Season Launch
CHALLENGE
When our Time Out New York rep approached me with the opportunity to purchase their first-ever cover ad in an October issue, I saw an exciting opportunity to reach younger audiences, tout new free livecasts, and feature a particularly thrilling line-up of talent.
Our season was traditionally launched with a full page spread in The New York Times in a listings format. TONY would be an additional buy.
The cover would need to have a striking visual and we only had access to headshots. I also needed to convince three separate program centers to collaborate on a buy, and work with their directors to ensure their events would be represented equally. They would need to get approvals from managers and agents, in a way we had never before had to do.
OPPORTUNITY
Given an unusually long lead-time, and knowing talent would be in New York, the original conception and budget called for a photo shoot on our stage. Our creative director Amy McHenry then brilliantly had the idea for an illustration (by Ronlewhorn), resulting in the stunning cover.
Managers and agents were excited by the ad and execution, and when that hurdle was crossed, the team was fully thrilled by the chance to showcase their programs in this format for a new audience. In fact, we did it again the following year.
92Y SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
92nd Street Y is New York City’s premier destination for literature, comedy, politics, tastings, music, and more. Fill your agenda with talks, concerts, and readings that get you up close with newsmakers and cultural icons.
TALKS
PERFORMANCES
READINGS
TICKETS SELL FAST—ORDER TODAY!
New events are added all the time.
THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE LIKE THIS.
SUCCESS
The ad gave us a chance to show the breadth of programming without needing to list every event on the schedule, as had often been expected in the past. It opened up new opportunities.
Not only were we able to reach a new audience, the ad gave us an asset to show when booking talent, showcased our brand, and placed us rightfully among leading cultural organizations in NYC—as such our rep called us the day the cover dropped to tell me she had immediately sold multiple other covers on the strength of our creative!