Client: Dallas Summer Musicals
CREATING A MEDIA ROAR FOR THE LION KING
For the 2018 touring production of Disney’s THE LION KING (TLK), presented by Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM), Three Box and client DSM wanted to create a media splash throughout Dallas/Fort Worth that would reach audiences outside of DSM’s regular performing arts community. Equipped with our childhood nostalgia and some “Hakuna Matata,” Three Box set out to execute a media relations campaign that would generate creative and impactful coverage across North Texas.
LISTEN
An international brand like Disney combined with a historic Dallas institution like DSM set the bar high. Three Box knew the Disney magic needed to flow from The Music Hall at Fair Park to the rest of North Texas in ways that were unique and memorable for audiences of all ages. The team put our heads together to think of lively, shareable media moments and then developed a plan to secure coverage in specifically targeted outlets that would reach different audience groups throughout the Metroplex.
BUILD
Three Box started by collaborating with another local non-profit organization, The Dallas Zoo, on a targeted promotion and interactive media segment with WFAA-TV’s “Good Morning Texas” to showcase some of the unique African animals featured in TLK, which created a memorable media moment that simultaneously leveraged the Zoo’s built-in audience of diverse patrons. In order to maximize available time and interview resources for other media opportunities, we organized a press round robin event so multiple niche outlets and broadcast stations could capture backstage visuals and interview several cast and creative team members during the same time period. Finally, Three Box invited a variety of local media contacts and influencers to press night for TLK, to generate organic reviews across print, broadcast and online outlets, as well as social media.
IMPACT
Our targeted media outreach and round robin event paid off, with TLK receiving in-depth and unique coverage in dozens of local outlets, earning 196 total media mentions (an 880 percent increase from the show’s last Dallas run in 2013) and more than 16 million impressions. Other results included:
An interactive media segment with The Dallas Zoo on WFAA-TV's "Good Morning Texas"
Coverage in The Dallas Morning News, KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, KUVN-TV, KDAF-TV, CultureMap Dallas, Modern Luxury, Al Dia Dallas, Broadway World, North Dallas Gazette, Texas Jewish Post and Dallas Voice
Instagram posts from radio personality Kellie Rasberry (189k followers) of The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show and her husband, podcast host Allen Evans (44k followers), using the show’s hashtag and geotag; Kellie also mentioned TLK in three separate 10-second radio clips on the nationally syndicated morning show
A domination of share of media voice by more than 50 percent when compared to other plays and musicals running in Dallas/Fort Worth during the same time period
64 percent positive sentiment (a 45 percent increase from the 2013 run)
Disney and DSM grossed more than $7.7 million in ticket sales, surpassing their original goal of $6.9 million