Marketing Manager

Steppenwolf Theatre Company

The Steppenwolf ensemble first began performing in the mid-1970s in the basement of a Highland Park, IL church, the ambitious brainchild of three high school and college friends: Jeff Perry, Terry Kinney and Gary Sinise. Fast forward 40 years and the Steppenwolf Theatre Company has become the nation’s premier ensemble theater—redefining the landscape of acting and performance. The ensemble has grown to 49 members who represent a remarkable generation of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions from Balm in Gilead and Grapes of Wrath to August: Osage County—and accolades that included the National Medal of Arts and twelve Tony® Awards—have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf’s artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theater, whose vitality is defined by its sharp appetite for groundbreaking, innovative work.

Steppenwolf operates as a not-for-profit organization relying on community support to produce or presents up to 16 plays and nearly 700 performances, readings and other events every year on our three stages. The theater’s artistic and educational programs draw a multi-generational audience of nearly 200,000 from the greater metropolitan Chicago area, while our impact reaches well beyond this region with productions that tour nationally and internationally.

https://www.steppenwolf.org


Position Details

Marketing Manager
Job
Full-time
10/5/2018
Chicago Illinois
Chicago, IL

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is seeking candidates for the full-time position of Marketing Manager. This position requires a minimum of 3 years of experience in a performing arts organization, or comparable experience. The ideal candidate will have a background in: a) subscription and single ticket marketing; b) sales reporting and analysis; and c) Tessitura or a similar ticketing/CRM system. With over 15,000 Subscribers and various package types from traditional subscription packages (Steppenwolf “classic membership”) to Flexible memberships (“Black Card” and “RED”), this position drives conversation about the evolution of Steppenwolf’s Subscription offerings and package alternatives and executes our year-round membership campaigns. The Marketing Manager leads our data reporting & analysis for sales and audience trends and acts as the Marketing Department Tessitura “expert” staying on top of industry trends, identifying new opportunities for use of the CRM, and arranging internal trainings as needed. Experience with JCA’s Revenue Management Application (RMA) a plus. The Marketing Manager reports to the Senior Marketing Director, supervises the efforts of a Marketing Apprentice, and co-supervises the Audience Outreach Sales Manager.

Primary Areas of Responsibility:

Tessitura

  • Build extractions & lists for segmented and targeted patron communications 
  • Pull patron analytics 
  • Serve on the internal cross-departmental Tessitura task force and coordinate with database administrator to capitalize on customization opportunities

Reporting & Analysis

  • Track and disseminate accurate and up-to-date attendance and ticket sales data. Current reports include daily sales emails, weekly cumulative sales emails, attendance reports, sales curves, etc. 
  • Provide analysis and recommendations on revenue goals, sales benchmarks, and forecasting 
  • Provide analysis on institutional trends & initiatives (includes patron retention, ROI, demographic research, etc.) and assist other departments on reporting needs; support web, email and e-commerce analysis as needed 
  • Active member of an internal pricing and inventory management team, currently working with JCA Arts marketing 
  • Assist on research projects (examples include our currently Black Card and Gen-X research as part of The Wallace Foundation’s Building Audiences for Sustainability Initiative)

Membership Campaign Promotion Strategy & Execution

  • Coordinate, plan and execute year-round marketing campaigns for all areas of subscription/membership (acquisition, renewal, flex, etc.) 
  • Develop multi-channel messaging, including copywriting and content direction for direct mailers, emails, website, events, audience services talking points, etc. 
  • Drive conversation and innovation around the evolution of Steppenwolf’s multi-play packages and patron loyalty programs 
  • Active planning member of the annual Season Preview event and other member events 
  • Point-person with external consultant Elliott Marketing and close collaborator with members of the Audience Services team in developing and executing member communications 
  • Audience Outreach (call center): co-supervise the Audience Outreach Sales Manager, guiding call-center strategy for membership campaigns. (The call center’s work supports both development and marketing; this position co-supervises with a member of the development department staff)

Single Ticket and other Campaign Management

  • Coordinate, plan and execute marketing campaigns for 2-3 Main Series productions each season. Monitor sales and execute efforts to fill houses and meet single ticket revenue goals. Develop multi-channel messaging, including copywriting and content direction for direct mailers, emails, website, events, audience services talking points, etc. 
  • Coordinate, plan and execute the marketing campaign for annual Holiday Night Out Gift Card package

Direct Mail

  • Strategies List trade management and list research 
  • Research and analysis on response from individual segments, ROI, etc.

Other

  • Hiring and supervision of marketing apprentice and summer marketing intern 
  • This position provides general support to the department on an ongoing basis. That assistance may include assisting on departmental archives; scheduling meetings; and other assigned tasks as needed.

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:

  • Minimum of 3 years’ experience in marketing at a professional performing arts institution, or equivalent experience. 
  • Experience with Tessitura, T-Stats, and JCA’s Revenue Management Application (RMA) a plus. 
  • Accuracy in maintaining data records and managing data efficiently. 
  • A polished and professional approach in presenting sales and campaign information. 
  • Familiarity with subscription package promotion and industry trends. 
  • A high degree of initiative, confidence and energy to achieve or exceed goals, meet deadlines and manage multiple projects with ease.

Compensation:

Salary range: $40,000 - $45,000 with excellent benefit package for full time employees, including medical, dental, vision insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, vacation pay, paid sick time, personal days, pre-tax Ventra transit benefit program, employee assistance program and 401(k) matching retirement program.



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