Celebration Under the Stars 2026 feat. The Jacksons & Boyz II Men
Strategy & Results
To increase awareness and attendance for Celebration Under the Stars, I implemented a digital marketing strategy focused on consistent social media content, short-form video, livestream promotion, and paid social advertising.
The campaign contributed to significant growth in The Lerner Theatre’s August digital performance:
49,774 social media engagements — up 215.4%
469,155 Facebook views — up 109%
One-minute video views increased 1,160%
Total video watch time increased 369%
42.8% of views came from Reels
59.2% of Facebook views came from non-followers, expanding reach beyond The Lerner’s existing audience
This increased digital activity translated into substantial website traffic. During the Celebration Under the Stars weekend, The Lerner Theatre’s website generated more than 40,000 views, compared with its typical 200–400 views during a comparable period — an increase of at least 9,900%.
Ultimately, the combined impact of the social media strategy, livestream promotion, paid advertising, and event-focused content helped drive awareness and engagement for Celebration Under the Stars, contributing to an attendance of approximately 28,000 people.
Elkhart Jazz Festival 2026
Strategy & Results
To promote Elkhart Jazz Fest 2026, I focused on building awareness through consistent Facebook content, visual event promotion, and an increased emphasis on video and Reel content. The strategy helped The Lerner reach large audiences while significantly increasing the amount of time users spent engaging with video content.
May established a strong reach foundation, generating 328,175 Facebook views. The majority of this reach came from visual content, with 45.3% of views generated by multi-photo posts and another 45% from photo posts. Importantly, 61.4% of May's views came from non-followers, demonstrating that the campaign was reaching audiences beyond The Lerner's existing social media following.
As promotional efforts continued into June, the strategy shifted toward more engaging video content. While total Facebook views decreased to 257,152, video engagement increased dramatically:
3-second video views: 24,206 — up 2,099%
1-minute video views: 595 — up 1,759%
Total watch time: 4 days, 8 hours — up 1,570%
Reels: Increased from 1.5% of views in May to 20.7% in June
59.5% of June views came from non-followers, continuing to expand awareness beyond The Lerner's existing audience
The campaign's digital reach translated into a significant real-world result, with more than 20,000 people attending Elkhart Jazz Fest over the weekend.
Overall, the Elkhart Jazz Fest campaign demonstrated a progression from building broad awareness through photo and multi-photo content to generating deeper engagement through video. The dramatic growth in video views and watch time showed that audiences were increasingly consuming the promotional content, while the event's 20,000+ attendees demonstrated the campaign's ability to support awareness and participation at a large-scale community event.