Selling It
So, this past Friday night, a big group of MN Orchers made our way to the Walker for the annual celebration of salesmanship and corporate artistry that is the British Television Advertisting Awards. (For those readers not from the Twin Cities: I know. Sitting and watching 90 minutes of TV ads sounds ridiculous, and not like something a major American museum should be promoting. But you'll just have to trust us. It's awesome.) I've been going to the BTAA show for several years now, and I have to say, 2009 was one of the best reels I've seen. Very few clunkers, several amazingly poignant ads, plenty of laughs...
...and then, about midway through the show, there was this, which had everyone in the theater baffled right up to the very end...
If there is a better way to market grand opera in 2009, I don't know what it would be. And if you ask me, this is exactly the kind of thing orchestras need to be doing more of. Opera companies have gotten very good in recent years at reinventing their image, making their performances seem like not-to-be-missed events, and generally making themselves seem like the cool corner of the classical music world. And that, by extension, makes orchestras the decidedly uncool corner. They're exciting, we're sleepy, they're hip and fresh, we're stuffy and tuxedoed, they're simulcasting their biggest shows live to your local movie theater, we're stuck in a mid-20th century universe pretending that the internet doesn't exist.
You might point out that it's easier for an opera company to market itself on a visual medium like YouTube than it would be for an orchestra, but I'm not buying it. The stories behind symphonic music, even non-programmatic stuff like a Shostakovich symphony, are easily as riveting as your average opera libretto. It's just a matter of finding the part of the narrative that's going to grab people, and then retelling it in a creative way and getting it out there where people can see it. It's really not rocket science, and orchestras need to get a whole lot better at embracing that sort of idea, even if it means changing some longstanding elements of our business model...
...and then, about midway through the show, there was this, which had everyone in the theater baffled right up to the very end...
If there is a better way to market grand opera in 2009, I don't know what it would be. And if you ask me, this is exactly the kind of thing orchestras need to be doing more of. Opera companies have gotten very good in recent years at reinventing their image, making their performances seem like not-to-be-missed events, and generally making themselves seem like the cool corner of the classical music world. And that, by extension, makes orchestras the decidedly uncool corner. They're exciting, we're sleepy, they're hip and fresh, we're stuffy and tuxedoed, they're simulcasting their biggest shows live to your local movie theater, we're stuck in a mid-20th century universe pretending that the internet doesn't exist.
You might point out that it's easier for an opera company to market itself on a visual medium like YouTube than it would be for an orchestra, but I'm not buying it. The stories behind symphonic music, even non-programmatic stuff like a Shostakovich symphony, are easily as riveting as your average opera libretto. It's just a matter of finding the part of the narrative that's going to grab people, and then retelling it in a creative way and getting it out there where people can see it. It's really not rocket science, and orchestras need to get a whole lot better at embracing that sort of idea, even if it means changing some longstanding elements of our business model...
Labels: marketing, opera, the business of music
posted by Sam at
9:57 AM
5 Comments:
I look forward to the BTAA every year and I'm glad to hear how good it was. I just have to hold out one more week!
Awright, you got me... that was pretty good.
That was a great ad. I would agree that marketing opera is a little easier simply because it's not just music - it's theatre. But it's not just about marketing symphony concerts more effectively; it's about making them more compelling experiences. Repertoire, presentation, threatricality. One of the big problems is the OCIS format, as you've discussed elsewhere.
But opera has another advantage: People don't go that often, so when they do, it's an event. Outside the Met, does any U.S. company do more than about 10 productions a year? And much less in most cities. OK, not many people go to all 24 of their orchestra's subscription programs, but there is more of a "week-in, week-out" aspect. It's not uncommon for people to come to a symphony concert because it's their subscription night, and they don't even know who/what is playing. How often does that happen with opera?
Another challenge, I would have to think, is with the musicians. Playing in a major orchestra sounds like a great job, but you can't be "up" for 120+ concerts a year, and chances are many musicians will be completely uninspired for some programs, due to repertoire or a conductor they don't like. Well, if the musicians don't want to be there, why should the audience?
I do think orchestras could do a much better job of having a compelling "hook" to each program. One thing I would like to see is musicians have much more involvement in programming and otherwise make them appear more invested in the presentation. A major orchestra has 100-odd highly qualified, intelligent musicians with varied interests and perspectives. They should be a huge resource for something like programming. If each concert was conceived with a greater sense of "we're doing something this week that we think is really cool...and we hope you'll feel that way, too," audiences might just feel that way.
Great ad. Brilliantly executed in so many ways. Does the job.
Thanks for posting.
Titillating, oversold, and crass. Opera to a 't' and perfectly matched to it.
Why do you want orchestras to stoop to that level?
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