Ideas & Insights

Congratulations YBCA and POP!

We’re proud to announce that YBCA and POP were recently awarded a 2007 Web Award for Outstanding Achievement in Website Development by the Web Marketing Association. In designing and developing this site, POP worked closely with YBCA to create a site that communicates the organizations unique identity. Take a look at their site and we’re sure you’ll understand why we often use YBCA as an example of successfully translating a brand into an online experience.

Posted on October 24th, 2007 at 3:11 AM

Taking a Ticket Giveaway to the Next Level

The National Ballet of Canada hit on an innovative new way to engage patrons in a ticket giveaway. Instead of the usual “click to win” strategy, the Ballet came up with an interactive contest for their upcoming production of West Side Story. Users watch a short clip of several of the Ballet’s West Side Story dancers and then answer trivia questions about who those modern characters represent from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

The contest is a fun way to generate participation and create a stronger connection between the Ballet’s patrons and its production of West Side Story. Not to mention that with each friend a patron refers to the contest, that person increases their chances of winning and the Ballet expands its audience even further.

Posted on October 22nd, 2007 at 5:12 AM

Performing Arts Come to Life in a Virtual World

There’s a lot of buzz around Web 2.0 opportunities in the arts these days. The online world is teeming with new ways for organizations to engage existing patrons and attract younger audiences. Second Life, a virtual world created by its residents, is an established site with a growing appeal for the arts. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is one of the first organizations to venture into the world of Second Life. In conjunction with the opening of their 2007/08 Season, the orchestra built a virtual replica of their Art Deco Hall and broadcast the performance live to an audience of Second Life citizens, called avatars, from around the world. All for about the same cost to run as an ad in their local paper!Second Life currently has almost 9 million residents. These avatars are deeply engaged in their online world, creating an active community where they can connect over shared experiences. While it remains to be seen how arts organizations will successfully participate in this virtual realm, the Liverpool Philharmonic’s live performance and Artropolis, an artist colony in Second Life, are paving the way. What is clear is that there exists a unique opportunity to reach diverse audiences and encourage a new form of interactivity in the arts. Watch a short video of the making of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s concert hall and check out what the New York Times had to say.

Posted on October 18th, 2007 at 9:29 PM