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Exhibiting magazineIntroduction
Exhibiting magazine’s James Barrett looked at how Sky Arts took opera to the masses as part of a brand awareness campaign.
A new partnership came to life when television entertainment channel Sky Arts decided to take its brand of high-end programming to the masses. The channel formed an alliance with national opera house Glyndebourne for the first time, to host a live event that delivered an operatic performance to an interested audience.
Event strategy
Working with experiential marketing agency Sense, Sky Arts hit upon hosting a live outdoor screening of L’elisir d’amore at Grosvenor Park in Chester. The aim of the screening was to expand the Sky Arts brand and raise awareness of its support of the arts industry, making it accessible to all via a memorable brand experience.
Audience at Sky Arts ShowAn audience capacity of 1,000 was set and it was made an all-ticket affair, giving a further taste of exclusivity to proceedings.
To start spreading the word, a selection of media channels were chosen. The Saturday Times Culture supplement and radio stations Classic FM and Smooth FM promoted the event on a national scale. Local newspapers and radio stations and Chester Council and local businesses were bought onboard to further spread the word to the community.
As the public applied for tickets, those successful were given a special code that allowed them access to a Sky Arts Live website. There, they punched in their details and tickets were posted out.
“Sense introduced the website as a way to gather data and to offer the participant something that felt exclusive,” says Garrod. Sky Arts senior marketing manager, Alyssa Bonic adds: “The bespoke website proved a great way to interact with attendees before and after the event.”
It was felt the event should have premium features that would be associated with a high-end activity such as opera. Giveaway bags were handed out, which included promotional Sky and Glyndebourne CDs, postcards, a notebook and pen and a hardback Sky and the Arts book. Italian caterer Carluccio’s provided luxury food hampers.
The opportunity to push home the Sky Arts brand wasn’t undertaken lightly. The tickets, event site branding, signage and programmes were all decked out primarily in the black, yellow and pink colours of the Sky Arts brand. It was estimated that 80 per cent of the fixed budget was used on this creative. That also included the quality TV screen and sound.
The only thing Sky couldn’t control was the actual sky above. “Typically, the heavens did open 10 minutes before the live screening,” says Garrod. However, not missing a trick, staff were on hand to offer Sky branded ponchos and umbrellas to the crowd.
Seating at Sky Arts Event“The on-site personnel were briefed face-to-face three hours before the event started. This consolidated the online training each received via briefing manuals and event information,” says Bonic, who adds that each team member was assigned to roles that played to individual strengths.
Opera singer Alfie Boe opened the event, where just under 800 people settled down in front of a 10m by 10m HD ready television and viewed the live Glyndebourne performance of L’elisir d’amore in the returning sunshine.
Ending on a high note
Once the last note was sung, Sky Arts and Sense went about collating the results. They talked to some people as they left the event, and followed up with an e-mail questionnaire.
Garrod adds: “Within the short time frame we had, the event delivered an engaging brand experience. Consumers with limited exposure to the arts were provided with a memorable evening, resulting in a positive shift in perception towards Sky and the arts.” Judging by the results, it seems that the only melodrama at Grosvenor Park was seen on the Glynebourne stage.
Click here to read the full case study.
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