Season launches are boring… but they don’t have to be
It’s that time of year again. Orchestras, opera houses, venues, and concert seasons are launching their seasons for next year. This is probably the closest we’ve been to “normal” season launches since the pandemic. And yet despite what should be the most exciting and interesting thing these organisations announce all year, I’m struck with just how boring, formulaic, an unoriginal they all are.
After chatting about this on Twitter and the frustrations of seeing the same boring tropes as the last 20 years, it got me thinking… is there a better way to launch a season and if so, what would it look like?
In this blog we’re going to be looking at 4 things:
What makes season launches so boring?
Where can we look for inspiration for doing things differently?
What can we learn from this inspiration?
What a different approach to season launch could look like?
So, what makes season launches so boring and bland? As most audience members can’t attend launch events and the pandemic has seen them get abandoned by most organisations, so announcing the season online has become more important than ever.
And yet 99% of season announcements use the same format. It’s like all organisations get to this time of the year, open up the same shared template they’ve all been using for the last 20 years, copy and paste, and then fill in the blanks. Does this look familiar?
“We’re really excited to announce our [insert year] season!
Priority booking is now available to our Friends. Find out how you can become a friend on our website
Browse our season here: [link]
General sale opens on [insert date]
[use really boring slide show video that lists some concerts – text only, no talking]”
This format fails to say anything about why it’s exciting, there isn’t a clear voice or brand, it doesn’t show the musicians or why they’re excited, it totally fails to include the audience, and you certainly don’t feel anything after seeing it. What should be the most exciting announcement of the year turns into really bland piece of content with an ineffectual and pointless call to action to get people to sign up to the friend scheme. It creates zero buzz and is easy to ignore.
The vast majority of classical music organisations across the world do this year after year, so I was spoilt for choice when finding examples. But I’ve decided to show two of my favourite orchestras, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, because they share some similarities that create challenges for them, and this shows the need for doing things differently.
Both the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra announced their season on the same day at exactly the same time, they’re based in the same city, they’re both resident orchestras at the same venue (the Southbank Centre), and they have similar-ish names that has caused confusion in the past. With these challenges it’s really important for them to have clear and distinct season announcements. So, how did they do it?
You’d be forgiven for thinking that these announcements were written by the same person.
Are you excited after seeing this? Do you feel a connection? Do you think they’re different in anyway?
Both lack a clear voice to distinguish themselves from each other, any sense of what makes it exciting or unique, anything about the musicians, a graphic that brings any value, and you certainly don’t feel anything after reading it.
With this flawed approach being the industry norm, is there somewhere we can look for inspiration?
The Tech world is reliant on create buzz around product launches to generate sale. Prior to the pandemic, product launches were large in person events, inviting journalists, industry leaders, and the public to attend and try out the latest gear. The pandemic has caused this to permanently change, moving to online and create large scale digital announcement events to launch their products. This approach means they can now reach a global audience.
There are plenty of examples of great launch events, like Samsung and Huawei, but there is one company that is a mile ahead of the rest that can act as great inspiration for classical music organisations… Apple.
Since the pandemic began, the Apple Event has become gigantic. It dominates social media trends in the run up, the event itself, and the weeks afterwards. The way the event is set up and created significantly helps to generate buzz, builds connections, tell a story, and communicates a clear identity.
The Apple Event now happens multiple times a year, but here is one as a great example of what they do best if you have a spare 1 hour (I’d advise skim watching).
If you don’t have a spare 1 hour, here are my takeaways of what makes it amazing
Story first approach
Putting the customer/audience at the centre of the story
Showing customers participating and using products to build connections
Clear voice and identity
Multiple presenters who all have different roles in the organisation, talking about their specialism – always a person, never the voice of the corporation
Multiple locations, showing behind the scenes of the organisation
Bringing in external industry users to talk about their experience to build connections
Showing celebrities using the products
Makes you feel something – shows how you would feel if you used their products
Visually stunning
The majority of these takeaways focus on the audience/customer, putting them at the centre of the story and using people to build connections.
The result? A launch that is engaging and entertaining that builds strong connections with their audience/customers. Whether you like Apple or not, it’s hard not to feel something after watching it.
It’s also totally unique and clearly identifiable as Apple. If you tuned in halfway through, didn’t know what you were watching, or see any of the products, you would know it was Apple in 10 seconds.
The success of Apple Events is much more than just the event itself. Apple are masters at building a sense of intrigue, drip feeding small clues as to what’s happening in the event. The team release teasers in advance that give the theme of the event. These teasers are always from individuals at Apple, and rarely the corporate account (again, always the voice of a person, never the corporation).
During the event itself there are plenty of ways for audiences to engage. #AppleEvent dominates social media and this isn’t by accident. On Twitter, each Apple Event has its own unique “hashflag” and animation for when you hit the like button, getting people engaging.
If it was all about the money, wouldn’t Samsung and Huawei’s events be just as good? What separates Apple is the thought that is put into the events. Revisiting my takeaways of the Apple Event and what makes it so good, most of them are totally free. In fact, the only ones where cost is a limiting factor are “visually”, using “hashflags”, and maybe “showing celebrities using products”. Everything else is achievable with just a little thought and care.
So, what could this approach look like for a season launch?
First, move the launch to be a digital show, rather than just an announcement. This gives chance for anyone to attend, engage, and share. It also creates and opportunity to be totally creative with what is then produced.
Then, include musicians talking directly to the view. What excites them about the music and why do they think the audience would enjoy it? What do they hope the audience will get out of coming to the concerts? You can then hear from audience members themselves! Show them at concerts, talk to them about what makes coming so special and what they’re excited for coming up. All of this is to make the viewer the protagonist in their own story and let them picture themselves at a concert.
Like Apple showing celebrities using products, then hear from the visiting musicians. And not a 10 second stock clip of them performing somewhere else, but a video message talking directly to the audience, building a connection before they come and perform. You can then have local figures and celebrities who love the music.
All of this can be done at multiple locations. Although I love this being behind the scenes of a concert hall, as most orchestras/opera houses/festivals are tied to a location, why not use this as a chance to get out and show the place! Local landmarks, favourite spots of the musicians, all to connect the audience to you. You could even have a segment in location at an education project that the organisation runs.
In teasing the launch, have musicians, artists, and individuals tease the event and not just the company Twitter account. Everyone in the organisation is in this together and individuals are able to build connections much more than companies.
During the event itself, encourage viewers to engage with the event, use a hashtag and empower them to share it. Then go a step further and have journalists and influencers engage in real time to share their views and spread the message even further through their networks.
For me, there is so much potential and so many creative ways to make season launches exciting. With such incredible music and fascinating musicians at the heart of it, they really don’t have to be boring.
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