7 Things You Should Know About…
Cirque du Soleil Scenario Margaret is a 30-year old working mother who juggles her fast-paced job as an executive at an advertising firm with taking care of her 10-year old son and 8 year-old daughter. When she does manage to find the time for leisure, she puts her children’s entertainment before her own, often taking them to zoos, jungle gyms, and circuses. But when it comes to her own hobbies, Margaret is a sophisticated intellectual, with heightened interests in ballet, opera, theater, and the arts. Thus, she craves a form of entertainment that addresses both her and her children’s desires. One of her children’s favorite past times is going to the circus, and so Margaret takes them to local, three-ringed ones or buys tickets for The Ringling Brothers’ shows when they are visiting her town. The centerpieces for such traditional circuses are the clowns and animals - in other words, the focus is on slapstick fun and cheap thrills that children will find more entertaining than adults. Margaret, on the other hand, values different qualities in her entertainment: a well-developed storyline, theatrical artistry, impressive set and costume design, state-of-the-art seating, etc. - in short, a complete, customer-focused event that allows patrons to undergo a full-on experience of the senses. When she learns that Cirque du Soleil’s traveling show Ovo will be in town, Margaret decides to buy tickets for herself and her kids. Familiar with Cirque du Soleil’s brand and its history of “circus reinvention”1, she is at first hesitant to
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What is it? Cirque du Soleil describes itself as “a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment.”3 Its business model, in essence, is based on merging circus with theater, with the target audience belonging to the adult age group (although many of its shows are also perfect for the whole family). It has both touring and resident shows (in Las Vegas and Orlando). Sans animals and other features of traditional three-ringed circuses, Cirque du Soleil’s shows are character-driven, employ the latest advancements in stage and prop technology, and star the best talent in contortionism, gymnastics, etc.
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Who’s doing it? Since its origins in the 1980s as The High Heels Club founded by street performer Giles Ste-Croix4, the company has enjoyed great success in markets all over the world, with earlier estimates for 2013 predicting nearly 15 million audience members. Moreover, as an example of “blue ocean”5 strategy, Cirque du Soleil has established itself as the leader in a previously undefined industry - hence, its sustained competitive advantage and little competition. However, traditional circuses - such as The Ringling Brothers have also made moves to address the adult market; other rivals include “Slava’s Snowshow”, Steve Synn’s “Le Reve”, and shows by The Canadian Cirque Eloize. The company, as its focus has always been about prioritizing the brand over the product, does not operate in a