2021 Brand Experience & Activation

BEER BALLET

TitleBEER BALLET
BrandURAL OPERA BALLET
Product/ServiceTHE HUMPBACKED HORSE PERFORMANCE
Category G08. Market Disruption
Entrant VOSKHOD Ekaterinburg, RUSSIA
Idea Creation VOSKHOD Ekaterinburg, RUSSIA
Media Placement VOSKHOD Ekaterinburg, RUSSIA
Credits
Name Company Position
Andrei Gubaidullin Voskhod Creative Director
Islom Gulyamov Voskhod Copywriter
Anastasia Maksimova Voskhod Copywriter
Anton Rozhin Voskhod Creative Director
Dmitry Maslakov Voskhod Digital Creative Director
Vasily Tsykin Voskhod Technical Director
Vladislav Derevyannikh Voskhod Art Director
Maksim Geichenko Voskhod Designer
Marat Dzhantuganov Voskhod Designer
Alexei Klimov Voskhod Designer

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

Ural Opera Ballet wanted to raise funds and execute their idea of an experimental ballet performance ‘The Humpbacked Horse’. To support their crowdfunding campaign and expand its audience beyond ballet aficionados, it was necessary to deliver a new extraordinary experience to the customers via an unusual communication channel; so we collaborated with a local brewery to boost the interest of new audience segments.

Background

Ural Opera Ballet are the innovators of the Russian ballet scene. After the COVID-19 pandemic outburst, they needed money to carry out the concept of their new experimental ballet ‘Humpbacked Horse’.The theatre needed to collect $80K for all stage props and costumes production. The ballet is a classical performance dating back to 1912, but modernized with a sprinkle of local vibe, gopniks and rappers. Gopniks are a local subcultural phenomenon, the youth of the industrial working class. Ekaterinburg’s (the theatre’s home city) suburban districts are famous for their gopniks communities. To support their theatre’s crowdfunding campaign, they needed a new approach to engaging new audiences.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

The idea was to win over a new audience and to attract their attention to the theatre’s activity. The new approach was to create an extraordinary collaboration that would bring traditional theatre art and a wide audience closer. By doing so, we would make sure that the crowdfunding campaign would have a new lease of life, and that wider audiences would come to Ural Opera Ballet.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Traditionally, ballet is an elite art form, usually associated with such liquors as champagne, brandy, cognac, etc. To highlight the idea that Ural Opera Ballet represents modern and accessible art, we chose a more mainstream and mass alcohol option. Beer is a more universal and popular drink for our target audience (young people 20-45 y.o.).

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

Together with Jaws, a famous local brewery, we released Humpbacked Horse brand beer. The limited batch of 56K bottles was distributed across all popular bars and beer spots of the Ural region of Russia. A part of Jaws’ profit was donated to the theatre. Additionally, the QR code on each bottle of beer gave people the opportunity to donate an optional sum of money to the props and costumes production. The crowdfunding campaign got rolling, and after two months the necessary money was collected.

List the results (30% of vote)

Media impressions: 7 mln Media outlets supported the launch of the Humpbacked Horse branded beer collection despite the fact that it’s forbidden to advertise alcoholic drinks in Russia. Over 100 publications $80K were collected in the course of 2 months. The Humpbacked Horse ballet premiere took place in July 2021 and was a success. All tickets sold out for the whole season.

Please tell us how disruption in your market inspired the work

The pandemic crisis put the Ural Opera Ballet in a difficult financial position, when the theatre’s income was only enough to maintain its day-to-day functioning. There were not enough funds to finance creation and production of new performances. At the same time, the theatre was looking for ways to attract new audiences and break the stereotype that ballet is an elite art form. Traditionally, ballet in Russia is usually associated with such ‘high level’ liquors as champagne, brandy, cognac, etc. To highlight the idea that Ural Opera Ballet represents modern and accessible art, we chose beer, as a more mainstream and mass alcohol option. For our country it’s a precedent to mix the two very different concepts into one collaboration project, so it turned out to be a market-disrupting experience.