THE CHALLENGE
With ballet classic, Swan Lake, returning to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet stage for the 75th Anniversary season, the costuming was in need of replacement due to 25 years of wear, repair and extensive international touring. The cost to replace these went above and beyond the budget for this production and lasting replacements required an additional $60,000 in wardrobe budget.
THE SOLUTION
A video was created as a content piece to connect social networks with the Tutus in Bloom campaign. As an alternative to a traditional press release, a public service announcement was sent to the media to increase the reach as PSAs for non-profit fundraising campaigns see a higher guaranteed rate of coverage, especially on public news networks. Additional pitches were sent to media to further the reach of this campaign.
THE IMPACT
The campaign efforts resulted in human interest stories and media visits to the RWB’s wardrobe department and rehearsal studios examining the wardrobe design and creation process. Seven media hits resulted, including a 2.5 minute feature on CTV News leading to a $20,000+ donation tipping this campaign over the $60,000 goal.