Problem:
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Young people are not attending the symphony. The average age of the audience at the New York Philharmonic Symphony is 57, and only 4% of attendees are younger than 40. This is a trend for symphonies across the country.
Ask:
Create a campaign that helps symphonies sustain themselves with the next generation.
Methodology:
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We attended the Richmond Symphony, did 1:1 interviews with individuals who had a background in music as well as those who had no music background, and did secondary research.
Findings:
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People are listening to more music than ever. The average person listened to 20.7 hours and ten different genres of music per week in 2023. 66% of Gen Z say that music is more than just entertainment, it impacts their overall well-being.
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However, we found that younger generations have less of a connection to classical forms of music than older generations. This loss of connection can be attributed to a decrease in young people's exposure to the arts over the past 30 years. This is because an arts education makes people twice as likely to engage with the arts.
“I took piano lessons starting at age 5. I would primarily listen to classical music and classical piano music when I was a kid because I related to the music so much. I kept my interest in classical music throughout my adult life and I’ve been to a lot of classical performances and really enjoy it." -Jim, 34
Insight :
People don't connect with what they don't know.
Opportunity:
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Utilize the influence beloved modern musicians have on younger generations.
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Strategy:
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Use the passion modern musicians have for classical music to get young people into the symphony.
Campaign: Your favorite musician's favorite musicians.
The campaign will be funded by The Recording Academy, a non-profit that works to cultivate the well-being of the music community and ensures that music remains a part of our culture.
Communications Plan:
Past: The Success Stories - tell the stories of modern popular artists that have a foundation or known appreciation for classical music
Present: The Symphonies - draw attention and attendance to existing symphonies in the United States, utilizing associations with successful musicians in more popular genres
Future: The Students - provide the youth with exposure and greater access to music education
Past - The Success Stories
Manifesto Video
Digital Banner Ads
Connect modern day musicians to classical performers and bring awareness to the campaign.
Spotify
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Ads will stream on Spotify to bring awareness to the campaign, further connecting listeners’ favorite musicians to the sounds of the symphony. In-between songs, an audio ad will play a symphonic cover of a well-known song by an artist that the user has recently listened to.
Billboards on the way to Coachella will reveal the headliners’ connection to the sounds of the symphony, building buzz for the symphony during a highly promoted event. 250,000 festival goers and music lovers will see the billboards as they travel to the festival grounds.
Present - The Symphonies
Elevator Music
String musicians from the symphony will play popular music in the elevator of prominent buildings in locations like the Central Park Tower, Wilshire Tower, and Salesforce Tower to promote the symphony season.
Quartet Pop-Ups
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Quartets will take the performance out of the traditional concert hall and meet people where they are in high-traffic areas around the city.
Social Push for Symphony Ticket Sales
Social posts will call on people to buy tickets to the upcoming symphony season.
Future - The Students
Social Mini Briefs
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Music influencers, who have established trust with a younger audience, will be given mini briefs to guide them in creating symphony related content on TikTok, Instagram, and podcasts.
Genre of Music Tastemakers: The Historians
Prompt: Explain how (major symphonic composer) has impacted the rap genre.
Genre of Music Tastemakers: The Curators + Creators
Prompt: Create a new track based on (known
classical song).
Instrument Identification
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This TikTok filter will test people to see how well they know their favorite pop songs while teaching them the sounds of different instruments. Users will guess which instrument is being played in a trending song.
Why this will work:
When The Queen's Gambit show premiered in 2020, it was a phenomenon. It got the younger generation playing the game again. 62 million households watched the show in the first month, and sales of chess sets went up 87%.
Solange composed an original score for a collaboration with the New York City Ballet. The collaboration was so successful they had to create a virtual waiting room for ticket buyers. 73% of people purchasing tickets were first-time ballet attendees.
Broadway has had an average attendee age of 40 for the past two decades. This younger turnout can be credited to culturally relevant shows like Frozen, Mean Girls, and Hamilton that feel relatable to a younger audience.
My Role:
1:1 Interviews
Attended the Symphony
Communications Plan
Creative Concepting
Desk Research
Influencer Research