Cirque Du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil is a show that “transcends cultural boundaries” and it began with street performers. In 1984, a group of street performers gathered together to perform different theatrical shows in Montreal. Starting with only 73 employees and 200,000 spectators, Cirque grew to over 2,100 employees and 6 million spectators by 2001. One of the original members of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberté, later became the President and CEO. At the beginning Cirque du Soleil only toured one show at a time, until they expanded, toured multiple times, and created permanent theaters for their shows. Cirque developed into a prominent company by creating its own niche and strategies.

In a world with many different types of shows and performances Cirque du

These strategies include developing a new market, staying a private company, being a differentiator, and diversifying. One of Cirque du Soleil’s most prominent strategies was to develop a new market because it would give them a competitive advantage and would help their group become more successful. Guy Laliberté and Daniel _____ created a new market to differentiate their company from other entertainment companies. Since they are so unique and different from any other performance industry, there is not a lot of rivalry. Cirque is constantly changing and growing at its own rate, making it difficult for competitors to enter the industry. Even though there are similar competitors such as; circus shows, theater performances, and Broadway shows, none are the same as

Cirque du Soleil was a differentiator. With the changing themes, routines, and unique combination of performances, it was almost impossible to imitate. Cirque du Soleil diversified into a few related fields such as; multimedia, merchandising, and publishing. They developed film (Alegría), permanent theaters (Walt Disney World and Montreal), and merchandising stores. The performances are exclusive and can only be seen in specific places and only with the purchase of a ticket. The exclusivity of Cirque makes it more attractive to specific customers. The Cirque du Soleil show is an experience. In the early years, Cirque du Soleil began to globalize its artists and audience. When Cirque du Soleil expanded into Los Angeles it became even better at presenting “the mystique, the branding, and the cross-cultural message” (AUTHOR). The artists are from all around the world and help bring variety to the performances. Over the years, Cirque du Soleil created a very well established brand name which helped them in the past and can help with future endeavors. Another major strategy Guy Laliberté emphasized was to stay private. The employees appreciate that the company is not public, because it would be run by investors and a board of directors, instead of by someone who knows and understands the business. Although the company grew and prospered overtime, it