Campaign Book for
The Buffalo Opera
Unlimited
Rebecca Baia
Pat Miller
Alison Mish
Dakota Calderon
Table of Contents
Phase 1: Formative Research (Everything considered that informed our decision making for
creating the goals and objectives)
Step
1: Analyzing the Situation
Step
2: Analyzing the Organization
Step
3: Analyzing the Public
Phase 2: Strategy (Our plan for creating a perception of the BOU)
Step
4:Establishing Goals & Objectives
Step
5: Formulating Action & Response Strategies
Step
6: Developing the Message Strategy
Phase 3: Tactics (Our proposed initiatives to change the perception of the BOU)
Step
7: Selecting Communication Tactics
7A:
Interpersonal Communication
7B:
Organizational Media
7C:
News Media
7D:
Advertising & Promotional Media
Step
8: Implementing the Strategic Plan
Phase 4: Evaluation (How we will assess the impact/success of our tactics)
Step
9: Evaluation Plan
Appendix
Phase 1: Formative Research
Step 1: Analyzing the situation
A large proportion of
the current audience is in their graying years, the BOU wants to increase the
popularity of opera among younger demographics and other relevant groups. BOU
has the opportunity to position themselves as a cornerstone of the arts and
music community in Buffalo by introducing professional performances geared to
entice younger demographics than the current audience. The BOU needs
established strategies to fulfill their goals which will increase revenue and
continue performing quality operas in the Buffalo community.
Obstacles:
Limited budget
Limited staff
Limited exposure
Perceived stigmas
Opportunities:
Perform diverse operas
Many new demographics to
tap in to
Create long lasting
audiences by appealing to children, teens and young adults
Background of the Issue:
This is the first time
BOU is seeking help to reach new demographic and promote their organization from
a source outside of their own organization. There are many stigmas that
surround opera and younger demographic may feel that opera isn’t for them. The
BOU is open to hearing new ideas and willing to adopt new strategies and
tactics to achieve their goals.
Consequences of the
Situation:
The BOUs fears that with
an aging demographic their attendance levels will diminish. The response to
this situation is not too serious yet, but will be over time. Strategies will
need to be directed at both short and long term efforts otherwise the BOU will
not be able to maintain a consistent public awareness.
Resolution of the
Situation/perpetuation of the campaign:
How information is
presented will affect how successful this campaign will be. If the information
is presented in the wrong way it will seem less appealing to the target
demographic. This situation holds top priority for the BOU promotions and for
the organization’s top management because once they reach the target audiences
and see more involvement, they will have greatly improved their standing in the
community. The organization’s commitment to resolving the situation is very
strong, which is why they sought out for help and intend to make things better.
Case Studies with Best
Practices:
The first case study we chose to examine for best practices and
improvements was the situation facing the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The Lyric
Opera of Chicago had an issue with reaching younger audiences and diversifying
the opera’s audience, just like Buffalo Opera Unlimited. They also wanted to
make opera more accessible and raise the company’s profile on the local and
world level. This is very similar to BOU, which is why we took some best
practices from this case. One best practice would be the discounted opera
packages. The younger demographic is always looking for cheap, especially if
they are in college, so a package like the one Lyric Opera House has would be a
great idea for BOU. Another best practice is the use of special events for
people between the age of 21 and 45. With these special events, it raises
awareness to the Opera house, getting younger people more intrigued.
The second case study is
a silver anvil award winner, Carnegie Mellon University Named First,
Exclusive Higher Education Partner of the Tony Awards, submitted by the
Carnegie Mellon University. This university has world-class arts and technology
programs, but have a hard time with brand association related to its unique
value. They became the first “exclusive higher education partner of the
internationally renowned Tony Awards,” and received an “Excellence in Theatre
Education Award,” in order to get their name out there. This was able to promote
this university’s overall value, even on a global level. They recognized an
opportunity to connect CMU to the arts by being part of the Tony Awards, giving
the organization a chance to promote to a larger audience. Their best practices
for this study consisted of “presenting CMU’s intersection of art and
technology brand to high-potential donors” and “creating opportunities for new
donor interaction and donor re-engagement.” Buffalo Opera Unlimited would get
noticed more if we used a well known face to present the organization to the
target audience. Along with that, we can come up with ways to engage new
audience members so that they will want to become a member and hopefully donate
as well.
Step 2: Analyzing the Organization
Founded in 1985 by
artistic director Tim Kennedy, Buffalo Opera Unlimited is a non-profit
organization dedicated to producing opera and a variety of other musical forms
with an emphasis on using local and regional professional artists. BOU is also
committed to making opera more accessible to a broader audience and providing
education to develop future audiences. Buffalo Opera Unlimited is also
committed to making opera more accessible to a broader audience and to
providing education to develop future audiences.
Mission Statement: “Buffalo Opera Unlimited is dedicated to
producing opera and a variety of musical forms with an emphasis on regional
artists. Buffalo Opera Unlimited is also committed to making opera more
accessible to a broader audience and to providing education to develop future
audiences”
Vision Statement: The Buffalo Opera Unlimited has a vision
to make opera a part of popular cultures by producing acts inspired by popular
movies and works of art. The Buffalo Opera Unlimited has upcoming works such as
The Fall Of Stag Lee, which hopefully enough donations will continue to be
collected to expand the organization.
Value Statement: The Buffalo Opera Unlimited was built by Tim
Kennedy who was a young teenager when he fell in love with opera music. He’s an
African American middle class teenager who loved opera, which was rare. The
organization currently is trying to reach an audience the same way Tim Kennedy
was attracted to the opera, which is why the shows produced are a variety of
musical forms featuring regional artists. The organization’s goal is to reach a
younger demographic hoping the same outcome as Tim Kennedy can happen to
attract different publics.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths: Provides jobs for artists, tradespersons, and other
performing arts crafts, provides benefits to local businesses and entertainment
venues gaining their support, tickets are very accessible making it easy to
locate, the organization receives funding from community groups, free tickets
for children and reduced priced tickets for students in school,
Weaknesses: The website layout is boring and extremely
unappealing to the eye (color should be changed to something gender neutral
like black white gray), the address is incorrect on google when you look up the
location of the BOU, (jargon) the language for the plays and productions aren’t
appealing to the age group it’s created for (Hansel & Gretel; write
advertisements for people who are not like them but with friendly language for
every audience), ticket sales need to be transitional and not lead you to a
brand new web page, description of events needs to be on the main page
Opportunities: Only post newsworthy items on their online
platforms and at appropriate times, making opera more accessible by making
fully staged productions, more modern productions created into an opera
production, the organization receives grants to make productions larger, the
productions are being made to fit fairytale and classic stories to attract an
audience, creating productions that are culturally relatable similar to the
madam butterfly for japanese american audiences (this tactic can draw more
audience types)
Threats: Nickel city opera, shakespeare in the park, any
conflicting performing arts events provided by Buffalo State College (Rockwell
music dept., Burchfield Penney Art Gallery show)
Performance:
The Buffalo Opera
Unlimited has performed well in it’s time since 1985. It’s progressed from one
act comic operas to full scale productions inspired by popular movies. The 2015 celebration of BOU’s
30th anniversary was marked by
mounting, for the first time in the company’s history, three fully staged
productions rather than two: Così fan tutte, A Salute to Duke Ellington and Die Fledermaus. With
thirty years of staying power comes a significant regional economic impact.
Buffalo Opera Unlimited has provided jobs for hundreds of artists and
tradespersons, from the singers, to the set and costume designers and stage
crew, to the musicians accompanying the singers. In addition to the direct
impact of performance-related jobs, BOU provides benefits to local restaurants
and entertainment venues. According to a 2014 Center for Governmental
Research report prepared for Arts Services of Western New York, “an average
arts attendee [in this region] spends $17.77 in addition to the cost of
admission” at a performance. THe Buffalo Opera has continued to give back to
the community that donates to the them to help them complete their mission. The
purpose of the opera is to produce opera in a different way so that it opens
doors to extend the organization and its influences on popular culture. THe
organization was built by an innocent young man that was surprised that he was
so attracted to the opera, so those are the values the opera is based upon.
Creating movie inspired operas and making the opera more accessible to students
with discounted prices is the beginning of a youth driven expansion of the
organization. Some of the internal impediments limiting the organization would
be the website because it’s not too appealing to the eye. The Public Relations
team can improve the website and add more information to the website. Outside
of that the organization could create more advertisements or material to
promote the organization throughout the city of Buffalo. THe organization
captures moments from the Opera as well as put out a newsletter throughout the
city. There are a couple more appealing tactics the Public Relations team could
do to gain that larger crowd. The reputation of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited is
positive due to the talent and skillful individuals a part of their play.
According to the reviews on the website the Opera has been receiving
compliments and positive critiques on the work done and the performances. The
Opera has a pretty good reputation in the city of Buffalo and as it broadens
its audience it aims to keep that reputation. Supporters of the organization
would be elderly people and people that enjoy classical music, as mentioned
before. The competitors would be movie theaters, drama clubs featuring performing
arts acts, as well as art galleries. Some opponents of the organization would
be advocates for other arts like painting, dance, or singing. A major external
impediment on the organization is that the audiences it attracts currently is
dying out. The audience needs to develop more and change demographics so that
the Opera doesn’t die out. That is one of the objectives a part of this
campaign.
Step 3: Analyzing the Publics
Consumers:
-Elderly people with an
expressed interest in Opera
-Students whom visit to
fulfill performance credits
-those with a general
interest in Opera and local professional performances
Producers:
- Funds for performances
are provides by grants and donations
-Buffalo State, whom
allows the BOU to perform in Rockwell Hall
-Employees/Performers
-Suppliers (collateral
and materials)
Enablers:
-Tim Kennedy, artistic
director of BOU
-Grants
given to the BOU (Cullen Foundation, NYS Council of the Arts, Oliver G.and
Sarah Sloan Bauman fund)
-Darryl Glenn Nettles, a
local composer who composed Stag Lee
-Media (Facebook,
website, print media)
Limiters:
-Nickel
City Opera, main competition
-Weather
-Other
arts events occurring at time of production
- Major Publics:
High school and college
students, elderly people with a preexisting interest in opera, those employed
by the BOU, Buffalo natives involved with performing arts/stage crews and
community members with an ongoing interest in local arts and events.
Our target audience
consists of younger individuals, split into two groups, college students and
high school students. We also included parents of younger children whom have
already expressed interest in performing arts. Because a goal for the BOU
is to increase younger persons participation in events and shows we determined these
three key publics to expose our message to.
2.
Key
Publics:
a.
Buffalo College students
b.
High School Students
living in Buffalo whom expressed interests in performing arts
c.
Parents of children
younger than the high school age whom expressed interests in community events
and arts.
We believed that local college students are a good group to target
for many reasons, the first being that many Arts programs in local colleges
have a performance requirement, meaning that these students must see a
production for school credit. Also many college students are involved in school
based productions and have a general interest in the arts, or plan on becoming
a professional within what area of the arts they are studying. Because the BOU
employs all native buffalonians this presents an opportunity for those students
to become involved in the BOU after exposure.
We decided to include high school students as a
separate public because in Buffalo we are lucky enough to have a Performing
Arts based high school within the city. We believe that specifically targeting
schools with high school students actively engaged in curriculums centered on
performing arts could increase attendance and even create a desire for
consumption of opera for an even younger demographic. This presents an opportunity
to entice a younger demographic and build a relationship between the BOU and
local performing arts programs at the high school level.
In order to create a new generation of Opera
enthusiasts, we included parents of children younger than the high school age
whom have expressed interests in community events and fine arts. By focusing on
this specific niche we believe that continued exposure to the BOU will create a
new respect within these children for Opera and the like arts.
An intercessory public we would like to utilize
are those whom are Buffalo Philharmonic ticket holders. Because these people
have already expressed an interest in the Arts we believe that this would be an
easy target for the BOU to capitalize upon.
Phase 2: Strategy
Step 4: Goals and
Objectives
Positioning Statement:
To make it known, to the
new and existing audiences, that the BOU is a professional contemporary opera
company, welcoming of individuals from all backgrounds, that offers quality
performances that are enjoyable for performing arts enthusiasts of all ages as
well as families.
- Goal
1: To increase the number of
attendees to the Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s production of “Madama
Butterfly”
Positioning:
By introducing the BOU into local college arts department and Japanese-American
communities will increase the perception of the BOU within academic and
culturally relevant communities. Goal one will be an example of how promoting
for a specific performance could be handled.
Public 1: Students in the WNY
area
Objective 1: Awareness- Amongst local students, increase the awareness of
attendance credits available that count toward student performance attendance
requirements “Madame Butterfly” that
Objective 2: Acceptance- Create a positive perception of the BOU as culturally
relevant to the millennial generation.
Objective 3: Action- Increase amount of tickets purchased by students. Increase
the amount of students in audience.
Public 2: Japanese-Americans
living in the Buffalo area
Objective 1: Awareness- Increase awareness of “Madame Butterfly” within
Japanese American cultural centers around Buffalo.
Objective 2: Acceptance- Create an acceptance that “Madame
Butterfly” is culturally relevant and a celebration of Japanese culture.
Objective 3: Action- Increasing the amount of tickets sold to Japanese
Americans in the targeted cultural centers.
2) Goal 2: Continue
to grow attendance rates of Buffalo Opera Unlimited events in WNY
Position:
By appealing to publics in academic institutions, and younger generations the
BOU will see increased engagement with their website and social media accounts.
This will give the BOU a larger reach and increased awareness of their
performances. At the same time the BOU wishes to continuing to attract its
current audience to performances through more traditional promotional means.
Goal two will illustrate how organizational performance could be improved for
the long term.
Public: High School students
Objective 1: Awareness- increase high school students in an arts based
curriculum attendance at BOU events.
Objective 2: Acceptance- generate interest in the BOU through
connecting with career development/guidance offices to connect students to the
BOU and create a “Student Liaison Program” where student(s) work with the BOU,
learning about performance art, whom then in turn can be used as opinion
leaders within their high school community to promote and motivate students to
come to BOU performances.
Objective 3: Action- Sell tickets to events, generate inquiries about
BOU’s presence in the WNY performance art community
Public: College Students
Objective 1: Awareness- increase the awareness of the BOU on college
campuses, express benefits of attending performances
Objective 2: Acceptance- Accept that the BOU can fulfill needs, like
performance attendance credits for classes
Objective 3: Action- Sell tickets to events, college students
purchasing tickets
Public: Parents with children
in the WNY area
Objective 1: Awareness- increase attendance to friendly performances,
like Hansel and Gretel
Objective 2: Acceptance- create a positive feeling towards BOU’s family
friendly, cultural experience
Objective 3: Action- Increase ticket sales and website subscriptions, increase
return family visits to BOU events
Public: Current returning
audience
Objective 1: Awareness- increase visibility of performances that would
be of interests to the senior citizen demographic.
Objective 2: Acceptance- create a reassuring feeling towards BOU performances
that they are still of the same high quality standard as in the past.
Objective 3: Action- Increase ticket sales and website subscriptions, increase
return family visits to BOU events
Step 5: Formulating Action and Response
Strategies
Proactive Strategies
Action strategies:
- Organizational Performance: the
BOU must be willing to make changes to organization practices in order to
function more efficiently. By adopting new strategies they will be
able to better communicate to new audiences on mediums they are more
familiar with.
- Increase/expand social media
presence to gain more awareness among younger audience. The younger
demographic receive a large amount of their information from online
sources through smart phones, computers, tablets, etc.
- Increase number of internships
offered to help with marketing work. By taking on interns that are
familiar with new marketing strategies they can maintain social media
profiles and the BOU website. Information needs to be kept new and
current.
- Audience Engagement: the BOU
needs to use two-way communication through both online and in person
initiatives. This will allow for more accurate dissemination of
information to publics.
- Communicate the benefits for
community enhancement and student interest to the target publics. By
communicating how the public's can benefit from the organization they
will be better able rationalize why they should engage with the BOU.
- Identify prime triggering
events for marketing to younger audiences. By attaching BOU to triggering
events that correlate with the activities and lifestyles of each demographic
they will be able to present their message in a timely fashion.
- Gather feedback on BOU from
both current attendees and target publics. Being aware of the
criticisms and positive remarks allows for the BOU to work on the weak
parts of the organization while maintaining their strong points.
- Special Event:
- Increase representatives sent
to speak to publics directly. Directly engaging with your publics ensures
that the message is received. Gaging the levels of interest is also more
efficient as people are able to elaborate on why they are uninterested in
the BOU.
- Coalition: By strategically
partnering with other reputable organizations the BOU will be able to
increase their status in the community as a professional opera
organization.
- Create relationships with
other local organization involved in culture and arts. There are many
arts and culture organizations located right on Elmwood with reputable
statues in the community already.
- Sponsorships: These are a great
way to increase funding by large amounts for specific initiatives.
Building a relationship with a sponsoring organization can lead to repeat
sponsoring.
- Appeal to local organizations
looking to give back to the community/engage in community relations. Many
organizations want to increase their presence in their communities and
show that they are socially responsible.
- Strategic Philanthropy: This is
working with organizations that can benefit from helping the BOU. These
should be organizations like music shops that would attract similar
publics that are interested in arts.
- Find organizations that are
looking to create relationships with their employees and potential
customers. By making their presence known amongst the BOU’s audiences
they are able to benefit from potentially gaining new customers.
- Publicity: It is often helpful
to be talked about in professional news media outlets as it can bring
attention to the organization.
- Make a conscious effort to
connect and continually update media gatekeepers. Communicating with
gatekeepers keeps your organizations relevant to the local community.
- Transparent Communication: Do
not misrepresent the BOU as something it is not.
- Communicate precise and effective messages that are
newsworthy to media gatekeepers. Tell the targeted publics exactly what
they should expect/what they would be getting out of the BOU.
Reactive Strategies:
The main recommendation that we can make for a reactive strategy
is to utlize social media as a tool to interact with your publics. If a
complaint appears on any of the social media platforms, a representative for
the Buffalo Opera Unlimited should respond to show that the BOU cares about
their community presence.
Step 6: Developing the Message Strategy
It is our recommendation that the BOU should
present a unique and specific message to each public they will be targeting.
Presenting a single message to a specific public creates a more enticing reason
for them to purchase a ticket because they will know exactly how attending a
BOU performance will benefit themselves. Keywords can be used to target and
influence individuals to think about the BOU in a new. Using images that
represent the BOU will help people see what performances are like and allow
them to visualize themselves attending a performance. Through compelling
keywords and images we hope to influence the various target publics to attend
both Madama Butterfly and future performances.
- Clarity
a.
Keep the message for
each targeted demographic consistent. Do not present too many messages to one
demographic. They want to know what directly benefits their demographic.
b.
Concise message that
is not too complex for the target publics. When speaking to a younger audience
especially, the message will need to be fully understandable.
i.
Goal
1 -> Public:
Students -> Message: Students required to attend a professional
performance can gain credit for attending Madama Butterfly, one of the BOU’s
performances. Students will be exposed to a high quality performance in which
they will learn and observe how modern operas performs.
ii.
Goal
1 -> Public: Japanese-Americans living in the Buffalo area -> Message: Madama Butterfly is a
classic well renowned opera with a story relevant to the history of the
Japanese people. We want the local Japanese-American population to see that
this performance praises and celebrates a story about historic Japanese culture
in which the local Japanese-American population can connect to.
iii.
Goal
2 -> Public:
High school students -> Message: Attending a performance event at the
BOU exposes the world of opera to students at a young age. For students who are
curious or interested in the performing arts the BOU has the opportunity to
show that opera is culturally engaging experience for those looking to enter
into performing arts education or careers.
iv.
Goal
2 -> Public:
College students -> Message: Students can fulfill performance
attendance requirements that are mandatory assignments within most college arts
departments. The BOU is a good choice to fulfill their requirements as it is a
unique and prestigious part of the Buffalo entertainment community.
v.
Goal
2 -> Public: Parents
with children in the WNY area -> Message: The BOU offers performances
that are family-friendly and geared to children, i.e. Hansel and Gretel.
These types of operas offer parents an opportunity to take their children
to a wholesome event and spend quality time with their families.
Power
Words
.
Make it easy for the
message to be understood with precise language that the targeted demographic
are attracted too. The use of the correct grabbers that are influential to the
audience can determine success for the organization because those people will
be more intrigued than they already were.
a.
Use jargon language
that would be understandable to the specific publics involved in arts. Each
demographic will understand things differently, therefore, we will need to
present the information with terms they understand.
b.
Examples of power
words:
.
Goal
1 -> Public:
Students -> Cultural,
insightful, new, experiences, dramatic, cultural captivation, captivating, love
and tragedy,
i.
Goal
1 -> Public: Japanese-Americans living in the Buffalo area ->Cultural appreciation, appreciative,
Historic portrayal, Stunning (performance/story), Japanese perspective
ii.
Goal
2 -> Public:
High school students -> deep, profound,
iii.
Goal
2 -> Public:
College students -> performance attendance requirement, intuitive,
iv.
Goal
2 -> Public: Parents
with children in the WNY area -> Family-friendly, wholesome entertainment,
child oriented,
3.
Nonverbal
a.
Include representative
images of BOU in all communications with publics. This means that we want
someone to see an image representing BOU and have a positive understanding of
what that organization is about. Whether it be an advertisement for an upcoming
show or it is about becoming a member. In the end, we want to draw attention to
the specific target audiences and nonverbal is important.
b.
Use promotional
strategy to get the BOU image out there to the targeted audience. Using social
media will be important when promoting. The use of images that catch the target
audience’s eyes can attract attention for the BOU.
Phase 3: Step 7:
Tactics
This campaign is necessary regarding the Buffalo Opera
Unlimited’s current reach and audience. Particularly regarding their social
media presence and general acknowledgement of the organization by our targeted
publics. Many of our included tactics focus on utilizing social media and using
that following to promote events for the BOU. By implementing these tactics, we
believe that this campaign will serve its purpose of increasing attendees to
“Madama Butterfly” and future productions of the BOU.
Included is the estimated cost of implementing the strategies
included, attempting to stay within the budget that the BOU had given us.
List of Tactics:
7A Interpersonal
Communication
·
Student Liaison Program
·
Local school outreach for attendance credit
·
Social Media Guide (See Appendix F)
·
Opera Trailer
7B Organizational
Media
·
Brochure
·
Website Improvements
·
Media kit
·
Radio Kit
·
Partnership with Muslim American Society (Fundraising)
·
Cultural District Partnership
7C News Media
·
News releases
·
Feature Release
7D Advertising and
Promotional Media
·
Partnership with Ciff Film festival for cross promotion
·
Radio Advertisement
·
Color Poster
·
Curated Social Media posts
Step 7A: Implementing Communication Strategies
Interpersonal Communication
This portion of the
campaign focuses on opportunities that the Buffalo Opera Unlimited has to
increase their visibility on a one-on-one basis.
Goal 1: Increasing Attendance to “Madama
Butterfly”
- Attendance
Credit Outreach- By contacting the colleges
included in the Contact’s appendix, these are schools with art programs
that have a performance attendance requirement. By contacting these
schools, and giving professors information regarding performances going on
during the semster, the BOU can increase attendance by reaching these
students who need an attendance requirement.
- Awareness- Amongst local
students, increase the awareness of attendance credits available that
count toward student performance attendance requirements “Madame
Butterfly” that
- Acceptance- Create a positive
perception of the BOU as culturally relevant to the millennial
generation.
- Action- Increase amount of
tickets purchased by students. Increase the amount of students in
audience.
- Japanese
American Outreach- By
strategically reaching out and offering posters and brochures to culturally
relevant groups in Western New York, we believe that this will effectively
improve the Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s reach and increase ticket sales to
“Madama Butterfly”
- Awareness- Increase awareness
of “Madame Butterfly” within Japanese American cultural centers around
Buffalo.
- Acceptance- Create an
acceptance that “Madame Butterfly” is culturally relevant and a
celebration of Japanese culture.
- Action- Increasing the amount of tickets sold to
Japanese Americans in the targeted cultural centers.
Goal 2: Increase Attendance to Buffalo Opera
Unlimited’s future performances
- Increase
Social Media presence- By
increasing the use of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s Facebook, along with
introducing a Twitter, Instagram and youtube connection this presents the
Buffalo Opera Unlimited with the opportunity to promote events,
productions and outreach for fundraising.
- Awareness- By increasing the
social media presence the Buffalo Opera Unlimited can increase its
outreach by being more present and active across the various social media
platforms
- Acceptance- By become more
active and creating a conversation between social media users and the
Buffalo Opera Unlimited it will create acceptance that the Buffalo Opera
Unlimited is a legitimate production company who cares about the
community in which it exists
- Action- Through social media outreach and presence
this creates an opportunity for the Buffalo Opera Unlimited to share
ticket information and production times to allow those interested easy
access to ticket purchasing.
- Student
Liaison Program- By
working with the Performing Arts School in Buffalo to choose a high school
student, with a focus in performing arts, to work along with the BOU as a
High School “volunteer”, “liaison” or intern. The student would assist
with working on performances and assisting in increasing the BOU’s social
media presence. Through this program the BOU can utilize the student
liaison to promote the BOU among High Schoolers in the area. Also through
this program the BOU can position their student liaison as an Opinion
Leader within their community promoting the BOU.
- Awareness- This would increase the visibility of the Buffalo
Opera Unlimited within a key public, the high school students with an
expressed interest in performing arts. It gives the opportunity to
position the Buffalo Opera Unlimited as an active member in the community
and a key to a difficult to tap public.
- Acceptance- Through the execution of this program, the student
will help assist in the acceptance of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited as a
active member in the performing arts community of Buffalo
- Action-
This presents an opportunity
to increase ticket sales among the High School student public. By
utilizing an opinion leader within the high school performing arts
program, it increases the option of ticket sales to high school students.
Step 7B: Organizational Media
Goal 1: Increasing Attendance to “Madama
Butterfly”
- Opera
Trailer- By recording a short thirty
second to one minute clip of a scene from “Madama Butterfly”, shot on a cell
phone or video camera and uploading it to youtube. This can then be shared
across all social media platforms and included in any emails sent to
existing members of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s subscription list.
- Awareness- This is an
opportunity for the Buffalo Opera Unlimited to spread the awareness of
“Madama Butterfly” to users and people who are outside of the Buffalo
Opera Unlimited’s tangible following.
- Acceptance- Creating a system
of outreach and creating sharable content across social media and email
can increase the acceptance that “Madama Butterfly” is a quality,
professional performance put on by the Buffalo Opera Unlimited
- Action- By including the option to “Buy tickets now”
and including the time and date of the performance this will increase the
likelihood that those who have not heard of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited
prior to viewing the clip will have the option to purchase tickets at
that time
- Japanese
American Outreach- By
strategically reaching out and offering posters and brochures to
culturally relevant groups in Western New York, we believe that this will
effectively improve the Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s reach and increase
ticket sales to “Madama Butterfly”
- Awareness- Increase awareness
of “Madame Butterfly” within Japanese American cultural centers around
Buffalo.
- Acceptance- Create an
acceptance that “Madame Butterfly” is culturally relevant and a
celebration of Japanese culture.
- Action- Increasing the amount
of tickets sold to Japanese Americans in the targeted cultural centers.
Goal 2: Increasing the
overall attendance to the Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s Performances
- Brochure- By utilizing the brochure included in this campaign,
these can be strategically distributed across popular meeting places
around Western New York. For example, music shops, community meeting
places, colleges included in the contact appendix. By updating the
brochure with the next performance this presents an opportunity for
advertising.
o Awareness- By placing the brochures in places
where communities meet it presents the opportunity to increase visibility, this
will increase the awareness of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited
- Website
improvements- By using the strategic
improvements for the Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s website provided in
appendix F we believe this will improve overall attendance for Buffalo
Opera Unlimited’s performance
- Action- By increasing the ease
of understanding of the website and utilizing it as a home base for the
Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s operation and reach it will improve the amount
of tickets purchased.
- Strategic
Partnership with the Muslim Society of America- we believe that through cross promotion this will
increase the visibility of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited within Western New
York. The Muslim society of America has a large focus on the arts, and is
the main donor behind the Ciff International Film Festival coming to
Buffalo this summer. (contact information found Contact Appendix)
- Awareness- By teaming up
with the Muslim Society of America, it presents an opportunity for the
Buffalo Opera Unlimited to access a different audience who already has a
deep appreciation for the arts.
- Acceptance- Through
communication that we have had with Richard Polley a member of the Muslim
American Society’s team, the idea of a through a donation to the Buffalo
Opera Unlimited, the BOU could put on a production culturally relevant to
the potential donor.
- Media
Kit- A media kit is essentially an
outline of who the Buffalo Opera Unlimited to the client or those
inquiring. Outlining why the Buffalo Opera Unlimited should be covered in
a news or public information situation. (See appendix D)
- Awareness- Increasing the
awareness of the general background of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited
- Cultural
District Partnership-
The Cultural District in Buffalo is looking to
create a coalition together. Some members include the Albright Knox, the
Burchfield Penney, the Richardson Complex, Shakespeare-in-the-Park and
several others. If the BOU was to join this coalition it might give them more
legitimacy amongst arts and culture community as well as partners to help
promote through and learn from. Buffalo State Professor Deb Silverman along
with the Buffalo State PRSSA Chapter is working with the group heading this
project (Professor Silverman’s Contact info listed in the Contact Appendix).
Step 7C: News Media
Generating news is the
best way to gain public awareness for your organization. The news media purpose
in this campaign is to create newsworthy tactics and events for the news media
outlets to cover and get your organization known.
News Release 1: The
Fall of Stag Lee
Goal 1: To increase the number of attendees to the BOU
production of “Madama Butterfly”
- Public:
Students in the WNY area
- The first news
release is describing the opening of the new jazz opera, The Fall of
Stag Lee. The news release is directed at the existing members of
Buffalo Opera Unlimited, teenagers and young adults that are into the
arts, and prospective opera lovers who have never heard the genre. The
key public the news release is reaching out to is people that have not
indulged in the art of opera, and don’t know the potential of the genre.
News Release 2: The Ongoing release about the
Opera opening
Goal 2: Continue to grow attendance rates of
The BOU events in WNY
Public: Current Existing Audience
*The second news release created is for the on
going promotion of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited Inc. This news release is out
for release whenever there are new productions coming to the stage. This news
release isn’t too specific, but moreso to announce the Opera is opening again
and announce some of the featuring productions.
- News Releases- Several news
releases will be distributed to the media in Western New York illustrating
the up coming events by the Buffalo Opera Unlimited. These press releases
will show the importance of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited within the
performing arts community in Buffalo. For upcoming shows we would
recommend sending these releases to The Buffalo News and The Artvoice and
any appropriate organizational newsletters.
- Our news releases will be
targeted to all publics to raise awareness of the Buffalo Opera
Unlimited’s upcoming performances and will serve the following objective
- Awareness- Increase the
awareness of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s events going on in Western
New York
- Action- Increase the amount
of tickets sold to performances
- Partnership
with Muslim American Society of Buffalo-
Contact info is included, this could be a potential for fundraising,
performing a culturally relevant production that will be put on as a
“thank you” for a generous donation.
- Awareness- Increasing the
awareness of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s upcoming performances and
presence within the arts community.
Step 7D: Advertising and Promotional Media
Goal 1) Increase
attendance to “Madama Butterfly”
- Radio
Release- The radio release will be about
a new featuring commercial coming on radio stations in Western, NY. The
commercial spot will be thirty seconds and announce the next upcoming
production. The commercial will reiterate the prices and benefits of
attending the opera as well as some upcoming acts for the BOU.
- Awareness- this will increase
the awareness of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited within major targeted
publics in Western New York
- Color
Poster- The color poster for “Madama
Butterfly” will be strategically placed in Colleges, public meeting
places, and culturally relevant areas for the Japanese-American public.
The estimated cost of this is included in our budget.
- Awareness- By strategically
placing these posters in popular meeting places around Western New York
(spOt coffee, college's, music shops) will increase the awareness
of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s production of “Madama Butterfly”
- Curated
Social Media Posts- By
strategically posting relevant information for “Madama Butterfly” across
all social media platforms included in our Social Media appendix. This
improves the reach of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited without spending extra
money on advertising.
- Awareness- This will allow the
Buffalo Opera Unlimited to reach publics who have already “liked” or
“followed” the Buffalo Opera Unlimited on various social media platforms
- Action- By including a “Buy
Now” option within the posts will allow those who have expressed interest
to purchase tickets for “Madama Butterfly” right that moment.
Goal 2) Increase
attendance to Buffalo Operal Unlimited performances
- Partnership
with Ciff International Film Festival-
Looking for a production to open the film festival, if the BOU could open
the film festival with a scene from an upcoming performance (live
trailer), would be able to create a promotional partnership with Ciff to
advertise upcoming productions to a public who has already expressed an
interest beyond mainstream performance art.
- By performing at the Ciff
international film festival it presents as opportunity for the Buffalo
Opera unlimited to tap into publics that have already expressed an
interest in performing arts beyond the mainstream.
- Awareness- This will increase
the awareness of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited by reaching an audience who
have already expressed interest in art.
- Action- By having tickets for
the production in which performed at the Film Festival available, it
would increase the likelihood of those who experienced the short
performance to purchase tickets to to full show.
Step 8: Implementing
The campaign schedule included outlines the general times to
apply the tactics we have created. Several of the tactics included are moreso
guidelines and general tactics that can be implemented for different
performances. To achieve our goals of 1) Increasing attendance of Madame
Butterfly and 2) increasing the overall attendance of Madame Butterly we chose
to include general practices to be applied to all future productions of the BOU
Improving website function and social media presence is key for
the success of our campaign. Attached is a social media handbook in Appendix
F explaining how to use and maintain various social media platforms. Also
attached is an appendix of contact information for the various contact people
and numbers in order to implement several of the tactics.
We included several of our tactics as strategic partnerships
that can be utilized in the long term as cross promotion or potential areas of
fundraising. The muslim american society whose contact information is included,
is actively participating in arts programs across the WNY area including their
funding of the Ciff Film Festival which inquired about the BOU performing a
skit from an upcoming performance during their opening ceremonies. This
presents an opportunity for ongoing cross promotion between the BOU and the
Ciff Film Festival.
We believe that utilizing all aspects of promotion will create
opportunities for the BOU to expand their presence within Western New York
cultural groups and fans of musical performance. Also to spread awareness of
the organization and participate with other producers of culture and music
within the community. It is our belief that following the provided tactics will
solidify and expand the awareness of the BOU’s presence within the
community.
Schedule:
|
Tactic
|
Goal
|
Public
|
Cost
|
Time
|
|
Playbill
Survey
|
1,2
|
-Current
Audience
-New
Attendees
All
|
$30
|
Introduce
day of performance
|
|
Student Liaison
Program
|
2
|
-High School
Students, Performing Arts
|
Free
|
Reach out to
guidance counselors at end of August & beginning of January
|
|
Social
Media Outreach
|
1,2
|
-Current
Audience
-“Followers”
-Parents
of Children
-Japanese
American
|
Free
|
Once
weekly update across all social media platforms
|
|
Attendance Credit
Outreach
|
1,2
|
-College Students in
Music or Fine Arts Program
|
Free
|
Reach out to
departments letting them know that the BOU will be holding a performance
within the semester (August & January)
|
|
Japanese
american outreach
(poster/Brochure)
|
1
|
-Japanese
American
|
$200
|
1
month before performance
|
|
Opera Trailer
|
1,2
|
-All
|
$1,000
|
4 week before
performance
|
|
Brochure
|
1,2
|
-College
Students
-Senior
Citizens
|
$240
|
>4
weeks before performance
|
|
Website improvement
|
2
|
All
|
$50-$100/
year
|
ASAP
|
|
Media
kit
|
1,2
|
-Media
Outlets
|
Email
|
-At
performance
-Included
on Website
|
|
Radio kit
|
1,2
|
-Buffalo Radio
Outlets
|
|
-4 weeks before
performance
|
|
Partnership
with Muslim American Society
|
2
|
-New
Public, potential donation
|
Free
|
-ASAP
|
|
News Release
|
1
|
-College News Org
-WNY News Orgs
|
$100
|
-3 weeks before show
|
|
Feature
Release
|
1
|
-Local
News Orgs
-Social
Media
|
$100
|
-3
weeks before show
|
|
Appeal Letter
|
2
|
-Parents
-Wealthy people/orgs
in WNY
|
Email
|
-1 month before tax
season
|
|
Partnership
with Ciff Film Festival
|
2
|
-People
interested in art
-Participants
|
Allow
cross promotion
|
-At
time of film festival
|
|
Radio Advertisement
|
1,2
|
-WNY
|
$250
|
-3 weeks before
performance
|
|
Color
posters
|
1
|
-Colleges
-Public
meeting places within WNY
|
$800
|
-Put
up 4 weeks before performance
|
|
Social media posts
|
1,2
|
-Followers of Social
media
|
Free
|
-post across all
platforms 4x’s monthly
|
Budget:
Total budget: $3,000
·
Playbill Survey: $30 per
performance
·
Madama Butterfly
posters: $240
·
Opera Trailer: $1,000
For professional filming
·
Organization Brochures:
$240
·
Website Improvement:
$50-$100/year
·
News/Feature Release:
$200
o Can save money by distributing majority via
email
·
Radio Advertisement: $70
on average for a 30 second in Buffalo for a traditional radio commercial. The
public stations can’t sell traditional radio commercials but can do promotions.
·
Color Posters: $800 No
other posters for org just madama butterfly
·
Unexpected Costs: $75
o Printing costs may vary
Total Costs: $2,935
(including unexpected costs)
Step 9: Evaluation
To begin the evaluation we need to look back at our goals and
targeted publics. We believe that the easiest way for the Buffalo Opera
Unlimited to track the effectiveness of this campaign is through surveys and
social media metrics that we have built into the campaign. For the first
goal, increasing ticket sales to “Madama Butterfly”. The best way to measure
the effectiveness of this campaign would be to analyze how many tickets
were sold for this performance versus how many tickets were sold for a prior
performances and determine whether there was a change in tickets sold.
A way to measure this
specifically would be to include our survey to be inserted into the PlayBill,
by analyzing these responses we can find the average increase of participation
and what advertising tactics are working.
Introduction of a
PlayBill Survey- By introducing a
playbill along with a survey, it allows those involved in the production
recognition by the audience. Also it creates a space that the Buffalo Opera
Unlimited could potentially sell advertising space. The Survey would outline
how they felt about the production, how they found out about the production and
an opportunity to ask the Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s audience what type of
production they would like to see.
- Awareness- This presents the
opportunity to create an awareness for the organization by giving people
something tangible to bring home with them that could remind them to
inquire about future productions
- Acceptance- This survey
creates an acceptance within survey takers that their opinions will be
heard by the organization
- Action- By the audience filling out the survey it
gives the Buffalo Opera Unlimted a way to evaluate how well certain
tactics are working and what ones are not. This also creates an emotional
response from the audience to find out how they truly feel and shows that
the Buffalo Opera Unlimited cares about the audience’s opinion
For goal two, increasing the overall attendance to Buffalo Opera
Unlimited productions, by utilizing the social media handbook included in our
presentation we believe that through monitoring social media, keeping track of
the increase of “likes” or “follows” of the pages will show the
and using facebook
metrics to track the amount of times the Facebook has been interacted with by
publics.
To see the number of people who viewed your
Facebook Page, click Insights at the top of your Page, then click Page
Views on the left.
From here, you can see views by:
- Section (ex: Posts, About, Reviews)
- Age and Gender
- Country
- City
- Device (ex:
computers, mobile devices)
To find your twitter impressions follow the
directions within the photos provided:
First click VIEW TWEET ACTIVITY to enter the metrics page
Once on the Tweet activity page you can view
how many Impressions you received and how many people engaged with the specific
Tweet.
Appendices
Appendix A: BOU
Commercial
Appendix B: Feature
Release
Appendix C: News
Release
Appendix D: Media Kit
Appendix E: Radio Kit
Appendix F: Social
Media Kit
Appendix G: Contacts
Appendix H: Brochure
Appendix I: Poster
Appendix J: Directions
to Rockwell Hall
Appendix A
Radio Release/Commercial
0:00 SFX:
*Papers ruffling, chairs screeching, students whispering*
0:03 VO1:
I’m just so done with studying. I can’t ever even find the right music to get
my vibe right.
0:06 VO2:
Wow I know. I hate when I can’t get the right song to type to.
0:09 VO1:
I’m just going to put pandora on shuffle because I’ve been searching for like
10 minutes.
0:13 VO2:
Hopefully you get something good. They usually only play like weird opera and
classic hits.
0:15 SFX:
*Clicking from the iPhone searching through the apps for Pandora, and station
selection*
0:16 VO1:
Wow, this sounds ridiculous. Is this a recording from an opera show? What the
heck? It's like…Wait…Oh snap!
0:19 VO1:
Alison! You’ve got to hear this! I thought it would be boring but as soon as I
wanted to push skip the jazz twist came in!
0:21 VO2:
You’re Right! Pat Listen to this! Becca! Gianna! Blake! You guys have got to
hear this! Opera may have just found a new light.
0:22 SFX:
Students sliding swiftly across the floor, chairs squeaking on the floor,
footprints running across the floor, bags dropping on the floor.
0:23 Narrator:
Look at that reaction! If you haven’t heard Opera coming straight from the BOU,
get downtown and get your tickets for an upcoming show! Student tickets are
even discounted to $10! Opera is headed in a brand new direction, even the
college students are loving it, and they’re the pickiest group if you ask me!
For more information visit buffalooperaunlimited.org
or stop by with any questions at 61 Anderson Place.
Appendix B
Feature Release Example for The Fall Of
Stag Lee
Dakota Calderon
Buffalo Opera Unlimited Inc. PR Coordinator
646-645-9085
calderdl01@mail.buffalostate.edu
FOR
USE IMMEDIATELY
The Buffalo Opera Unlimited Inc. Graces The
Stage With Jazz Opera “The Fall of Stag Lee”
Founded in 1985 by artistic director
Tim Kennedy, Buffalo Opera Unlimited (BOU) is a non-profit organization
dedicated to producing opera and a variety of other musical forms with an
emphasis on using local and regional professional artists. BOU is also
committed to making opera more accessible to a broader audience and to
providing education to develop future audiences.
Premiering the full-length jazz
opera The Fall of Stag Lee in 2016 is significant at the local, national
and international levels, since this work has great potential for attracting a
non-traditional audience, a goal of opera companies around the world.
Buffalo, with its strong jazz tradition, is the ideal place to unveil
this work by a native son. Our second production in 2016 will be Humperdinck’s Hansel
and Gretel, which will be marketed as a family-friendly holiday outing,
complete with a reading of the beloved fairy tale prior to the performance and
distribution of gingerbread boys and girls to audience members as they leave.
“I’ve loved opera since I was a
teenager. I don’t remember what my first opera was. It was just overwhelming.
Every bit of it.” Tim Kennedy stated this before creating his mission for the
BOU. It reflects his purpose for creating the jazz opera The Fall of Stag Lee,
to attract the younger audience who may not know opera is their favorite genre
yet.
# # #
The
Buffalo Opera Unlimited was founded in 1985 by Tim Kennedy. It is a jazz
organization built amongst the hope and desire to spread the same love for
opera that helped him begin the organization. The not for profit organization
focuses on producing opera music in a new form to continue gaining new publics
and shift opera into pop culture.
Appendix C
News Release for Ongoing Opera
Dakota Calderon
Buffalo Opera Unlimited Inc. PR Coordinator
calderdl01@mail.buffalostate.edu
646-645-9085
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Buffalo Opera Unlimited Inc. Brings The Opera
To The Stage
BUFFALO,
NY, December 9, 2016 — The Buffalo Opera Unlimited will be premiering many new
opera acts for 2017. Since 1985 the BOU has produced top quality opera music
for the ear, however now there’s something more to expect. Instead of the
classic opera on stage BOU has decided to bring a jazz twist to the stage for
the younger audience, hopefully soon pushing Opera into that category of pop
culture.
After 16 years of presenting
adaptations of operatic works and multiple concerts dedicated to composers such
as William Grant Still, Leonard Bernstein, Duke Ellington, Schubert, and
Gershwin, Buffalo Opera Unlimited began to offer fully staged productions
with orchestra and scenery. And the company continues to grow, both in critical
response and in the stature of it productions. In 2014 BOU produced a
world premiere, The Fall of Stag Lee, composed by native Buffalonian
Darryl Glenn Nettles. This one-act jazz opera was well received and led
the composer to create an expanded, full length work, which BOU will debut in
2016. We expect to increase student attendance yet again by continuing to offer
$10 tickets, to reach out to local schools and colleges, and to secure funding
from local foundations to provide free tickets to school children. In 2015
youth attendance rose from 45 for Così fan tutte to 71 for Die
Fledermaus, so we are confident in our ability to continue to build this
demographic.
Founder of the BOU Tim Kennedy
stated, “Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past and
present are certain to miss the future”. This speaks to his mission to change
the mindset of others about opera as a music form and art no matter the past or
present views; he’s dedicated to creating a new outlook.
# # #
Founded
in 1985 by artistic director Tim Kennedy, Buffalo Opera Unlimited (BOU) is a
non-profit organization dedicated to producing opera and a variety of other
musical forms with an emphasis on using local and regional professional
artists. BOU is also committed to making opera more accessible to a broader
audience and to providing education to develop future audiences.
Appendix D
Media Kit
Purpose: the media kit is a great way for a
news organization to understand who the BOU is as an organization and what they
stand for. The media kit allows for a broad insight to what you would like to
be covered in an article. It includes promotional materials and anything that
could be used to help write and article.
Outline:
- Introduction of yourself and
the BOU
- The BOU mission statement
- Description of the event
- Testimonials, these are quotes
that provide constructive insight and information.
a.
Example “Madama
Butterfly is a moving tale of love and tragedy told from the perspective of a
Japanese women.”
b.
NOT “this performance
will be fun and exciting for everyone!”
Frquently asked
questions: This should cover issues like where to park, address of the
Performing Arts Center, dates of the performance, time of arrival, how
long the performance is, who the director is, who is on the cast. This
information is all geared to the issue or event you want to be known.
Packages and rates
offered
Contact information:
Must be someone in the BOU who can answer more questions or find out the
necessary information easily.
The BOU Presents The
Madama Butterfly
Who: The Buffalo Opera Unlimited
What: “Madama Butterfly” opera show
When: 2016
Where: Rockwell Hall, Buffalo, NY 14222
Why: To raise awareness about the BOU events
and gain a larger audience
The Buffalo Opera Unlimited Background
The Buffalo Opera
Unlimited has performed well in it’s time since 1985. It’s progressed from one
act comic operas, to full performance scale opera. The 2015 celebration of BOU’s
30th anniversary was marked by
mounting, for the first time in the company’s history, three fully staged
productions rather than two: Così fan tutte, A Salute to Duke Ellington and Die Fledermaus. With
thirty years of staying power comes a significant regional economic impact.
Buffalo Opera Unlimited has provided jobs for hundreds of artists and
tradespersons, from the singers, to the set and costume designers and stage
crew, to the musicians accompanying the singers. In addition to the direct
impact of performance-related jobs, BOU provides benefits to local restaurants
and entertainment venues. According to a 2014 Center for Governmental
Research report prepared for Arts Services of Western New York, “an average
arts attendee [in this region] spends $17.77 in addition to the cost of
admission” at a performance.
The
Buffalo Opera Unlimited has continued to give back to the community that
donates to the them to help them complete their mission. The purpose of the
opera is to produce opera in a different way so that it opens doors to extend
the organization and its influences on popular culture. THe organization was
built by an innocent young man that was surprised that he was so attracted to
the opera, so those are the values the opera is based upon. Creating movie
inspired operas and making the opera more accessible to students with discounted
prices is the beginning of a youth driven expansion of the organization. Some
of the internal impediments limiting the organization would be the website
because it’s not too appealing to the eye. The Public Relations team can
improve the website and add more information to the website. Outside of that
the organization could create more advertisements or material to promote the
organization throughout the city of Buffalo. THe organization captures moments
from the Opera as well as put out a newsletter throughout the city. There are a
couple more appealing tactics the Public Relations team could do to gain that
larger crowd. The reputation of the Buffalo Opera Unlimited is positive due to
the talent and skillful individuals a part of their play. According to the
reviews on the website the Opera has been receiving compliments and positive
critiques on the work done and the performances. The Opera has a pretty good
reputation in the city of Buffalo and as it broadens its audience it aims to
keep that reputation. Supporters of the organization would be elderly people
and people that enjoy classical music, as mentioned before. The competitors
would be movie theaters, drama clubs featuring performing arts acts, as well as
art galleries. Some opponents of the organization would be advocates for other
arts like painting, dance, or singing. A major external impediment on the
organization is that the audiences it attracts currently is dying out. The
audience needs to develop more and change demographics so that the Opera
doesn’t die out. That is one of the objectives a part of this campaign.
Appendix E
Radio Kit
Title: The BOU Brings
Opera To the Stage
Organization: The
Buffalo Opera Unlimited
Length: 0:30
Medium: Radio
Writer: Dakota
Calderon
Production note: Read
in an exciting, loud voice (for the college and high school students)
SFX: Upbeat opera
music with jazz twist faded in the back
The Buffalo Opera
Unlimited is bringing opera to the front doors of Buffalo with some of its
opening acts! Come out and discover the hidden mysteries behind the beautiful
voices singing those expressive opera tunes. Beautiful music, amazing imagery,
acts emulating popular screenplays, what more could you ask for? Come down to
61 Anderson Place to enjoy some great opera music. For more information visit www.buffalooperaunlimited.org.
Title: The BOU Brings
Opera To the Stage
Organization: The
Buffalo Opera Unlimited
Length: 0:30
Medium: Radio
Writer: Dakota Calderon
Production note: Read
slowly in formal tone and annunciate properly (for elderly audience)
SFX: Classic opera
music faded in the background
The Buffalo Opera
Unlimited is bringing opera to the front doors of Buffalo with some of its
opening acts! Come out and discover the hidden mysteries behind the beautiful
voices singing those expressive opera tunes. Beautiful music, amazing imagery,
acts emulating popular screenplays, what more could you ask for? Come down to
61 Anderson Place to enjoy some great opera music. For more information visit www.buffalooperaunlimited.org.
Title: The BOU Brings
Opera To the Stage
Organization: The
Buffalo Opera Unlimited
Length: 0:30
Medium: Radio
Writer: Dakota
Calderon
Production note: Calm,
soft voice but formal tone.
SFX: Traditional soft
japanese music faded in the back
The Buffalo Opera
Unlimited is bringing opera to the front doors of Buffalo with some of its
opening acts! Come out and discover the hidden mysteries behind the beautiful
voices singing those expressive opera tunes. Beautiful music, amazing imagery,
acts emulating popular screenplays, what more could you ask for? Come down to
61 Anderson Place to enjoy some great opera music. For more information visit www.buffalooperaunlimited.org.
Appendix F: Social Media
Guides
Facebook:
o
What it is-
·
It is a social
networking site that lets you share photos, videos, links, status updates, and
much more. It is used to stay in touch with a large demographic of people,
which is key for businesses.
o
What to post-
·
Information on events and specialties, where
events are happening, human interest information, short rehearsal videos prior
to the opening show, post-show pictures of event, and more.
o
How to post-
·
At the top of the News
Feed where it says “what’s on your mind?” there are options to add
photos/videos, an entire photo album, or just an announcement you want people to
read. With that should be hashtags In order to get the brand out to more social
media users
o Things to know-
·
The news feed is a stream of updates posted by
your friends which are viewed by clicking on the home page.
·
Inbox are the messages
sent from friends that can be viewed by clicking the message icon in the top
right.
o To check messages sent by people who are not
currently your Facebook friend, you must click on the message icon and then
click “message requests.” This is important because someone who is not your
friend still may have questions to ask or want to know more about the
organization.
·
Make sure your header
and profile picture are appropriate for the company. Using the upcoming show as
your header and a picture of the entire cast as your profile picture, would be
ideal.
·
Post relevant pictures
and stories to keep people engaged.
·
Be sure to post sharable
content, which refers to content directed toward your audience with a catchy
headline and visuals.
·
Share links to your
website when posting about events, along with including the times, prices, etc.
·
Post high quality
pictures
o If you plan on posting more than one headshot or
picture from an event, post them all at once, rather than in back to back posts
·
Do possible ticket
give-a-ways to randomly chosen people who share your post to keep them engaged
while promoting the upcoming production at the same time.
·
Use relevant, popular
hashtags
o For example, #BuffaloOperaUnlimted, #BOU,
#Opera, and so on
Instagram:
o What it is-
·
An online mobile photo/video-sharing
and social networking service that allows people to share their pictures and
videos publicly or privately, as well as through other social networking
platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
o What to post-
·
Pictures and videos
before, during, and after the event of the cast or a collage of each person’s
portrait. Pictures can be taken of the audience as well, to show the outcome of
the performance.
o How to post-
·
Tap the blue square in
the middle of the bottom menu bar
·
Tap on the picture icon
and choose a picture from the camera roll
·
You can now zoom in and
out of the picture if needed
·
Next, choose a filter at
the bottom of the screen to look more appealing to the viewers
·
If you click on the
wrench icon, things such as brightness, contrast, hue, warmth, and so on can be
altered
·
Once you finish editing
the picture or video, click next
·
Now write a caption that
engages with your followers, with the use of hashtags and phrases that can be
understood by everyone, including people who do not know anything about opera
·
Add a location in order for people to know where
the picture was taken
·
People can be tagged in
the picture, which will allow followers to click on their profile and follow
them as well
·
You can also click the
Facebook and Twitter icons to share the post to those platforms (highly
recommended)
·
Once you do this, you
then click “share” for everyone to see
o Things to know-
·
Push notifications can
be setup so that when someone likes your photo, mentions you in a post, or you
are tagged, you will be notified
o This can be done by clicking on the settings
wheel when you are on your profile and clicking on “push notification settings”
·
Sharing your pictures
and videos to Facebook and Twitter will generate more followers and get more
people engaged
o This can be setup by clicking on the settings
wheel on your profile page and then clicking “linked accounts”
·
Follow users that
pertain to opera or something similar so that they can follow you back and help
you gain more followers as well
·
Use relevant, popular
hashtags
o For example, #BuffaloOperaUnlimted, #BOU,
#Opera, and so on
·
Come up with flexible
posting plan
·
It is not necessary to
post every single day, so to come up with a posting plan will make your life
easier
·
Create a bio that
explains what you are as an organization and why people would want to follow
you
·
Too many pictures at one
time can be overwhelming, so be wise with which pictures to post
·
Possibly provide perks
to followers so that viewing your page becomes a priority to them
Twitter:
o What it
is-
·
An online news and
social networking service where users are only allowed to post and read
140-character messages referred to as “tweets.” Posts are meant to be short and
quick to read.
o What to post-
·
Unlike Facebook and Instagram, posts on Twitter are typically done
more often because of the character limit. Posts about
o How to post-
·
Type in the “what’s
happening?” text box and then click on the “tweet button”
o
If you are on the mobile
application, click on the quill and pad icon to post.
o
There is a character
countdown offered to help you keep track of how long your post is
·
The most important step
on this social media site are the hashtags, which will give your post a better
chance of being seen, especially if you use easily searchable words
o
Something as simple as
#opera is what makes the post searchable, but hashtags such as #BOU or
#BuffaloOperaUnlimited will give a personal touch to promote the organization
·
Pictures, videos, gifs,
polls, and your location can be added to each tweet as well, along with tagging
people
o
The use of polls could
be great after a production in order to engage with your followers
·
You can also retweet
another user’s post that might have something to do with opera or your current
production
o
This can be done by
clicking on the arrows icon under someone’s tweet
o Things to know-
·
Keep the header and
profile picture the same as your Facebook and Instagram. There should be
fluidity with each social networking site you have.
·
To tag someone in a
post, before typing in their name, use the @ symbol. A list of names will pop
up and you can choose from there
·
Your home page is where
you can view all of your followers’ post
·
Three things can be done
to someone’s tweet
o
Replying to a post by
using the left pointing arrow
o
Retweeting a post, which
was explained above
o
To favorite a post,
click on the heart
·
To check when someone
replies to you, favorites, or retweets a post, click on the “notifications” tab
·
On the computer layout,
trends will be located on the left side of your home page. These are worldwide
trends that millions of people search each day, and they are always changing.
o
Having the ability to
add one of those hashtags to your post, if it pertains somehow, could get a
greater number of people to view that post or your page
·
The “moments” tab at the
top is there to show you what’s happening on Twitter and is customized to show
users the current popular topics.
·
The “messages” tab is
there for followers to send you direct messages (people who do not follow
cannot send you a message) and should be checked frequently
·
Create a bio that
explains who you are as an organization and intrigues new people to follow you
·
In order to change your
profile settings, click on your profile picture in the top right corner in
between “search twitter” and “tweet”
o
Connect to your Facebook
in order to post tweets to it, by clicking “apps” on the left side of the page
Website Based Problems:
o Remove address from Google because it shows a different location
o Mobile layout is not scaled properly
o Background color should be more neutral
o
The three pictures shown
on the bottom could be more relevant, such as the last two productions along
with the upcoming one. Along with that, the pictures could be interactive and
lead the user to the productions gallery on another page.
o Use different font
o The
“about us” drop down should just be “our mission.” The drop down is not
necessary for this.
o
The gallery should look
more organized and the link should be a drop down with each event/production.
o A “buy tickets” link should be placed on the home page for easier
and quicker access.
o Provide a Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram link on homepage as
well.
o
Move the “Buffalo
First!” picture at the bottom of the schedule link to somewhere else,
preferably the home page.
o Donate button should be on the homepage, not on the contact us
page.
o New logo is needed.
o Include directions to Rockwell Hall on schedule page that is easy
to read.
o Start reviews with the most recent. Try to get a more recent
review, not from 2014.
Best Practices:
o Utilize “your reaction” content. 
o Add personality into social content
o
Provide content to those
who are more invested through videos of rehearsals or behind the scenes content
of how production was made.
·
Best practices further
explained:
·
Example of a great opera
house website:
Appendix G: Post
Performance Survey
How did you hear about the
BOU and this performance?
1. News article
2. Online advertising
3. Radio advertisement
4. Promotional event/In person speaker
5. Poster/Brochure
6. Friend
What type of opera
performances do you prefer?
1. Traditional
2. Contemporary
3. Family-friendly
4. Pop-culture
How many opera
performances at the BOU have you attended?
1. 1
2. 2-4
3. 5-10
4. 11+
How satisfied are you
with this performance? (1=not at all, 5=extremely)
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5
Additional comments:
Appendix H-Contact
Information
Colleges Contacts:
University at Buffalo
Japanese Society-
talktojsa@hotmail.com
University at Buffalo-
(716) 645-6878
(716) 645-6970 fax
art-info@buffalo.edu
Medaille-
cgrim@Medaille.edu
Courtney E. Grim Associate Professor, Division of Humanities
D’Youville-
320 Porter Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14201
Phone: 716-829-8000 800-777-3921 (inquire to fine arts minor chair)
Villa Maria -
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, MUSIC, MUSIC DEPARTMENT CHAIR
Anthony Casuccio acasuccio@villa.edu
716-961-1831
Canisius-
Griff Center
Phone: (716) 888-2170
Niagara U-
Jennifer Stahlman: Administrative Assistant/ Box Office
Supervisor/Friends Liaison/ Gala Coord 716.286.8483
Suzanne Hibbard
Administrative Assistant/Friends Liaison/ Gala Coordinator
Buffalo State Fine Arts Dept-
Interim Chair and Professor (716) 878-6014 Upton Hall 502B
jianglx@buffalostate.edu
Performing Arts High
School 192 Contact:
Principal: Ms. Jody Covington
Assistant Principal: Mr. Jonathan Welka
Assistant Principal: Mrs. Rebecca Ryan
Arts Coordinator: Mr. Chris George
Grades: 5-12 • Hours: 7:55-2:26
Phone: 716.816.4220
Fax: 716.888.7136
(ask for Andrew Kottler, Kelly Beuth teachers)
Muslim American Society/ Ciff International
Film Festival Contact:
Contact: Richard
Polley
Deb Silverman:
Japanese Garden:
lach@roadrunner.com
