Can someone please explain to me why organizations that actually have awesome programming like the Brooklyn Philharmonic still manage to make themselves look completely lame?
Don’t you knock-out Rosewood font/drop-shadow me, Brooklyn. Also, what is that item in the top right corner – a speaker? Why?? Take that nonsense out and increase the size of the artist photos so we can see who we’re dealing with. And what is this “BP Presents”? Is that a branded thing, a new series, or just something someone thought would look good on an e-blast?
The point is, this marketing piece makes their concert look neither cool nor fun and, presumably, it will be both.
I took a gander at the website and came out of the viewing experience totally nauseated. The icons spin and you have to stop them by hovering your mouse over the one you want. Nothing on the homepage says “This is an orchestra.” Rather, it looks generic and empty; we all know orchestra concert tickets don’t look like cheap door prize tickets, come on. Also, 1959 called; it wants its TV back.
If you couldn’t read “Brooklyn Philharmonic music director Michael Christie” on both the site homepage and the e-blast, would you know they were marketing materials from the same organization? No you would not, because the aesthetic is completely different.
I seem to remember a Brooklyn Philharmonic poster campaign from maybe a year ago that was hot pink and had Michael Christie’s press photo all Andy Warholed-out. I thought, yes, good, use pink and evoke Warhol: that’s how to get the kiddies to the symphony in the 21st century.
Groan.
this post is hilarious! you’re totally spot on
::: head desk ::: Really? I mean … really?
Why bother?
The combination of design elements remind us of the vaudevillian overselling of the 1920s along with the retro-futurism of the 1950s. This clash of the outdated evokes what hipsters crave — “irony.” It is “ironic” that their advertising is so “lame” for a concert that will probably be quite “cool.” And “ironically,” today’s “irony for irony’s sake” kids may be more attracted to this advertising than anything that is legitimately more coherent, sleek, etc. Don’t knock the campaign till you see who comes.
You think they purposely put bad marketing into the world to be ironic? Okee. I do agree that sometimes the farther one goes in the dorky direction the cooler one somehow is (this is how I justify doing classical music publicity for a living, anyway), but this e-flyer went out to the Brooklyn Philharmonic’s list; I suspect the only hipster e mails on there are those they collected from BQE and Joanna Newsom sales. And I know who will come – that has nothing to do with marketing materials and everything to do with Grizzly Bear, Final Fantasy and Brooklyn Vegan. Will the audience they get for this concert continue to come to “regular old” Brooklyn Phil concerts is the question. Thanks for commenting! -AA
It looks like a poster for a concert at The Stone Pony. Maybe the art director looked at your “Life’s a Pitch” intro at the top/near-right.
Zing! I stand by my points, but am glad it appeals to some people. -AA
Um…this is one of the more retarded posts I’ve encountered since Gawker posted a note from a well-known writer who was asking for help moving into a new apartment. The writer offered to buy any and all helpers pizza and beer and people commented that he was a “cheap midwesterner.” WHO CARES?!
Jesus, get a life. “Life’s a Pitch?” Yes it is, when this stuff is floating around. That show will sell out before the end of the year.
Nice – the word “retarded” has been used. Classy! I love people who opt to read certain blogs – no one’s forcing you, buddy – and then act like the posts are personal impositions. -AA
Are you sure you’re a supporter of the Brooklyn Phil? Then I guess you might call this critique tough love…? Sounds more like tough snark. Now *that* is an original aesthetic device.
My husband and I love the “tough snark” on this blog!! Don’t change, Life’s a Pitch, because of these haters! Orchestras in this country are not held to any kind of design standard – they put posters and e mails into the world without thinking about branding or anything. Yes, this is one woman’s aesthetic opinion, but at least someone is calling them out on these things. Can we all at least agree that the website “carousel” is a nightmare?
Man, I can’t believe you are all picking on a scrappy non-profit—whether its design choices suit your exacting tastes or not—and you call the people *defending* them the haters. Time to reevaluate where you place your energies. If you really care, write a note to the Brooklyn Phil and give some constructive criticism privately. Don’t shit on them (or the other orchestras with good shows and “bad” posters) all over your quite plain-looking blog.
Well, I didn’t design this blog, it’s hosted by ArtsJournal, but that’s OK. People are getting all riled up about this – I’m glad the Brooklyn Philharmonic has so many supporters! I’m also glad people are engaged and talking about marketing classical music, even if they disagree with me. I write this blog because I genuinely want more people to go to classical concerts, that’s all. The Brooklyn Philharmonic (and all of BAM, for that matter) is doing such a fantastic job getting new audiences into the concert hall; I want to make sure they come back for more. -AA
Your blog is great: honest and helpful. I am sure the Brooklyn Philharmonic can take it. And, if you shut up, as these cry babies suggest, sending a note to the Brooklyn Phil, well, what would be the point of this blog?
Keep it coming Amanda. There’s always some boneheads out there.
Hey, thanks! For what it’s worth, three separate people from the Brooklyn Philharmonic subscribed to the Life’s a Pitch newsletter this morning; either they’re interested, or they just want to keep an eye on me! -AA
While I do agree the rotating icons on the website are bit vertigo inducing,I think the generalizations about the overall marketing is a bit short sighted. I went to a few “BP” events within the last year, yes I used “BP” it’s just easier, one in particular had some stellar marketing materials “Sounds from the Mushroom Kingdom” this was the perfomace in which they played video game music I still have the flyer and tickets at home because I thought they were very unique and appealing. I understand your gripes although they feel a bit personally motivated. I am sure this is exactly the look they were going for, perhaps you should criticize the management staff not the art work.
Judging from the young, hip audiences that the BP gets for their shows it seems that your petulant commnets are way off the mark. Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and many other arts organizations would kill for the audiences that show up for BP presents so the ad strategy must be doing something right. Are we supposed to think you have a highly developed artistic sense because you notice the grain of wood in an ad? I looked at the ad and thought that the featured artists appealed to hipsters who listed to their music via vinyl so it was completely on the mark. Do you really think if the photos were bigger that might inspire someone to buy a ticket? You should know better. I think you should go buy another pair of skinny jeans and ballet flats, get a sense of humor and not take yourself so seriously.
Have we met? I’m not entirely sure I wear skinny jeans and/or ballet flats, but if you say so! They’re booking Sufjan Stevens and Grizzly Bear; that’s what they’re doing right, and as clearly stated, I commend them for it. And YES! Noticing “the grain of wood in an ad” (???) is, in fact, my special X-Men skill! -AA
I really can’t understand all the ranting and raving about this post. Amanda is right on in her remarks about the poorly designed materials. She’s not bashing the Brooklyn Philharmonic itself, she’ just criticizing what should be obvious to anyone even remotely involved with marketing an arts organization. Any organization should have coherent design (if it’s quality and coherent design, even better!) to raise brand awareness and recognition. Brooklyn Philharmonic is clearly missing this fundamental point.
Some people tend to think that posters and flyers and newsletters and overall image is a matter of taste, but it’s not. It’s a matter of effectiveness in passing your message, be it for programmatic or institutional purposes. Or both.
(I was truly confused by the huge “BP PRESENTS” on that e-flyer, and even thought that BP Petroleum was sponsoring. Apparently not.)
Amanda,
I have noticed that you take a lot of people to task on your blog, not just Brooklyn Philharmonic, which is your right, but often times you do it with a snarky, mean and angry tone. What gives?! I know you are aware that the performing arts world is small…I hope you are building a raft while you are burning all these bridges.
You yourself state in your mission, “Why don’t we apply the successful marketing and publicity campaigns we see in our everyday lives to the performing arts?” Even if this current BP aesthetic doesn’t interest you, they are certainly looking outside of the confines of classical music marketing and taking the risks necessary to remain vital in this saturated arts market. If you have ever been to a BP concert, you can attest to the fact that they have an unusually young audience for classical music. While I encourage you to continue to ask the questions that you’re asking, I’d suggest also doing the necessary research beforehand. BP Presents is entering its third season. The series has been hailed by everyone from Rolling Stone to The New York Times. Previous collaborating artists include Antony and the Johnsons, Nellie McKay, Laurie Anderson, and Joanna Newsom. (Sufjan Stevens’ BQE show was a BAM production). I’m not sure why you chose to target the one orchestra in town actually trying to expand the definition of an orchestra through everything from their programming, graphic design, and education programs. If you can brave the nausea of the website, why don’t you actually take a look at what they do?
Yes, I have been to Brooklyn Philharmonic concerts, don’t you worry. And I did “actually” take a look at what they do; where on the site do they describe the “BP Presents” series? From the copy on the website, the orchestra seems torn between trying to connect with its old and its new audiences; in some places, they refer to themselves as “the BP” and in others, as “the Brooklyn Philharmonic”. It’s a rich man’s problem – actually having that coveted young person audience – but it has to be carefully marketed and presented. -AA
I’m surprised that nobody has mentioned the egregious errors on the BP website. I used two different browsers and got the same thing. Click on “Concerts and Tickets,” then scroll to the bottom of the page. Click on any link of the three concerts to go to each concert’s page. Surely a marketing staff of five members can come up with something better.
The links work on the website for me. I know this is a new site for them, it sure is so much better than the old one they had. Maybe they are still working out bugs.
Yes, it looks like they “worked out the bugs.” (which should happen before a site goes public. oh, well).