Protecting the Shen Yun Brand

(Minghui.org) For several years now, I have observed that many patrons dress very casually when attending a Shen Yun show. I was saddened to see this because Shen Yun is so special. Last year, I noticed that more people appeared to me to be under-dressed than the previous year.

I brought this up in group study, but others did not seem to think too much of it, so I thought it must have something to do with me. I did not take the opportunity to look within to find out why, but just told myself I was making too big of a deal about it.

During Shen Yun promotions this year, our local coordinator passed on a notice from the Shen Yun office that many patrons were not dressed appropriately for the show, so we should kindly remind them of the dress code when they buy tickets.

Our area also recently ran a Shen Yun advertisement in a coupon book. The advertisement was beautiful and we sold several tickets, but I felt it was not appropriate to run a Shen Yun ad there, thinking it may damage the Shen Yun image and brand in the long run.

I brought this up with my local coordinator and got a reply that it was a regional advertisement—meaning that other states were also doing it and that some of them were able to sell a good number of tickets through this channel—so it was okay for us to do it, too.

I still felt strongly that this kind of advertisement does not match what we are trying to present–a high-end show. No other high-end brands advertise in that type of publication. Why did I feel so strongly about this?

This made me think: is the advertisement issue related to patrons not following the dress code? Is it because we get too worried about trying to do well promoting the show and selling tickets that we forget to be diligent in protecting Shen Yun's image and brand? Also, when we go out to put up posters, pass out flyers and sell tickets, do each of us look and dress professionally? When we sell tickets over the phone, do we sound courteous and professional?

I understand that when promoting the show, we try to find something that is cost-effective and reaches the people in our target range. But we should also remember to consider if this type of promotion is in line with the branding and image of Shen Yun. If it is not, I feel that we should not do it even if it may help ticket sales in the short term.

I believe that every practitioner should think of protecting Shen Yun's image and brand, and local coordinators should select appropriate venues for us to promote the show, appropriate places to run advertisements, and ensure that our ticket-selling booths are in keeping with the Shen Yun upscale brand.

How and where we promote Shen Yun affect how people view the show. If we casually participate in events that do not align with the Shen Yun brand, then we lower the show's standing.

People’s impression of Shen Yun is based on our overall presentation of the show, not just our words and actions.

We all have the responsibility to help people understand that Shen Yun is a high-end brand. When they have this understanding, they will naturally treat it as they should.