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Scottish Ballet: Autumn Season 2012’s Digital Campaign


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Scottish Ballet have issued some details about the Company's Green/Digital Campaign. One feature was the webcast of the 5 Tangos rehearsal that was broadcast on Wednesday. Here is more detail about the other initiatives:

  • For the first time ever, Scottish Ballet is trialling a Green Marketing Campaign, printing 80% less leaflets, posters and letters and concentrating on online marketing activity
  • In another first, Scottish Ballet is creating a digital programme instead of the usual printed programme. This has been designed and developed in collaboration with Strathclyde University’s CIS Department and will be available to download soon
  • A sequel to the hugely popular fitness video ‘Core de Ballet’ will be released on Thursday 27th August. ‘Port De Bras’ will focus on upper body and arm movements
  • New Artistic Director Christopher Hampson will introduce performances throughout the Autumn Season 2012 tour, welcoming the audience, introducing the triple bill and discussing the green campaign

Green Campaign

To promote the Autumn 2012 Season Scottish Ballet is trialling its first ever Green Marketing & Communications Campaign.

Traditionally, performing arts companies have promoted touring activity using leaflets, posters and letters. However, this autumn Scottish Ballet will advocate ‘green’ – or ‘paper free’ promotion to the best of its abilities utilising 80% less print materials compared to previous autumn campaigns and utilising online marketing activity where possible. Scottish Ballet will share the results and impact of this, its first ever Green marketing campaign, online so that other companies may also benefit.

Digital Programme

Scottish Ballet is embracing new technologies with a digital programme for the Autumn Season Tour.

Designed and built in collaboration with Strathclyde University’s CIS Department this innovative digital programme replaces the printed souvenir programme. This HTML5 built mobile application will allow readers to gain insight into the production, read exclusive articles on the pieces, scroll through an interactive timeline of the show which will highlight nuggets of information on choreography, music and set design that will enhance their enjoyment of the performance.

This revolutionary approach is one that Scottish Ballet intends to roll out, if successful, for future productions and adaptability of design has been crucial. Strathclyde University CIS Department has worked closely with the Marketing team at Scottish Ballet to create an application that is unique in content and format and is pushing the boundaries of how the audience accesses production information through digital technology. The digital programme will be available to download for free prior to the show via the Scottish Ballet website (www.scottishballet.co.uk/digitalprogramme).

Exercise Download

Following on from the success (over 5000 downloads) of Scottish Ballet’s first exercise routine - Core de Ballet, we are launching a second exercise download inspired by 5 Tangos in which gyrotonic instructor Kate Menzies works with Dancers Victor Zarallo and Brenda Lee Grech in a workout which focuses on upper body and arm movements.

Port De Bras is a progression from the first routine which was a gentle introduction to balletic exercises intended to stretch and tone, and introduces a more complex series of exercises aimed at toning the whole body. Port De Bras follows on naturally, introducing movement and centre practise to provide a fuller workout.

Scottish Ballet will launch a third routine in the New Year to compliment the first two, which will increase intensity of movement and take inspiration from the regular exercises undertaken by dancers in their daily class.

This series of downloads enables our audiences to try ballet at home, under expert guidance whilst also showcasing the fitness of our team and our dedication to digital communication.

Our digital audience has grown massively over recent years with 6437 Facebook fans, 8915 Twitter followers and 7719 newsletter recipients. Our online activity provides us with the means to communicate regularly with our audiences and provides them with insight into productions, performances, the dancers and the company in far greater detail than printed material alone.

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Whilst the sentiment is worthy, I would be sorry to see printed programmes and publicity leaflets go as I like the photographs on the shiny paper. Photographs printed off onto normal printer paper (I sometimes download and keep reviews and articles if I particularly like them) never look quite the same. The publicity leaflets produced by Sadler's Wells are particularly good. They have great photographs and concise descriptions of the ballets making up the programmes.

 

Btw, at Sadler's Wells last week a man (who was complaining about having to buy a programme) told me that in New York programmes were free as they were included in the price of the tickets. I didn't have time to ask him whether it was the cast lists that were free and to point out that they were also free at all performances in the UK, although this was more obvious at some theatres than others. Can anyone who has been to a performance in New York confirm that the programmes are indeed free, as the man said?

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Btw, at Sadler's Wells last week a man (who was complaining about having to buy a programme) told me that in New York programmes were free as they were included in the price of the tickets. I didn't have time to ask him whether it was the cast lists that were free and to point out that they were also free at all performances in the UK, although this was more obvious at some theatres than others. Can anyone who has been to a performance in New York confirm that the programmes are indeed free, as the man said?

 

In North America all house programs are free and include casting. It's always a bit of a shock for N Americans in Europe and the UK that they have to pay for a program (and since the concept of "cast list" is foreign to them, they don't know to ask for one). House programs tend to be not as nice as European ones, though, no colour pics for instance. Some companies produce full-year glossy "Souvenir programs" that you do have to pay for. These have colour pics of the dancers and some of the season rep with short descriptions, bios etc. but no in-depth articles like the ones you find in European programs.

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When we went to Hong Kong last year, the programmes for BRB were free and already laid on the seats.

 

There was also a free basic leaflet for them in Munich this year.

 

I've been to some performances of modern dance this year where there have been free leaflets rather than programmes to buy.

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Janet, do you mean that the normal BRB programmes with the navy cover, which usually cost about £5.00, were completely free? The cast sheets for ENB's Beyond Ballets Russes programmes earlier this year did have some information about the ballets. I like the photographs in ENB's programmes but there is an awful lot of advertising in them at the expense of more detailed background information about the ballets. Notwithstanding this, I always buy a programme for the information provided, even if limited, and for the photographs. SFB had a single programme for all three mixed bills which cost £4, which is cheaper than most programmes. It had quite a lot of padding but also some lovely colour photographs which are a great reminder of the performances.

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