ABOUT

I felt, as a new startup in the comedy industry, StraightUp's target audience should be younger comedy enthusiasts who would be more willing to peel off from mainstream comedy in search of something new. I identified through some on-the-ground market research that potential audience members were unwilling to take a risk on live comedy performed by lesser known acts, when there was a glut of Television comedy which one can simply switch off. Members of the public identified the over-saturation of the comedy scene with budding comedians which gave rise to unease as to whether lineups of unknown acts were curated at all. My idea was to broadcast the fact that StraightUp Productions had a sense of humour of its own which informed its curation of live comedy events. This, without the budget for A-list comedians to supply a comedy connection between the event and the customer, was essential.

My idea was to frame the company as a band of whippersnappers, (whipper)snapping at the heels of the live comedy giants with pluck and irreverence. The company website was the starting point for this. A self-deprecating and acid-tongued tone of voice was central to suggesting that we care just as much about how funny the acts are as the audience, that we know full well how dismal sitting through substandard comedy is.

What this tone of voice ultimately gave rise to was an excellent relationship with our customer base, who felt comfortable giving valuable feedback when we conducted audience surveys and felt personally invited to follow our journey on all social media channels.