Print, radio, outdoor and direct marketing campaigns were used to raise awareness of the four-year Olympic Arts program. The Entertainment Group (TEG), a subsidiary of The Christie Agency, is seeing the results of four years preparation in promoting the four Olympic festivals, culminating in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Arts Festival, which opens on 18 August and runs for just over six weeks. Account director Stephanie Sulway, account manager Mark Sutcliffe and account executive Alistair Graham were placed full time in SOCOGÕs offices, to closely coordinate the festival. The event is designed to complement rather than compete with the Games, and according to Stephanie Sulway, the Arts Festival Òactually forms part of the charter for the modern OlympicsÓ. One of the reasons SydneyÕs bid was successful was the strong local arts scene. Many arts groups have a strong loyal following in Sydney, however, the point of the Olympic Arts Festival is to get as many people involved as possible and market it as a fundamental part of the Games. And that was the challenge that faced TEG Ñ marketing the event to the whole community, including many who are not frequent patrons of arts events. ÒWe wanted people who have never been to the arts before but are interested in the Olympic experience,Ó says Sulway. To reach this wider audience TEG has taken advantage of the resources offered by many Olympic sponsors. Fairfax, 2UE and The City of Sydney supplied space to promote the event. Also, because the festival includes many performances that tend to appeal to specific groups, TEG has been able to complement this mass media approach with targeted marketing. Publications like Sydney Child were used to advertise family events such as the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, while the Triple J network and Drum Media promoted Hemispheres, a two-day event held in Centennial Park. Ethnic press was also used to draw attention to many overseas performers. Information leaflets were placed in venues and selected shops around Sydney. Regular ticket buyers were specifically targeted to ensure sales targets, while mass media campaigns aimed to reach the less exposed or convinced sections of the community. Normally companies like Opera Australia and the Sydney Dance Company rely heavily on their subscription base for advertising, but in this case, the objective of the festival was to attract a wider audience. With four years to work on the festival, the campaign, featuring design by DNA Creative, has involved many stages. The Arts Festival campaign began with the release of the official brochure and program in The Sydney Morning Herald in October last year. In March the momentum was boosted by advertising in newspapers, magazines and radio, as well as a DM campaign. Publicity for specific events began in July. It has been important for TEG to make people aware that the event begins several weeks before the first medals are contested. To do this the campaign has intensified during August with daily advertising in newspapers and on radio. Outdoor advertising has formed a major part of the campaign. Flags and banners appear throughout the city and billboards and Buspak ads have been used to emphasise the notion that this is a city alive during the event. The festival is not taking place in Sydney homes nor on TV, but on city streets and venues, with free live performances helping to accentuate the buzz. Most of the performances will take place in the Opera House. ÒWe are lucky that one of our most world recognised attractions turns out to be an artistic and cultural icon,Ó says Mark Sutcliffe. It is hoped that the buildingÕs status will appeal to overseas and interstate visitors and also attract locals who may never have been inside. Marc NewsonÕs Energy of Australia will light up the sails of the Opera House, shining the spotlight on the central focus of the festival. To date, the campaign has achieved record ticket pre-sales for a festival in Australia, only fitting for the biggest Olympics Arts Festival ever. MahlerÕs Symphony of a Thousand, which was held on 19 August in the 13,000-seat Sydney SuperDome, had only a few hundred tickets available a few days before the performance. Hemispheres is expected to attract 30,000 people over its two days. A CD which documents Hemispheres will be brought out by EMI, while Universal will produce a classical music compilation from the festival to broaden the marketing appeal. Richard Cann
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