Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® The Greatest Show On Earth

The Situation

From 2001-2017, Irvin PR handled the public relations efforts for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus when it came to Columbus and other markets across Ohio. In 2017, the circus stopped touring indefinitely. When Ringling announced their return in 2023 with The Greatest Show On Earth, Irvin PR knew how important these first stops would be. The highly anticipated North American tour visited Columbus for six shows in three days with an immersive, live, family entertainment experience unlike anything audiences have ever seen, filled with incredible feats that push the limits of human potential. Irvin PR was tasked with overseeing the PR strategy.

What We Did

Our efforts were broken down into three main pieces: earned media, community relations, and influencer outreach. To ensure the excitement stretched beyond the final weeks leading up to the tour’s arrival, Irvin PR hit the ground running seven months before the show stopped in Columbus.

Community Relations
Engaging the community on both a niche and a larger scale was vital to the success of our PR strategy. We offered special ticket offers and discounts to nearly a dozen local organizations such as Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Charity Newsies, the Columbus Marathon, and several others.

Additionally, we forged a collaboration with the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland. Through their partnership, we were able to host a patch design contest with their local troops. The winner was awarded free tickets for their entire family to attend, their patch was printed and distributed to their entire troop, and they also received a behind-the-scenes tour. All local Girl Scout troops were offered a special ticket discount, and anyone who redeemed that offer also received the winning patch.

Lastly, we executed an exclusive circus skills class with local circus school, Aerotique Columbus. Aerotique offers a plethora of classes, with a large focus on aerial acts. Because of their niche, we worked with Ringling to coordinate a class visit with several of their aerialists. The artists gave small performances, did demos, helped the kids practice their skills, and inspired the students through a Q&A focused on how they could turn their hobby into a career.

Earned Media
The hook was simple: The Greatest Show On Earth is back for the first time since 2017. The challenge was making sure that the story continued to be told from the announcement through the seven months following with diverse narratives. We mined for stories, singled out the most compelling interviews, and individually pitched each of our local print, broadcast, and online outlets. Using various angles and special interviews, our team coordinated coverage during the ticket on sale, one month out, week of, and on opening day.

Influencer Outreach
Our typical influencer outreach begins in the weeks leading up to an event. In Ringling’s case, we began seven months in advance. Our goal was to spread the word from the ticket on sale, to opening night. But to do this and keep our influencers and their followers engaged, we had to keep things fresh.

Eight influencers joined our campaign in October to post about the show’s announcement in October. That number grew to 11, most of which continued for the following six months eventually posting a ticket giveaway and live from their visit at the show. Additionally, five of our influencers were selected to go on an exclusive all-expenses paid trip to see the show ahead of its arrival in Columbus, as well as get several behind-the-scenes tours. Each influencer was provided their own campaign brief outlining individual expectations depending on their level of commitment.