Wilminktheater

Turning theatrical magic into profit-optimized campaigns.

Driving more profit from culture through smart automation

At a time when theaters are under pressure from declining subsidies, Wilminktheater looked for ways to achieve maximum online revenue with minimal resources. By using data-driven campaigns that automatically respond to availability, profit potential, and time until the performance, an automated approach was developed that optimizes campaigns for each individual show, with a clear focus on maximizing profit. The result is a scalable and cost-efficient method that delivers more than ever before, proving that digitalization can also be decisive in the cultural sector.

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Wilminktheater

A stage where worlds come together.

Wilminktheater and Muziekcentrum Enschede is a leading cultural institution in the eastern Netherlands. With a broad and diverse program of theatre, comedy, dance, and music performances, it plays a vital role in the cultural life of Enschede and the surrounding region. The organization combines exceptional audience experiences with strong social value and continuously strives to innovate in reaching an increasingly diverse audience.

The challenge

Remaining profitable despite declining subsidies.

Wilminktheater wanted to generate more profit from online ticket sales, aiming for significant growth while keeping marketing costs under control. Due to the unconventional revenue model of theaters, a nearly sold-out venue is not always the most profitable outcome. The business model behind each performance is unique. Artists receive a fixed fee up to a certain occupancy level and then share in the revenue beyond that point. As a result, additional ticket sales can sometimes reduce profitability rather than increase it. At the same time, ticket sales in the industry have shifted from offline to online channels. While existing systems are partly designed to support online sales, it remains essential to fully capitalize on all digital opportunities. The insights are available, but connecting them effectively to advertising campaigns is complex. That is where the real challenge lies.

The strategy

Data as the foundation for profit-driven automation through the PAX Score.

To gain control over profitability, a strategy was chosen based on a newly developed PAX score. This score combines real-time data on occupancy rate, margin per ticket, and the number of days until the performance.

The PAX score determines, for each show, how profitable further promotion can be. Based on this, individual campaigns are automatically generated through feeds in Google Ads and DV360. Budgets are dynamically allocated to the performances with the highest potential, preventing waste and maximizing return.

De strategie

In stappen.

Classificatie van vacatures

De feed voor SA360 voorbereiden met specifieke velden voor advertentiegroepen, zoekwoorden, koppen en URL's, geoptimaliseerd voor zoekvolume.

Performance based allocatie

Bepalen van benodigde sollicitanten per vacature voor gerichte budgetverdeling en campagne-inrichting.

Locatie-targeting

Vacatures richten op regio’s waar kandidaten willen werken, met automatische aanpassingen voor lokale relevantie.

On-page optimalisatie

Landingspagina's aanpassen aan gebruikerslocatie voor een gepersonaliseerde ervaring.

Full-funnel aanpak

Campagnes door de gehele funnel personaliseren, van bewustwording tot conversie, met budgetoptimalisatie.

Implementation

Automated campaigns powered directly by the theater management system.

The implementation starts by combining data from the theater’s booking system. Dedicated middleware retrieves occupancy data, ticket prices, and performance data on a daily basis. Based on this data, Channable automatically creates a separate campaign for each show. Within Google Ads, a script determines how much budget each campaign receives, depending on the PAX score. As a result, budget dynamically shifts toward the performances with the highest potential. DV360 vult het geheel aan door visibiliteit te creëren via displaycampagnes in de volledige customer journey. Kortom, hoe meer winst er te behalen valt bij een show, hoe meer advertentiebudget er wordt toegewezen. En met een aanbod van meerdere shows die wekelijks wisselen geen overbodige luxe dat dit geautomatiseerd gebeurt.

De implementatie

In stappen.

Classificatie van vacatures

Gebruik van AI om zoekwoorden te creëren die matchen met wat mensen lokaal zoeken, en deze toevoegen aan de campagne instellingen.

Locatietargeting

Acht regio's in Nederland definiëren en vacatures specifiek binnen een 40km straal van steden tonen, afgestemd op waar mensen bereid zijn te reizen.

Performance based

Voortdurend bijhouden hoeveel reacties er nodig zijn per vacature en de advertenties hierop aanpassen om zo kosten te besparen en effectiviteit te verhogen.

On-page optimalisatie

De webpagina waarop de vacature staat aanpassen aan de locatie van de bezoeker, zodat deze alleen relevante informatie ziet.

Full-funnel aanpak

Op maat gemaakte advertenties tonen die niet alleen aansluiten op de functie, maar ook op de regio van de kandidaat, door de hele marketingfunnel heen.

Resultaten

Concrete groei door AI-gedreven CRO.

De gecombineerde aanpak zorgde er niet alleen voor dat we meer impactvolle verbeteringen realiseerden, waardoor Kozijnshop.nl niet alleen omzetdoelen behaalde, maar ook dat Kozijnshop.nl zijn marktpositie heeft versterkt als een toonaangevende speler in de online markt voor houten kozijnen.

Key results

In numbers.

+42%

Website-wide growth YoY in december

+1566%

Agency costs saved

+153%

YoY growth in non-branded revenue in December

The impact

Sustainable profit growth and scalability for the cultural sector.

This approach proves that it is possible to advertise profitably in the cultural sector with a limited budget and complex conditions. Through automation and the use of live data, it not only increases return but also shifts the role of marketing teams toward strategy and direction. The case is scalable to other theaters and venues, offering a blueprint for future-proof cultural marketing. Without this innovation, profit-driven steering at show level would remain practically impossible for theaters.