It should have been a time for a huge national celebration, and Mr. President were originally asked to deliver their anniversary campaign in 2019. Then 2020 came around and the Hall shut its doors for the first time since The Blitz.
Despite public perceptions, the Hall is a charity with no government funding. Like many live venues up and down the country their cash reserves ran out and the Hall was in real danger of closing its doors forever.
Our work suddenly became more than a celebration of the anniversary, it also needed to be a fundraising plea to the nation.
So Mr. President undertook our Brand Defining Ideas process, working with key stakeholders across the Hall, journalists, artists and patrons. Identifying the brand idea that will galvanise the Hall and the Nation in its time of need.
The answer lay in reminding the nation that they needed the Hall as much as the Hall needed them. For all the history that the Royal Albert Hall has created over 150 years, there is More History To Make.
The Hall’s new Brand Defining Idea was delivered as a new iconic line, messaging, and design aesthetic. More History To Make went on every press release, every email, every tweet, and every ticket – all with a direct call to action to donate.
A huge scale light show greeted everyone within sight. The 150 year message being projected onto the building every night to remind people just how important this historical-cultural treasure is.
We are delighted that donors from across the world help fund the Hall through the crisis. And the nation flocked back to the Hall when it could at last reopen its doors. All with a new appreciation of the importance and fragility of the Nation’s Village Hall. Here’s to making the next 150 years of History.
