‘If You Love Drama, You’ll Love Opera’ Says Opera Australia

Opera Australia and DDB Melbourne together are tapping into Australia’s innate love of drama in their latest campaign. The campaign, which promotes the arrival of ‘Rigoletto’ and ‘Turandot’ in Melbourne, was designed to dramatise the emotional and joyful experience the opera can offer and appeal to a wider, contemporary audience.

Both the social films and radio spots talk to everyone out there who loves drama, concluding with an invitation to experience the opera themselves. Their humorous approach was new territory for Opera Australia. After all, you wouldn’t think Rigoletto and the concept of catfishing would ever appear in the same sentence.

To support the social films and radio spots, comedian and TV writer Rosie Waterland was invited to review a Rigoletto performance. Well-known for her hilarious recaps of The Bachelor, Waterland’s funny and honest reviews positioned the opera as the original home of drama.

Says Anthony Moss, ECD, DDB Melbourne: “Working on a client like Opera Australia was a true pleasure. Their business problem is an intriguing one; trying to get Opera virgins to give it a try. They agreed with us that Opera posters only preach to the converted without enough information or motivation for a novice. By comparing the drama of the Opera to that of an episode of Married at First Sight or a game of footy, we could speak to the right people and appeal to their existing behaviours and preferences.”

Says Georgia Rivers, executive producer and marketing director, Opera Australia: “We went to DDB for a creative solution to a strategic problem and they generated a lot of fantastic ideas very quickly, and were able to execute to a high level.”