Adverts and Dance/Ballet

[zxDaveM]

after the car ads featuring Tamara Rojo (et al), I notice a few more ads now featuring dancing (or 'balletic movement'), Saw a toothpaste one and one for a vacuum cleaner this evening. Ballet now vogue?

[zxDaveM]

add a deodorant ad as well. They're coming thick and fast!

[alison]

Well, I can see the point for a vacuum cleaner, I suppose (a riff on Ashton's Cinderella with the broom, perhaps?)

 

And don't forget the Bailey's one last Christmas.

[Terpsichore]

Advertising, endorsement and merchandising are the only way to get new money into ballet. Other performing art forms and sports have done it for years. Companies, theatres and dancers have been behind the curve in this country but this is changing.

 

I have written several articles on the topic and am planning a seminar on the legal issues relating to those revenue streams.

[Fonty]

I like the Rojo advert, but I don't think I have seen any of the others. 

 

And now, here is a question for you.   Can you name the car in the Rojo advert? (Without looking it up...)

 

Because in spite of the fact that I must see it at least 3 times a week, all I can remember is that the car is a light grey/silver colour!  However, I can tell you all the moves the dancer makes. 

[Anna C]

Hmmm, I *think* it's a Lexus?? No idea what model.

 

To be fair I've only ever seen it once, whereas I've seen the Vax and deodorant ones several times.

[2dancersmum]

It was a Lexus -yes - I don't know cars but one of DDs friends was a dancer in this campaign - it was the TV advert and poster/billboards and they used 4 or 5 girls altogether for the photo shoots - though not the TV advert itself obviously.

[Terpsichore]

Yesterday I remarked that advertising, endorsement, merchandising and sponsorship are the only ways to get new money into ballet and indeed all the performing arts. That is because there is a limit to the amount of money the public will pay for the arts whether as theatre goers or indeed tax payers.

 

Universities have a similar problem in that they can raise only so much by fees and grants from central and local government.   One of the ways in which they get additional funding is by licensing technologies that have been developed in their laboratories and by using their researchers as consultants.

 

Recently I came across a similar initiative by the Royal Opera House in Thurrock known as "Culture Change". This is a business support programme for small and medium enterprises in the East of England in the cultural and creative industries.   It consists of conferences, workshops and consultancy.   It appears to be funded largely by the European Regional Development Fund but it is supplying services that are readily marketable.

 

I think the Royal Opera House should be applauded for this initiative. It benefits us as theatre goers in several ways.  First, it is a revenue source which mitigates the pressure to raise ticket prices. Secondly, the expertise that is being offered to other SME has been developed in the workshops where the sets for the ballets and operas that we enjoy are being constructed.  Thirdly, it provides  number of indirect benefits to us as consumers and taxpayers.

[mimi66]

It was a Lexus -yes - I don't know cars but one of DDs friends was a dancer in this campaign - it was the TV advert and poster/billboards and they used 4 or 5 girls altogether for the photo shoots - though not the TV advert itself obviously.

 

I noticed that car companies - especially for their higher end of products - seem to like using ballet for their ads campaign, though not necessarily TV adverts.  I guess in the marketing world, ballet equates exclusivity, class and quality...

 

Darcey Bussell pirouetted a few times for the new product launch campaign for BMW, although these were not  tv adverts.

 

Interestingly, Polo (Volkswagen) chose tango - sort of modern,street tango (not ballroom) - for their TV ads.  More street cred?

[mimi66]

just another musing.  Just wondering why we don't see more of ballet TV ads is down to the quality control (of the performance) and therefore the costs?

 

My guess -  A lot of effort,thoughts and skill goes into filming dance performance, particularly taken out of the context of theatre performance, if the end product is to be of acceptable standard. I can see why professional dancers (and the ballet campanies) are bit shy of doing tv ads unless they have a considerable degree of control over the finished products.

[zxDaveM]

well, the Lexus ones , inc the program/channel 'idents', are all superb! Tamara in slow mo looks fabulous. Also recognised Shiori Kase - and i'm sure the experts among us could fill in a few more names.

The other ads I mentioned above just have a fleeting glimpse of someone vaguely en pointe, so its not that exciting. Just seem to be more ads with dancers in of late, so was wondering if this a trend starting, or dare i say it, ballet becoming 'cool'? Mind you, apart from the cars, the products they are advertsing aren't exactly trend setting or high end desirable!

[Nina G.]

Not an advert but product endorsement 

 

http://uk.loccitane.com/the-royal-ballet,83,1,59287,558752.htm

[Anna C]

Here's another one which has just popped up on my Facebook page via ENB:

 

[Jan McNulty]

Here is the link for the car add:

 

http://www.tvadmusic.co.uk/2013/09/lexus-is-poise/

[Ian Macmillan]

Spanner:  And ENB have just pushed that ad via Twitter as the dancer is Jennie Harrington, one of theirs.  Although the Company is not specifically mentioned, it seems that Ms Rojo continues to have no fears about maximising its commercial clout - very much in line with the points Terpsichore has been making, above.

[Ian Macmillan]

And I've just found another innovative fundraising venture initiated by Ballet in Cleveland that sounds OK, and might just taste OK:

 

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/05/ballet_in_cleveland_uses_wine.html

 

Cheers!

[Terpsichore]

....................................... guess in the marketing world, ballet equates exclusivity, class and quality...

 

......................................

 

Possibly but perhaps also precision, accuracy and reliability in the hope that that is how the public regard their engineering.

 

 

just another musing.  Just wondering why we don't see more of ballet TV ads is down to the quality control (of the performance) and therefore the costs?

 

...................................................

 

I think you could be right.

 

Not an advert but product endorsement 

 

http://uk.loccitane.com/the-royal-ballet,83,1,59287,558752.htm

 

A good example of what companies have to do nowadays.   So too are the examples found by Spannerandpont and Ian Macmillan.

 

However, ballet is still a long way behind other art forms in the entertainment industry.  I have just come back from Sound City in Liverpool  that lasted 3 days and every other person I met was a brand consultant, music lawyer or accountant.  

 

The music industry is a lot more savvy about protecting its goodwill that the dance industry. You would be surprised how few companies have bothered to register their trade marks. That has to change,

[John Mallinson]

And here's the latest example of ROH pushing into new areas: you too can have ballerina wallpaper.

[mimi66]

Mmmm.... personally I am not sure about product endorcement, unless it is dance related items ...   I am a bit of an old school (way beyond my actual age!)  but all these commercialism unrelated to acutual performance of ballet rather put me off. 

 

 

But then it is just me, and I fully understand that finance has to come from somewhere.  It may just be inevitable in today's world where even one of the most traditional profession is expected to (with subtlety) ambulance chase.  I just hope the revenue from such commercial initiatives dance companies generate more than the fees for the business consultants, accountants, legal advisors and all the rest. 

 

I do, however, like that ballet being used for tv ads - so long as the performance/stills are of high standard.  Also I think Miss Rojo's use of tv ads are timed to promote the launch of  "new" ENB image as well.  Nivea campaign I think is also great that it will promote new generation of dancers to the public, without ENB incurring additional cost of promoting the company on its own.

[Terpsichore]

..............................  It may just be inevitable in today's world where even one of the most traditional profession is expected to (with subtlety) ambulance chase.  I just hope the revenue from such commercial initiatives dance companies generate more than the fees for the business consultants, accountants, legal advisors and all the rest. 

 

...............................

 

Yes it is a bit of a shock and one that I sometimes regret but we live in a market economy and have to embrace it.

 

It is not all bad though.  The quality of services of all kinds has generally improved while the cost of those services has generally gone down.

 

You are quite right to be concerned about the cost of brand consultancy, accountancy, legal and other professional services and I would suggest also about the quality in these early days until the market matures. For most transactions of any kind, however, the cost of taking professional advice is a good deal less than the long term cost of not taking any.

[mimi66]

[...]

 

You are quite right to be concerned about the cost of brand consultancy, accountancy, legal and other professional services and I would suggest also about the quality in these early days until the market matures. For most transactions of any kind, however, the cost of taking professional advice is a good deal less than the long term cost of not taking any.

 

What worries me is this - are all these "initiatives" actually necessary, or is it something put forward by business consultants for the sake of suggesting something (so that they look as if they are doing something), and other fringe advisory professions dancing around to create or keep their jobs?  NHS reforms, and rail privatisation (and what happened in the end - all loss making devisions are back in tax payers hands after all,  while plenty of advisory profession made off with a lot of - and guess what - tax payers money) comes to my mind...

 

But I think we are digressing and even hijacking zxDaveM's brilliant thread...so we really should rest our cases here.  Or otherwise open another thread on this interesting (?) discussion.

 

Back to the topic - is ballet becoming cool?  I agree with you,  zxDavidM, it's becoming cool, so long as it is away from the traditional tutus.  I think if there were more tv ads which would feature male dancers, it would become even cooler.   

 

but that would be a bit too much to expect to car companies yet...

 

Edited to tidy up...

Edited May 7, 2014 by mimi66

[Euan]

Did anyone see the Hungarian Shadow theater inspired advert. They appeared on BGT but were beautiful and emotional

[JulieW]

I've also noticed (while gazing at the TV screens in the gym) that lots of music videos have ballet in now too.  But I do wish they'd find girls/ladies who are actually good at ballet - I cringe at all the non-pointed feet - there are plenty of well-trained dancers out there who I'm sure would be all too happy to pick up some extra work (I'm obviously not talking about those in companies - the senior girls at our local dance schools would be better than some I've seen on the screens!)

[mimi66]

Uniqulo's tv ad campaign in Japan,

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFZlbdCszO4

 

I wish they aired it here in the UK as well - do they do it in the US/Canada?

[mimi66]

... but then of course, Polina Smionova  or La Scala  may have thought that some of their audience may find it a bit distasteful for her to be seen to be selling (non-luxury) vests, hence no broadcasting in Europe? 

 

That  reminded me of Sylvie Guillem's ad for Rolex - I used admire her feet in that photo of her in 6 o'clock position. 

Edited May 8, 2014 by mimi66

[loveclassics]

 

Back to the topic - is ballet becoming cool?  I agree with you,  zxDavidM, it's becoming cool, so long as it is away from the traditional tutus.  I think if there were more tv ads which would feature male dancers, it would become even cooler.   

 

but that would be a bit too much to expect to car companies yet...

 

I agree, can't see the Jeremy Clarkson types being impressed by a dancer promoting a car.  Remember the Jaguar E type?  Never recovered its street cred  after being dubbed a 'hairdresser's car.'

[alison]

... but then of course, Polina Smionova  or La Scala  may have thought that some of their audience may find it a bit distasteful for her to be seen to be selling (non-luxury) vests, hence no broadcasting in Europe? 

 

There are a lot of famous people who do commercials in Japan on the proviso that they're not shown elsewhere: the subject is brought up in Lost in Translation, I seem to remember.  That's why the Bill Murray character is in Japan in the first place, if I recall rightly.

[Jan McNulty]

Did anyone see the Hungarian Shadow theater inspired advert. They appeared on BGT but were beautiful and emotional

 

What are they advertising Euan so I can look out for it?

[Euan]

 

I am not sure BGT falls in this forum but this piece by Attraction is still one of the most beautiful things I have seen and cant fail to stir up an emotion in anyone. Ballet style mixed in with there own style.

 

 

There semi final performance had even Simon Cowell in tears

[Circe]

Slightly but not directly related to this discussion Edward Watson was in the video for The Feeling, Boy Cried Wolf...cant do clever link to youtube...

[Melody]

Is this the one you mean?  It doesn't seem to want to embed, which is weird because that feature was working for me last week, but there you go.

 

http://youtu.be/VjY8TDp1cEM

Edited May 8, 2014 by Melody

[Melody]

There was this article in the Mail a while back (can't believe it was 3 years ago - how time flies!) about an advert being shot in the streets of New York with a ballerina in full rig.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2019667/Dancing-streets-Ballerina-stops-traffic-leaps-pirouettes-way-sweltering-New-York-summer.html

 

This looks like the finished product.

 

http://youtu.be/KEvr4h02JF4

Edited May 8, 2014 by Melody

[Circe]

Yes, thanks Melody, thats the one.