Wichita Symphony Orchestra - Case Study

The Wichita Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is a stalwart of Sedgwick County's arts and entertainment community. Founded in 1944 and based in Downtown Wichita's Century II Concert Hall, it serves as the leading professional symphony orchestra in the state. Its diverse concert listings range from classical masterpieces to pop music to film soundtracks. The WSO's mission is to enrich, educate, and entertain diverse audiences of all ages in our region through performances of orchestral music, thereby enhancing the vibrancy and vitality of Wichita.

Our
Task

"Making an old person's pastime sexy"

The Backstory

The Wichita Symphony Orchestra (WSO), like many orchestras, was facing declining numbers in attendance. Their audience was aging. And attendance in the 20-40 age group was far lower than desired, due to lack of awareness, a perceived lack of relevance, and increased competition for entertainment dollars.

Strategic Insights

To sell tickets, Apples & Arrows decided to reach out directly to Wichita residents in their 20s-40s. This target was chosen for their demonstrated interest in culture, adventurous spirit, interest in trying new things, and the potential for their becoming lifelong WSO patrons.

The Journey

We developed the concept and overarching theme of “Are You Prepared?” and then worked with the WSO’s budget to create a marketing plan to communicate that message. That plan included posters, billboards, print ads, a landing page, video, and rack cards - the budget didn’t allow for a traditional media buy. The visuals for the campaign were eye-catching, relatively edgy (especially for the Symphony), and stylistically appropriate for the audience.

The message of “Are You Prepared” was designed to communicate that the Symphony was far more intense than one might realize, and that attendees needed to be physically and mentally prepared for the experience. Based on the lifestyle habits of the demographic, posters were hung in public places frequently visited, such as coffee shops, bars, and street posts in high-traffic areas. The marketing manager and Apples & Arrows’ own Jenny Wiley took the launch to the streets, and completed a secret-agent style media outreach blitz using the hashtag #WSOPrepared.

The message of “Are You Prepared” was designed to communicate that the Symphony was far more intense than one might realize, and that attendees needed to be physically and mentally prepared for the experience.

Based on the lifestyle habits of the demographic, posters were hung in public places frequently visited, such as coffee shops, bars, and street posts in high-traffic areas.

The Summit

Paid attendance increased from 20,894 seats the 2012-2013 season, to 24,023 in the 2013-2014 season, and a 50% increase in online ticket sales over the previous year. These two factors resulted in a more than $135,000 increase of revenue for the season.