The Swans Are Back

Background

The ballet Swan Lake was failing to attract the usual audience numbers, perhaps because of the lingering effects of the global financial crisis, perhaps because the average ticket price was on the high side at DKK 638 (about £71 GBP).

Target Group

25,000 users of cultural events with higher education and a high level of income were selected using the segmenting tool conzoom®private.

Campaign Goals

• Get 15% of the target group to visit the campaign site.
• Obtain e-mail permissions from 10% of the target group.
• Sell tickets to Swan Lake to 5% of the target group.

Idea

The Royal Danish Theatre stages more than 60 performances each season, from small, modern dance performances to large, classical stagings. The most efficient way to communicate the complex messages was through e-mailed newsletters so securing e-mail permissions was an important element of the campaign. In September 2010, tickets for the ballet Swan Lake had not been selling well. So The Royal Danish Theatre purchased addresses of 25,000 “twins”, who matched the theatre’s best customers, and sent them a personally addressed direct mail message. The direct mail included a letter from Nikolaj Hübbe,artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet, and four flyers that had individual functions and could also be pieced together to form a picture of the Swan Lake. Recipients were invited to visit the website, sign up for The Danish Royal Theatre’s e-mail newsletter and immediately see if they had won tickets for Swan Lake. Online the target group could also read more about the performance and get a sneak peek behind the scenes and see a movie that gave a feel for the lavish scenery, the depth of the music and which showed what a strenuous physical performance the ballet was for the dancers. To reach a broader audience, the movie was also disseminated via GoViral.

Results

• 20% of the target group visited the campaign site.
• 14.2% of the target group gave e-mail permissions and participated in the competition.
• Ticket sales were up 25% during the two campaign weeks.

For the first time in many years, this nationally renowned company is back in the contest for the Direct Marketing Award – and they cruise right in for the first place. Here are all the components required to create an outstanding campaign, and the committee of judges is particularly impressed with the creativity. The campaign Danish Post DMA Dagen Awards 2011 – Gold Winners Showcase is a delight to the eye, and the copywriting is fantastic - overall it is eminently well done at a low price.

A letter was mailed out from artistic director Nikolaj  Hübbe.

With the letter were four flyers, which, when placed together, made up one image.

Recipients were directed to a website where they could see if they had won free tickets to the show.

They could watch a movie about the incredible work that happens behind the scenes to put on a ballet like Swan Lake

They could also learn what hard work it is for the dancers.