Background

The legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, has presented its Amateur Night on Wednesday evenings for nearly 70 years. It has been the launching pad for many celebrated African-American artists ranging from Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn to Michael Jackson and Lauryn Hill. Each week Amateur Night audiences cheer for their favorite performers, who go on to compete in monthly-, quarterly-, semi-, and annual finals.

Apollo Theater Objectives

To broaden the reach of Amateur Night, to reach out to the public at large and to help select the weekly winners of Amateur Night. To generate revenue that will help the Apollo to achieve its various initiatives ranging from restoration of the building itself, to supporting “new voices”, and offering community programs in Harlem.

Verizon Wireless Objectives:

Celebrate the opening of its new store in Harlem, and integrate itself into the fabric of the local community. Engage African American consumers through association with an iconic cultural facility with an international brand and significant historic importance.

Solutions:

WAM worked with Verizon Wireless to create a text message voting initiative for Amateur Night. Each week, four finalists will be selected from the range of competitors, and their performances will be posted on the Apollo Theater website. The public will be invited to visit the website, and then text message their votes. While the program is ‘powered’ by Verizon Wireless, votes are accepted from any US-based carrier.

Results:

Verizon Wireless paid an up-front fee to be the exclusive wireless partner of Amateur Night at the Apollo. They then built the platform for the voting initiative, utilizing the services of a third-party consolidator. They promote the voting initiative through in-store POS as well as statement inserts. The Apollo Theater promotes the voting initiative through exposure in its advertising and marketing materials, on signage at the venue, and through e-mail blasts. Customers are charged $.99 per vote, and the Apollo Theater receives $.50 of that total. It is anticipated that each week will generate in the range of 10,000 votes, resulting in $5,000 in revenue for the Apollo – a total of $250,000 per year.