Arizona Opera
In 2017, Arizona Opera (AZO) was challenged to achieve a more balanced revenue structure between ticket sales and donors. To meet their revenue goals, AZO designed a new programming model that would continue to present beloved traditional operas while launching a more gutsy and intimate “chamber” series in the 2017/2018 season. Increasingly, US opera companies are taking advantage of opportunities to deliver the art form in compelling and unexpected ways to appeal to a wider variety of audiences.
The goal: be fresh, inventive and forge an artistic vibrancy that resonates with both current AZO patrons and people who have never experienced opera before. Phase 1 of this re-branding effort focused on Market Research and Discovery. 48 West led the marketing research, strategy and public relations for the project, with Kitchen Sink Studios leading the branding and design. Moving a well-known Arizona brand into a new artistic era and attracting new audiences meant we needed to understand where the market opportunities were and what changes we needed to implement to make the most of them.
The research results helped the team lead the Brand Discovery exercise to create new brand messaging options, which ultimately led to the new AZO logo design and the vivid RED Series art for the new chamber series.
Services
- Market Research
- Data Science
- Segmentation and Persona Design
- Marketing Planning
- Brand & Messaging Development
- Public Relations
- Social Media
- Influencer Marketing
- Finalist 2017 American Marketing Association Spectrum Awards for Brand Identity Rebrand of the Year
- Unanimous approval from the Arizona Opera Board of Directors to launch the new brand identity.
- Local and national earned media placements, including the prestigious publications Opera World and Broadway World.
- Featured in the Herberger Theater special press event with local dignitaries, including Phoenix's Mayor Stanton, to share the excitement and enthusiasm of the brand launch. Mayor Stanton regarded it as a key component of breathing new life into the Arizona arts community.
Joseph Specter, President and General Director of AZO commented, "The re-brand presents new creative opportunities. We took some artistic risks and we are thrilled about the idea that we are using the new brand to tell stories that unite and inspire Arizona in the fullest way possible.”