Louisville Ballet Season of Transcendence: Brand and Marketing

Louisville Ballet, the fifth oldest ballet company in the country, is a staple in the Louisville Arts community. The year after their 70th Anniversary, we were tasked with bringing The Season of Transcendence to life. A Season focused on transcending beyond the 70th Anniversary and the restrictions of Covid, we were able to explore themes of magic and fantasy in new ways.

Campaign Identity & Design Media Planning & Execution

The Challenge

The struggle of performing arts post-COVID

More than 2 years post-Covid, the world was still reeling and performing arts across the country were trying to find their bearings. Audiences were ready to return to their “normal” lives, however they were becoming more choosy with how and where they spent their time and money–and Ballet companies everywhere were seeing sharp declines in their membership packages.

Two ballet dancers in orange dresses perform on stage with one leg raised high. The text reads “Coppélia” and “October 6–8, 2022” on a blue background with a faint drawing of a dancer.

A simple blue line drawing of a woman with short hair, puffed sleeves, and a square neckline dress, shown from the waist up, on a black background.

The Approach

A cohesive season with a targeted approach

Researching what other companies were seeing, as well as broad performing arts trends, we uncovered themes that hadn’t been explored before. Previous seasons had focused on selling season subscriptions, driving each person to multiple shows within the year. In this upcoming season, we knew a shift was needed and efforts must be focused on driving new people to Louisville Ballet and pushing individual performances depending on the audience it would appeal to most.

The visual identity for the Season of Transcendence is based on custom, whimsical illustrations that represent the themes of each performance. The icons come together in a lockup to create the visual anchor of the season on a dark black background. The creative for each show inverts the season colors using large fields of their unique bright color, the show icon, and photography to get a sense of what the show is about. Contrasting from previous seasons, this season focused on a cohesive look and feel for every show included in it. This provided a stronger connection between the shows and the overarching theme.

A hand holds a blue postcard featuring a photo of ballet dancers in orange costumes mid-performance, with text that reads Coppélia, October 6-8, 2022, Louisville Ballet and an outline illustration of a dancer.

A hand holds a pink postcard for the Brown-Forman Nutcracker, showing two ballet dancers performing on stage. The card has a clock graphic and event dates: December 9–23, 2022. Louisville Ballet is mentioned at the bottom.

The Results

New mediums for new audiences

The season media plan delivered significant impressions throughout the life of the campaign. The expansion into new mediums grabbed the attention of fresh audiences and there was a significant lift in organic traffic to the website as well as online transactions. Additionally, the company experienced one of their strongest Nutcracker performances in its history.

Ballet dancers perform a snow scene from The Nutcracker, with a male dancer lifting a female dancer. To the right, show details for the Brown-Forman Nutcracker, December 9–23, 2022, with a pink background and Nutcracker illustration.

A pink poster for the Louisville Ballets The Brown-Forman Nutcracker, with black line-art drawings of a nutcracker, ballerinas, gifts, drums, stars, and ornaments.

A smartphone displays a Facebook post about the Louisville Ballets Nutcracker. Surrounding graphics show ballet dancers and event details on a pink background with festive icons and text promoting ticket purchases.

An open magazine displays a Louisville Ballet “Season of Transcendence” 2022-2023 page, featuring neon-style outline graphics of flowers, ballet figures, butterflies, and event details on a black background.