front and center. The unique factor could be location, content, or both. In June, for example, Boise State University got creative by screening a movie in its arena, billing it as “a wholly unique
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot about the way businesses run, and few sectors were hit harder this spring than the entertainment industry. As concert halls, arenas, and movie theaters closed across the country, entertainers were forced to pivot how they deliver their product. One of the most creative innovations they’ve come up with is actually a throwback: the drive-in. Drive-in movies were never dead, but they had plummeted in popularity from their peak in the 1950s and ‘60s. Now, they’re seeing a resurgence as an option for people to get out of the house and enjoy a film or concert at a safe social distance. Some celebrities, like Keith Urban, DJ D-Nice, and Garth Brooks, cashed in on this trend early. On June 27, Brooks held what he called the “World’s Largest Drive-In Concert.” His performance streamed to more than 300 drive-in
Whether you hit one of these points or all three, you’ll be following in the footsteps of success.
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