Infusing new life into a youth-focused performing arts nonprofit, making even more space for confidence and creativity in South Carolina’s Capital City.
At the Columbia Children’s Theatre, play is a serious business.
A refuge for thousands of young creative souls in the heart of South Carolina, CCT makes space for kids of all ages and identities to build community and embrace their individuality, all through the transformative power of live theatre.
In addition to its summer camps, after school classes, workshops, and voice lessons, CCT offers family-friendly Mainstage Shows (featuring professional actors) and performance opportunities for young actors in Grades 1-12—the only youth-focused performing arts nonprofit in the state to do so.
This is a space where kids are challenged—where they can connect with confidence. And it has been for nearly 20 years.
Columbia Children’s Theatre’s branding and outreach efforts weren’t signaling the distinct quality of its programming.
The pandemic brought obvious challenges for a theatre that relied on in-person performances and classes for most of its revenue. The lack of face-to-face connection naturally led to less engagement with its core audiences—the parents and kids of Columbia, SC—and reengaging had been difficult, even once performances resumed.
It was clear that work needed to be done to reinvigorate their community and boost the bottom line.
We created a bright, whimsical marketing strategy that strengthened existing relationships and forged new ones—boosting public interest and program profitability.
With an expansive marketing strategy that incorporated paid social ads with photo and video production, local media coverage, and more, T+S oversaw a huge boost in public interest and program profitability.
Digital advertising
CCT is home to multiple theatre programs, summer camps, classes, and online programming. While some segments were successful, lagging participation in others demonstrated a need to re-educate the community about what CCT offered.
We set out to reconnect with CCT’s local audience through targeted digital advertising campaigns that channeled the energy and the enthusiasm of its young actors.
After photographing over a dozen events—rebuilding the Children’s Theatre image library from scratch with thousands of new images—the T+S team implemented a series of bold, expressive, kid-centered campaigns that sent revenue and engagement numbers skyrocketing.
Results
Summer Camp sales shot up by an astonishing 108% and the number of after school class participants grew to 101 (another all-time high).
Social media
Social media had always been the Theatre’s most effective platform. Their core audiences—parents, relatives, and the kids themselves—were extremely active on Facebook and Instagram.
We started a content calendar full of meticulously designed posts that captured the vibrant spirit of CCT that their community had grown to love. With young performers at the center of the strategy, we were able to build community and boost margins at the same time.
Results
Parents and kids felt satisfied, knowing that they had room to shine at the Children’s Theatre, and ticket sales for key productions like the Summer Show leapt up by 31%.
Video production
Midlands Gives is an annual 18-hour online giving event for Columbia-area nonprofits, a unique opportunity for organizations to make impactful appeals in a short timeframe.
To assist with fundraising, T+S built a video campaign designed to connect donors with the incredible impact of their support. At the center of the campaign was an interview series with young people of all ages, highlighting the transformative impact that the CCT community had on their lives, both as performers and people.
Results
These experiences were shared through social media and email, shattering fundraising records and raising nearly $22,000 for the Children’s Theatre in the process.
