Grand Ole Opry
An Entertainment Icon Finds Increased Social Success
Client
Location
Nashville, TN, USA
Services
- Social media audit
- Strategic recommendations
- Series of recommendations including a full Pinterest strategy, fan strategy, and influencer strategy
Overview
With today’s audience and dynamics, how does a 92-year-old concert venue and radio show transition to become a lifestyle brand in order to stay relevant and even iconic in music and entertainment?
Situation
The Grand Ole Opry, at its inception in 1925, was a radio show. From there, it developed into a quintessential music venue where once-in-a-lifetime live shows happened and ultimately, a place where country music singers launched their careers. The brand is at an interesting crossroad with the proliferation of digital radio, internet, and TV channels offering many alternatives to live shows for audiences to connect with performers.
With the variety of ways that artists today can be known and their work experienced, the Grand Ole Opry has evolved from a career lynchpin for performers and a bucket list item for country music audiences—to a nice-to-have experience.
The Grand Ole Opry’s challenge is to build the business in a way that transforms it from a music venue to a lifestyle brand. They need to build recognition and loyalty with a younger audience, who don’t necessarily understand or have interest or appreciation for the history of the brand. Additionally, the company is launching a series of venues and restaurants, as well as Shop Opry, a merchandise line.
They need to transition from the longest running country music radio show to a lifestyle brand in country music.
Challenges
- Internally, they have a very small team doing very big things.
- A huge part of the Grand Ole Opry proposition has required travel to Nashville. So they not only have to promote the venue and brand, but they also have to be stewards of Nashville tourism.
- Younger demographics are harder to reach. Figuring out how to promote messages to them in places they care about is a tough task.
- Country music stars don’t need the cache of the Grand Ole Opry that they once did in order to launch their careers. While some major headliners remain loyal to the venue as performers, there are other artists, agents, and record labels for whom it’s no longer a priority. The landscape and dynamics are different than it once was.
Solution
Convince & Convert made a series of specific recommendations. We helped shape the priorities and put some specific programs into play that would make the most impact for them.
First, we recommended a fan activation strategy. With this project we examined how to take existing fans who are visiting the Grand Ole Opry every day, and make sure that they are merchandizing it in their own channels. We also looked at how the Grand Ole Opry will incentivize and reward these visitors by giving them special experiences that no one else gets.
We helped the Grand Ole Opry prioritize and strategize on how to become superstars in the national tourism space. It needs to have a perspective in that space, and they are perfectly suited to do so with their access to celebrities that no one else in Nashville has. They are able to offer a distinct and unique perspective that no one else can.
We examined how to structure and offer better and more effective partnerships with artists that bring more value to the Grand Ole Opry. In turn, they have a strategy on how to make sure to use the artist’s formidable social following to benefit both the artist and the brand.
Finally, we created a staffing plan to ensure they had the resources needed to execute and a marketing budget to ensure the most effective spending.
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John Smith - CEO/President
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