SAM STARRATT

ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING CAMPAIGN

CATS: The JellicleBall

Repositioning a Broadway classic through audience insight, cultural relevance, and integrated campaign strategy.

Dip for Dip moment from Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with the campaign signage centered in the ballroom finale
Credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

THE PROJECT

Independent academic campaign proposal.

ROLE
Audience Strategy | Positioning | Campaign Strategy | Measurement
OBJECTIVE
Shift audience perception from a traditional Broadway revival to a culturally relevant theatrical experience.
APPROACH
Research Audience Strategy Positioning Campaign Execution Measurement

THE CHALLENGE

CATS had strong recognition, but familiarity did not equal cultural relevance among new theatre audiences.

Challenge board: CATS had awareness; the challenge was changing perception through a Ballroom-culture strategic shift while retaining core brand equity.

AUDIENCE STRATEGY

Three audiences. Three reasons to care.

The strategy began with the community closest to Ballroom culture, then expanded outward to broader theatre audiences.

  1. Ballroom & drag community

    Closest to the cultural community that shaped the production's foundation.

    Primary

  2. Gen Z & millennial
    theatre fans

    A new entry point for audiences who know Broadway but do not see classic CATS as relevant.

    Younger audiences already represent a meaningful part of Broadway attendance, including 1.9 million admissions from ages 18 to 24 during the 2024–2025 season.

    Source: The Broadway League, The Demographics of the Broadway Audience 2024–2025

    Secondary · Discovery

  3. Legacy CATS fans

    A familiar title reframed through a contemporary cultural lens.

    Secondary · Reconsideration
Cast ensemble in Cats: The Jellicle Ball ballroom finale
Credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

CULTURAL INSIGHT

Ballroom is the
cultural bridge,
not a costume.

CATS and Ballroom share themes of community, self-expression, transformation, memory, and legacy.

Source: Kuftinec & Pretty, Studies in Musical Theatre, 2025

Ballroom was not added as a visual trend. Ballroom artists helped shape how the characters, choreography, categories, and cultural world of the production were reinterpreted.

Sources: Kuftinec & Pretty, 2025; Vogue interview with Omari Wiles

Cast ensemble of Cats: The Jellicle Ball posed on stage in ballroom-inspired costumes
Credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

POSITIONING

Broadway Meets
Ballroom

Positioning admission ticket: Broadway Meets Ballroom — Admit One for Broadway, Ballroom, and Runway

Broadway in the score. Ballroom at the core.

A familiar Broadway story reintroduced through the culture, energy, and participation of Ballroom.

CAMPAIGN IDEA

ENTER THE BALL

The Ball Starts Before the Curtain.

The campaign transforms theatre attendance into a participatory cultural experience that begins before the performance.

Participation, not passive viewing.

  1. Invite

    Ballroom creator partnerships

  2. Dress

    Category inspired looks

  3. React

    Cast-led runway reveal clips

  4. Share

    UGC reposts

CAMPAIGN IN ACTION

Turning strategy into audience participation.

Five ways the positioning moves into culture, content, and live experience.

  1. Launch

    AUTHENTICITY

    Build awareness and establish credibility.

    Introduce the Ball as culture, not costume.

  2. Channels

    DISCOVERY

    Reach audiences where they already engage.

    Give each channel a specific role.

    Broadway audiences use social and digital channels as part of theatre discovery, with Instagram among the leading sources of theatre information.

    Source: The Broadway League, The Demographics of the Broadway Audience 2024–2025

  3. Content Engine

    PARTICIPATION

    Give audiences ways to respond, remix, and share.

    One idea becomes repeatable content.

    ENTER THE BALL

    Four content pillars that turn the idea into a repeatable content system.

    • PERFORMANCE

      FROM CHARACTER TO CATEGORY

      Characters connect to Ballroom categories and performance styles.

      CLIPS · REHEARSALS · CHOREOGRAPHY

    • FASHION

      THE REVEAL

      Costume details build anticipation

      GRWMS · COSTUME REVEALS · LOOK BREAKDOWNS

    • CULTURE + CONTEXT

      THE CATEGORY IS...

      Collaborators explain the language and history

      EXPLAINERS · FEATURES · EDUCATION

    • SOCIAL PROOF

      ONE WORD FOR THE BALL

      Reactions turn live energy into social proof

      REACTIONS · TESTIMONIALS · REPOSTS

  4. Live Experience

    IMMERSION

    Create a path from digital discovery to the theatre.

    1. DIGITAL DISCOVERY

    2. EVENT ARRIVAL

    3. LIVE PARTICIPATION

    4. POST-SHOW ADVOCACY

      Audience reaction posts, show recommendations, UGC sharing, and digital word-of-mouth referral.

  5. Partners

    CREDIBILITY

    Partner with Ballroom, drag, theatre, and fashion voices.

    Cultural creators bring context and reach.

MEASUREMENT

How campaign effectiveness would be measured.

  1. 01

    Awareness

    Expand campaign reach

    • Social reach
    • Creator impressions

  2. 02

    Perception

    Test whether the repositioning worked

    • Audience perception
    • Association with Ballroom and contemporary culture

  3. 03

    Engagement

    Measure active participation

    • UGC / audience content
    • Shares and comments
    • Hashtag participation
    • Live audience participation

  4. 04

    Conversion

    Track movement toward attendance

    • Email signups
    • Ticket-page visits / referral traffic
    • Ticket sales

PROJECT TAKEAWAY

The project shows how cultural insight can help a familiar title reach new audiences without losing its identity.

Created for MKTG 3800: Entertainment Marketing. Not produced or affiliated with the production.

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Sources (7)Broadway League, Studies in Musical Theatre, Vogue & more

Where this came from.

  1. Kuftinec, Sonja, and Jess Pretty. “Throwing a ball: Witnessing the queer afterlife of Cats.” Studies in Musical Theatre, 2025.
  2. The Broadway League. The Demographics of the Broadway Audience 2024–2025.
  3. Vogue interview with Omari Wiles.
  4. Official CATS: The Jellicle Ball production and creative-team materials.
  5. New York Magazine. “Not Your Mother’s Cats.”
  6. The Hollywood Reporter. “Cats Has Never Been This Cool.”
  7. WWD feature on Qween Jean and the production’s costume design.