The BIG Ticket: Opera Has a Brand Management Issue
Tuesday, February 11th, 2025
Hi!
I have been digging around in my saved links, looking for something around the arts because I think you can learn how to better market and sell your events from everywhere.
“How to Save Opera in America” is Peter Gelb’s look at opera in America.
Peter highlights how challenging it is to stage operas.
He highlights how dated brand opera can feel to people.
Plus, he mentions that a lot of opera has become more experimental.
All valid points.
But I look at the challenge opera faces in America as one of brand management.
The opera isn’t the first cultural institution or brand to need to maintain relevance.
In truth, managing your brand is your most important job.
Why?
Because your brand is your most valuable asset.
I could spend all day on branding.
I’m happy to take a deeper dive into how brand management plays a role in every area of arts, sports, and entertainment if you are interested.
Today, I want to highlight one big idea.
The idea that for all of the ideas offered up by Mr. Gelb, the most important key to turning around opera is the act of discovery.
What do I mean by discovery?
You need to understand what the audience wants?
Not just the current audience, but the potential audience.
In marketing terms, you want to see what is going on with your “total addressable audience.”
Why does this matter?
Simple.
You can’t reach new people if you don’t talk to them.
The simple way of getting started is with a two-step process:
Begin with discovery of the associations you want people to have with your brand.
Focus on the history of the brand.
All the things that make your brand yours.
Test those assumptions.
In many cases, what you think people associate with you isn’t true.
Or, it doesn’t align with what you think you are saying to people.
You test with surveys.
They don’t have to be complex.
Simpler is often always better.
The key is you have to start where you are.
You need to understand the past and the present to plot a future.
Even prescriptions like reimagining old operas for today might not be what is most important to people.
So you can’t trust your assumptions.
Make sense?
Dave
P.S: Here’s a case study from my marketing professor, Mark, about how Tiffany refreshed its brand.
If you want me to go deeper on the brand of “Opera” or to create a case study of some other brand, hit me up with your suggestions.
Join us in the Talking Tickets Slack Channel.