Report to the Community 2013 | Page 22

MARKETING REPORT OVERVIEW THE 2013 MARKETING CAMPAIGN The 2013 marketing campaign reflected an extensive integrated strategy which took place from March 2013 with an ‘early release’ of five key events. The main campaign then ran from 30 July to 27 October with the main program launched on 13 August. Numerous key communication tools were utilized to reach identified target markets, enhance brand awareness, broaden audience engagement and increase box office revenue. The ‘early release’ start provided good campaign audience and sales insights but it really was the main campaign that saw the most significant ticket sales spikes. On lin eA ds 2% Cinema Ads 14 % Ads adio 5% R In a period of intense change, three new marketing agencies joined forces with the Melbourne Festival. Carat became our media agency, Reactive won a tender to partner with us as our new digital agency, with a brief to redesign the website and provide ongoing digital strategy, and FutureBrand was commissioned to create a new corporate identity for the Festival, as well as to provide the creative “look and feel” for the 2013 Festival. Each of these relationships is based on a mixture of cash and in-kind investment and is expected to last for a minimum of three years. Media partnerships are essential to the success of the Festival, extending our paid marketing reach. 14 media partnerships across a range of distribution platforms including digital, outdoors, radio and print were negotiated. For the first time, Melbourne Festival released five key productions – PUSH and 6000 miles away with Sylvie Guillem, Brief Encounter, The Crowd and Shadow King – for sale at the end of March. This strategy proved to be most successful, not only in terms of early sales, but also as a mechanism to create brand awareness and engagement six months prior to the Festival in October. In total the value of the Marketing campaign included: • $2.2 million in media value – advertising in print, online, radio, cinema, outdoor and transport advertising plus program guide/s distribution over two weeks in March for the Early Release campaign and then over a 12 week period in the direct lead up to, and during, the festival. • Multiple large format outdoor promotional signage was also utilized, for which retail space is exclusive and only offered as part of agreements with the venues housing our performances and installations. , ide Gu sters ram Po rogers & P y Fl 0% 3 ge gna s r, Siort Ad doo p Out Trans & 21% s t Ad Prin 24% 22