We identified that even though most people didn’t know the title or composer of classical tunes, they did recognise the classical music that formed football chants, nursery rhymes, computer games, TV shows and especially movies. This gave us the insight we needed to demonstrate just how relatable classical music is and how it is everywhere in popular culture.
We harnessed the power of people’s imaginations to leverage their emotions and let the music take centre stage in our cinema ads. As pieces played, typography described the mood, memories and iconic film scenes they evoked, revealing classical music as a powerful cultural force that can create vivid memories, we didn’t even know we had.
Whether it’s the sultry concerto suggestive of an elusive woman, the passionate symphony played in heroic war scenes, or the iconic chase scene overture. By keeping our visuals incredibly simple we showed that people already ‘know’ classical music and experience it all the time without realising it.
The campaign rolled out in cinemas exactly 25 years after Classic FM launched, in the Gold Spot directly before the main feature. The campaign was supported with social and proximity OOH. We even released an album “The Classics You Know” performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring the “Getting-fired-in-the-boardroom” Symphony and the “World’s-Favourite-Airline” Duet.
We inspired a new legion of film lovers to tune in with RAJAR figures for Classic FM up 10.1% in the quarter following the campaign, including a surge in younger listeners (15-35 years old).
