The Grand Plan - Page 3
Photo courtesy of the Grand opera House |
The New Grand: After being closed since February 2009 for renovations, the grand opera house opens in September 2010. |
In May the students presented their campaign to board members of the Grand Opera House and the community. The presentation reflected the campaign using multimedia elements to convey the new Grand Opera House campaign. The students, all dressed in black, treated the event as an ad agency would when pitching a campaign to a client. They choreographed their presentation. They spoke at length without notes. They answered questions from the audience with great aplomb.
Joe Ferlo, executive director of the Grand Opera House |
Rather than using traditional methods of advertising the Grand Opera House has implemented in the past, the students developed an “integrated communications campaign” that will include posters, a new slogan and flash-mobs.
“I think we brought up a lot of key issues that the Grand should look at and being that we are the target audience, we can bring a lot of insight that is just innate intuition about this demographic,” Mast said.
Members of the audience gave the students rave reviews. “They had some electrifying young ideas,” said Grand Opera House board member Susan Vetty.
Kelly Laux, also a board member for the Grand, said she thinks implementing the marketing plan would increase awareness about the location. “The use of social media could create a lot of excitement,” she said.
Although the Grand may not implement all of the students’ ideas, Opera House executive director Ferlo said the students’ campaign will provide the inspiration for a new advertising strategy. “I'm thrilled with the number of new ideas, things that did not occur to me or to me any of my own staff or my advisers,” Ferlo said. “They definitely deserve an A.”