New Zealand Symphony Orchestra launches new integrated campaign via The Church, Wellington
The Church, a Wellington-based design and communications agency, has launched a new multi-channel campaign for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
With a partnership spanning four years, the work The Church has done with the NZSO has recast – almost reinvented – the image of the country’s national orchestra, year after year. The 2014 Season campaign is the biggest yet: 15 unique videos, a micro-website, an app (the NZSO’s first), a brochure, material for outdoor marketing, and 15 still photos to match the 15 videos – providing the NZSO with content to use for marketing its 15 concert tours throughout the year. Over four months of planning and production went into the project.
Says Paul Soong, The Church’s managing director: “I believe this is best marketing campaign in the NZSO’s 67-year history, and possibly one of the best ever in the Orchestral music sector.”
The aim of this campaign is to get classical music outside its normal spheres of influence – but not by pretending to be anything it’s not. Rather, by exposing what it is.
Putting the music itself front and centre, the videos are key to the campaign. There are 15, one to represent each concert tour. Each video presents a visual concept to describe the emotion of the accompanying music; a vignette, depicting a theme of emotion for each concert tour. These themes are brought to life in diverse ways, including bespoke props, super slow motion recording, and an extraordinary cat. A slice of the music from the relevant concert gives dramatic effect and draws an emotional response from the viewer.
Says Thierry Pannetie, NZSO’s head of marketing: “This campaign has turned heads – it’s certainly a different take and we hope that new audiences of Kiwis will come and try out this art form.”
The Church’s agency team worked alongside trusted collaborators: Flying Saucer films’ Hamish Johnson as video producer and director, and Steven Boniface as photographer. The 30″ films were shot on a Red Epic camera, enabling super slow motion recording. Additional help came via the Co_nnection at Massey University, which provided students to help with film pre-production, and making and testing the props.