Twenty-one-year-old Ry Russell was looking to start a business when he discovered the local drive‑in theatre in Saco, Maine, was for lease. As with many drive-
ins, use of the theatre had been declining. The product was dated, but the drive‑in had a lot of meaning in the community because it had been there since 1939. It’s one of the oldest drive-
ins in the United States and, even though the revenue was declining, he thought there was an opportunity to rebrand it and get a younger audience interested.
When he’d leased the theatre, Russell decided to focus only on social media marketing and cut out all other types of advertising.
The theatre had a Facebook page with about 3,200 fans at that point. Analysis of their data showed that the average age of the fans was about 37 years old. There wasn’t anything on the page targeting younger people, so Russell set about increasing the fan base and targeting a younger audience by engaging with fans and creating a community on the Facebook page.
It was decided to reposition the theatre as a community event venue, not just a place to go to watch movies. When tickets were sold at the box office, Russell made sure to talk to people and welcome them. He also spent time walking around the theatre talking and engaging with those who were there. Facebook was a way to continue those conversations –
visitors were encouraged to like the Facebook page so they could start discussions and provide feedback on their experiences.
Russell was prepared to put the hours into developing the Facebook page – about four hours a day, in fact, interacting with fans and continuing conversations that started at the theatre. The page wasn’t used as a sales pitch, but rather as another way to build community, in line with the community event ethos. Postings included community events, and reviews on movies and even suggestions of what movies to play in forthcoming weeks were actively solicited.
One thing that really made Facebook fans feel valued was when Russell recognised them and greeted them by name when they came to the theatre. That helped to build trust with their audience, as did openly posting their prices on Facebook and letting fans know that the theatre was there to serve them. The theatre is a business, but Russell also wanted fans to be passionate about the brand and what was happening with it.
The fan base increased from 3,200 to about 9,800 fans throughout the first summer. The attempts to target a younger audience were successful – about 18 per cent of the fans are now in the 18–24 age range.
Aside from just increasing the number of fans, the personal stories from those who visited the theatre were very rewarding. A woman in her late 50s asked for recommendations on novelty ice cream when visiting the concession stand and then went on to recommend the theatre to her friends via Facebook because of the personal interaction she had.
At the end of the summer, a patron came and told Russell that he enjoys the drive‑in because it allows him to spend time with his daughter. They would go to the theatre, but sometimes just ended up talking and spending time together instead of watching the movie. He said he really appreciated having a place to connect with his daughter.
The former owner of the theatre would often bring her grandkids to see movies. She remarked that it had a much more communal atmosphere and that there were more people sitting outside and mingling at the concession stand than in prior years. It has helped to recreate the small town atmosphere at the drive‑in and redefine what going to the drive‑in meant.

Questions

1. Do you think Ry Russell was wise to abandon all advertising except that on social media, or would he have been better to adopt a more balanced portfolio?

2. What about his approach of trying to attract a younger audience, especially given that older people have more disposable income?

3. How could the theatre have improved on the data they held on customers more quickly than via the organic method they used?