As recently as 20 years ago, circuses came to town with tents, animals, clowns, and other performers. An advance man arrived about two weeks before the circus actually arrived, covered the community with posters, and gave out free tickets to schoolchildren. If the advance man had done a good job, when the circus arrived and opened its tent doors, 300 to 600 people would fill its seats. When the largest circus organizations merged, the newly formed Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth began performing in 4,000-seat arenas. Attendance, however, has stagnated in recent years. People have stopped going to the circus because they miss the circus tent and the intimate atmosphere it created. The newest trend in circuses is a return to the tent atmosphere with an emphasis on the types of entertainment that were popular years ago. Antique circus wagons, calliope music, and cotton candy are replacing the exotic animals and the prima donna performers. To satisfy the needs of this new audience, the tent circus now sells lattes and wine.Refer to Circuses. The circus's goal of redesigning the circus experience is being completed through the coordination of many marketing activities, such as value pricing, a product that includes exciting performances, tent venue locations, and promotion. These activities make up the _____ for the circuses.
