Objective
To drive press interest and ticket sales for the launch of a Washington, DC-based performing arts festival
Project Scope
- Branding concept and design
- Integrated online marketing strategy
- Web site development and management
- Social media implementation
- Custom content production
- Email campaign design and management
- Facebook PPC ad campaign design and management
Press Coverage
- The Washingtonian, Oct. 2009
- The Baltimore Sun 2009 Fall Arts Guide
- The Washington Post, Oct 2, 2009
- The Washington Post Style section, Oct. 5, 2009
- The Washington Post / Express Night Out
- Dance Magazine, Dec. 2009
Client Background
Under the direction of a consortium of Washington, DC’s leading arts presenters and dance companies, the VelocityDC Dance Festival was created as an annual event highlighting the region’s vibrant dance community.
For the inaugural 2009 launch, Accolade crafted an online strategy that leveraged eye-catching branding and content with the strengths of compelling content distributed via social media to target and engage young, urban professionals in the Metro DC region.
As a result, the festival garnered considerable buzz both online and in traditional media outlets which resulted in a sold-out audience of 2,800 during its 2-day premiere. The festival was also selected as a finalist in the Innovation in the Arts category during the 25th Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards.
Additionally, VelocityDC’s post-event assessment by Shugoll Research revealed that the festival exceeded industry benchmarks for reach into desired demographics and earned exceptionally high audience engagement and satisfaction ratings through its use of innovative marketing practices.
