Sydney Opera House: ‘Play it Safe’ Campaign Analysis

1. Introduction

The Sydney Opera Houserepresents modern Australia as a leading tourism destination. Deloitte recognises, The Sydney Opera House as one of the world’s busiest performing arts centres and community meeting places with social assets valued at $11.4 billion (The Sydney Opera House, 2024). The respective place completed its 50^th-anniversary celebrations in 2023 with an ambition to be Everyone’s House. Therefore, Sydney Opera House plans to launch a campaign, ‘Play it Safe’ to reunite its creative operations representing national cultural landmarks. However, with modern-day Australia leaning towards conservatism and conformity culture, the Play it Safe campaign aimed at refreshing again that creative enthusiasm that marked the very beginning of the Opera House. This report analyses the campaign,‘Play it Safe’ through a theoretical lens, assesses its strategy, and provides recommendations for campaigns in the future.

2. Product and Target Market Analysis

2.1 Understanding the Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House is a global architecture that people admire around the world for its distinct design and cultural identity. The construction of the Sydney Opera House was completed in 1973 through a monumental project by Danish architecture (The Sydney Opera House, 2024).The Opera House primarily is an entertaining venue representingthe symbol of Australia’s identity. Being the Australian icon, it attracts tourists and fosters the local arts. International reputation apart from music and theatre, the place also stands for creativity, innovative ideas, and ambition.

Figure 1: Sydney Opera House Design
(Source: BBC News, 2023)

According to BBC News(2023), the construction of the Sydney Opera House began in 1959 with 10,000 workers with an initial budget of AUD 7 million, however, the final cost came out to be AUD 102 million. The public perception was varied towards Sydney Opera House service quality and prices.For many Australians, Sydney Opera House was an expensive and profligate destination, given its significant cost overruns (BBC News, 2023). On the other hand, Bryant (2023) reported public perceptions of the Sydney Opera House as monumental architecture that represents Australia’s rising post-war self-confidence.With celebrations of the Sydney Opera House in 2023, the management needs to ensure public interest in high art. Therefore, at the 50^th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House, the ‘Play it Safe’ campaign is launched that refreshes the perspective towards architectural buildings making them suitable for everyone.

2.2 Campaign Capabilities and Target Market

2.2.1 SWOT Analysis

Table 1 providesa SWOT analysis of the campaign launched by Sydney Opera House, ‘Play it Safe’ (Appendix 1). Thestrength of the campaign is that it stands among the strongest and most-recognised brands in the world. The ‘Play it Safe’ campaign features prominent figures like Tim Minchin and the director Kim Gehrig that added credibility and relevance to artistic values in Australia (Burke, 2024). However, weaknesses of the campaign could be limited areas of servings in Sydney only (BBC News, 2023).The weakness limits the brand's abilityto engage with a wider audience. The opportunities provided to the campaign can be through strengthening the positive drivers of the campaign through leveraging the digital trend and pressing demands for creativity and experimentation.However, the threats of cultural changes and economic pressure are experienced as risk factors.

2.2.2 Competition

The Sydney Opera House has a prestigious level representing the Australian culture throughout the world. The campaign, ‘Play it Safe’ features music videos directed by Kim Gehrig that showcase a collection of Australian artists and art companies having close ties with the Opera House. The campaign introduced several challenges with a competitive organisation operating domestically in Australia and globally.

Table 2 shows that the ‘Play it Safe’ campaign of the Sydney Opera House is under tough competition (Appendix 2).Within the context of cultural venues from Melbourne Arts Centre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, and even the Royal Opera House in London (Queensland Performing Arts Centre, 2024). While Sydney Opera House loves to play the angle of creative risk-taking and defying conservatism, such norms have already been rooted in its competition as being of regional and international standing. Thus, Melbourne Arts Centre and programs showcase mainstream and high-culture performances, attracting diverse audiences (Arts Centre Melbourne, 2024). In contrast, internationally, the reputation of the Royal Opera House's fame in opera and ballet makes it a significant competitor (Royal Opera House 2024). ‘Play it Safe’ needs to underpin the Opera House's unique history and bold creative spirit.

2.2.3 Target market

The campaign targets all Australians, especially youthswho have lost sight of the creative origins of the Opera House. With the engagement of Tim Minchin and Kim Gehrig, the campaign is targeting a more generous viewer, especially those who understand certain forms of contemporary artistic expression.Besides being able to speak with the influencers, this campaign indirectly communicates with tourists and other stakeholders, that is the Australian government. Since the Opera House is a national monument, the people of Australia significantly contribute to its legacy and maintain funding and support for it. As such, the campaign resonates with a wide cross-section of audiences who have different degrees of emotional and rational attachments to the venue.

3. Evaluation of Strategic Approach

3.1 Advertisement strategy

According to Olmedo et al. (2020),the adoption of celebrity partnerships helps the brand to gain credibility and trust which proves to assist in increasing brand awareness. The ‘Play it Safe’ campaign was created and conceptualised as a response to the ever-growing conservatism and cultural conformity within Australia (Burke, 2024). The advertisement strategy of the campaign, ‘Plat it Safe’ adopts a celebrity partnership strategy through collaboration with creative talent such as Tim Minchin and Kim Gehrig. The respective strategy aims to remind the Australians about the bold, reckless creativity that culminated in the construction of the Opera House. This campaign strategy is one in which the past can be celebrated yet called upon for future Australians to embrace innovation in art once again.

3.2 Advertisement Problem and Objective

Advertising problem

The major issue the campaign addresses is the growing cultural conservatism in contrast with the innovative and defiant spirit in the Sydney Opera House. Many Australians have perceived the Opera House to be an establishment for high culture and separate from the ordinary life of people. It's an argument for the Play it Safe campaign that should resonate with what spurred the founding of the Opera House- creativity and defiance.

Objectives

• To reposition the Opera House as the icon of creative risk, reminding the Australian public of the boldness that framed its creation.
• To build new pride for the Opera House, especially from more youthful audiences who are somewhat disengaged from traditional art forms.

3.3 Consumer Insight and Strategy

The consumer insights provide valuable information about the current trends followed within the target market.

Figure 2: Consumer trends of purchase in Australia

(Source: Australian Retailers Association,2024)

According to Australian Retailers Association, (2024), consumers in Australia are becoming more conservative in their tastes and seek safety in conformity. The consumer insight shows that Australians have started to get a little more conservative with their tastes. Tapping into that desire for authenticity and innovation with something like Minchin and Gehrig has the campaign talking to people who are tired of cultural sameness-the kind of huge people's commentary on a long-held desire for bold, experimental art, in which creativity still pulses at this place.The celebrity partnership as an advertising strategy is aligned with the campaign goals assisting the brand in maintaining itscredibility, gaining attention, and defining creativity with the essence of arts tradition to serve youth demographics in Australia. Thishelps the campaign make an emotional resonance by reaffirming the Opera House's role as a symbol of creativity.

3.4 Past campaigns and competitive approach

Figure 3: Past campaigns by Sydney Opera House # Vivid Sydney
(Source: Vivid Sydney,2021)

The pastadvertisement campaignsbythe Sydney Opera House have primarily marketed it as a cultural icon and place for international tourism.According to Vivid Sydney, (2021), ‘Vivid Sydney highlights the Opera House as the centrepiece of its display of lights and activities, which boosts the icon status of the building. These campaigns have targeted tourists and locals in the past to also depict the appeal of the venue as a performing arts centre and an icon for Australians.On the other hand, ‘Play it Safe’ addresses cultural conservatism and how the Opera House should be a symbol of creativity and nonconformity within the modern consumer insights gained. The undertaken competitive approach by Sydney Opera House targets youth in Australia who were left behind in previous campaigns.

4. Analysis of the Big Idea and Execution

4.1 Big Idea and strategic alignment

The general theme of the ‘Play it Safe’ campaign was to go against cultural conformity and try to revive Australia's creative spirit through the Sydney Opera House. The campaign relates to the history of the Opera House, which comes with much struggle and symbolises boldness and creativity. This big idea fits well with the use of more established celebrities such as Tim Minchin and Kim Gehrig, who are held for doing unconventional work. Together, they drive home that creativity requires risky behaviour instead of sticking to traditional behaviour.According to Gagné et al. (2022), self-determination theory suggests that people have inherent tendencies towards growth, development, and self-actualisation. The competitive approach under the ‘Play it Safe’ campaign aligns with the self-determination theory that suggests autonomy, competence, and relatedness are the three most significant motivators. For this campaign, the Opera House is tapping into the desire for autonomy by asking Australians to break free from societal norms; the Opera House can be deemed to provide a sense of competence and mastery through the artistic and cultural experience.

4.2Consumer value and engagement

According to Belanche, Flavián, and Pérez-Rueda (2020), consumer empowerment helps businesses to develop effective marketing strategies by gathering knowledge of consumer trends. The campaign, ‘Play it Safe’ is aligned with a theoretical perspective under consumer empowerment that engages with younger audiencespromoting creativity and innovation. The respective approach engages consumersby gathering trending preferences as per the gained market knowledge. The humour and relatability of the campaign made possible by Tim Minchin's playful style make it more engaging and reachable.

4.3 Effectiveness of Execution

The campaign ‘Play it Safe’portrays the essence of being creative rather than the need for conformity. The song and the music video compare playing it safe and taking the artistic risk which serves as the big idea behind the campaign. The funny, humorous style of Tim Minchin makes this campaign interesting yet very relatable to a wide audience, especially younger viewers. The campaign abjures being heavy-handed and comes off as healthy, witty, and approachable by making use of satire while dealing with a theme of conservatism. Moreover, the music video does a great job of combining artistic performances with playful imagery, thus hitting at the strength of the creative arts that the Sydney Opera House promotes. The presence of the resident performers and artists augments this message by adding the fact that the site is not only historic but also a living cultural centre and creativity is constantly on the move there.

5. Creative Recommendations

While the ‘Play it Safe’ campaign is good at repositioning the Sydney Opera House as a symbol of creative defiance, there are still some ways that the campaign could be improved;

1. Expanding Beyond Celebrity Partnerships: The future campaign can focus on featuring real cases of individuals who demonstrate bold creativity in their lives.Nyagadza, Kadembo, and Makasi (2021)determine the use of identity signalling theoryas highlighting diversified stories from real case instances to promote creativity and motivation. Therefore, the initiative would make it easier for people to associate with the Opera House as well as make them realise that the innovative spirit is not restricted to celebrities or artists from an elite group which also saves costs.
2. Interactive Digital Experiences: To keep up with the momentum created by ‘Play it Safe’, the next campaign should engage interactional experiences through augmented reality.Donoughue (2022) reports the growing idea of bringing music to the Metaverse shifting audiences to online platforms through the use of Augmented Reality (AR). Opera House can therefore further its connections and bond with younger, more tech-oriented audiences by letting them know about the creativity applied in the construction of the Opera House.

6. Conclusion

The "Play it Safe" campaign has successfully branded the Sydney Opera House as a creative symbol of culture in Australia. While communicating with celebrity partners and consumer insight, this campaign speaks to the sensibilities of younger markets while reaffirming the history behind the Opera House. The big idea of the campaign is to serve the contemporary audience withhumour and familiarity support under the appeal of this campaign. However, future campaigns could go deeper into public engagement concerning real life as portrayed by real-life stories and diverse digital experiences beyond celebrity involvement. Overall, the campaign compellingly presents the Opera House as a living, evolutionary centre for artistic innovation in Australia.

Appendix

Appendix 1: SWOT Analysis

Table 1: SWOT Analysis of the Play it Safe campaign

Appendix 2: Competitor Analysis

Table 2: ‘Play it Safe’ Competitor Analysis