The second act: Cirque du Soleil had evolved from a band of rag-tag street performers into a revered brand name, but how to be truly global?

Every kid’s dream is to join the circus. Mario D’Amico joined the circus seven years ago after a career in advertising, and he’s never looked back.

“I love it! I’m not a religious person, but if there is someone to thank, I need to thank whomever. I represent a fabulous company in terms of product and sales. I can’t think of a
product out there that I’d be more happy with,” says the ebullient VP-marketing of Cirque du Soleil about his job.

D’Amico had risen to general manager of Publicis in Montreal by 1999, and he admits he was somewhat hesitant about making the move to Cirque du Soleil.

But those doubts have long since disappeared. D’Amico finds himself in the midst of an “incredibly stimulating creative environment” that makes light work of the job of selling Cirque’s shows worldwide. 

“If my boss keeps on liking me, I’ll stay in the circus forever,” says the forty-something D’Amico, referring to the founder.

That boss, Guy Laliberté, a one-time fire-eating stilt walker who entertained crowds on Montreal’s streets, built his band of rag-tag street performers into one of the world’s most revered brand names. 

On D’Amico’s watch, Cirque has grown into a global brand with high profile sponsors like Audi, BMW, Celebrity Cruises, and IBM.
He’s grown that brand from 45 to more than 85 cities and has already set his sites on China, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
He’s generated a million-member global database inclined to buy tickets, to tell friends about the experience, and to interact with the database’s offering of insider information. Marketing such a unique product would inevitably be, well, different.

 “The company is really run by the creatives, and they win most of the arguments. If the business people win too many arguments, we would become mainstream. We definitely don’t want that,” D’Amico laughs.

Cirque du Soleil is an unusual product with a brand identity of creativity and uniqueness.

It’s a circus that’s not a circus, best described as an amalgamation of dance, gymnastics, art, and theater. It’s sold in an equally unique manner. 

Creative is handled by Diesel, a small boutique agency in Montreal. Routine needs like programs and repeat ads are handled by an in-house studio.

The rest of the material is pretty much seat-of-the-pants marketing on a small scale basis with large-scale results. 

D’Amico is credited with creating a “culture of rarity” around Cirque du Soleil that makes tickets a much-valued commodity.

“We do our media deals directly,” says D’Amico. “A ticket, thankfully, is worth money, so there’s lots of old-fashioned bartering, tickets to premiers and parties that are impossible to get unless we give them to you.”

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