The document explores the challenges of appealing to millennials, who represent a significant audience for the San Francisco Symphony but have shown a lack of interest in traditional symphonic performances. Key insights indicate that millennials value social experiences, spontaneity, and affordability, often considering the symphony as outdated and expensive. Strategies for engagement include integrating symphonic experiences with popular culture and social media to reconnect with this demographic's interests and lifestyles.

1. Where are the millennials?
Creative Strategist
Viktor Torbjörnsen

2. Content
Situation................................................................................................. 3
Who are the Millennials?.....................................................................4-6
Challenge............................................................................................... 7
How do we reach them?.................................................................... 8-10
What are they thinking?....................................................................11-16
Issues / Insights.................................................................................... 17
Core strategic message................................................................... 18-19
Creative guidelines......................................................................... 20-21

3. Can you recall the last time you went to the symphony? No?
The symphony has during the past century gone from being one of our most popular sources of
entertainment, that today has devolved into an occasional/secondary choice for people to spend their
spare time. The aging audience is one of the biggest challenges, and this is unfortunately also the reality
for the San Francisco Symphony. Where are the millennials? What are they thinking? And how can we
make the symphony appealing to the younger generation again?
Situation

4. Who are the millennials?

5. Millennials
Born between
1980-2000
Tech-Natives
Largest generation yet
80Million
In the US
Dominates
social networks
2.5Billion
Worldwide
CONFIDENT
ACHIEVERS
HAVE HIGH
EXPECTATIONS
of Workforce
%
75%by 2030
50%by 2020

6. ”Tech Michael”
Name: Michael
Age: 27
Position: Web-developer
Income: $65 000
Interests: Hacker News, Movies,
Tech, Reddit, 9-Gag
”Party Melinda”
Name: Melinda
Age: 22
Position: Student
Income: $34 000
Interests: Festivals/Concerts,
Traveling, Photography
”Gamer Paul”
Name: Paul
Age: 25
Position: Salesperson
Income: $42 000
Interests: Gaming, VR, Sci-Fi,
Twitch, In-N-Out
Target audience San Francisco
Millennials

7. Challenge
GET TO BY
The SF millennials Attend the SF symphony ?

8. How do we reach them?

9. Millennials
CORE ISSUES
What are the main factors that obstruct our
target audience from interacting with the
San Francisco Symphony?

10. ?
CORE ISSUES
Exposure
PriceSocial
The Bias Spontaneous
Millennials

11. What are they thinking?

12. Social
A sociable group, experiences are best when
shared with friends.
”Millennials remain largely
uninterested in attending classical
symphony orchestra concerts where
they cannot be among peers”
- Steven Tepper
Director of U.S. national symphony society
Of millennials feel time spent out
with friends and family is more
valuable than nights at home69%
30%
Of millennials say they met someone
at a live event that became a good
friend.
60%
Of millennials have posted, tweeted
or shared about their events and
experiences in the past year.
“I many times feel that the ’Pregame’
and expectations that you build up
with your friends before an event, is
the key component, that creates
the memories of tomorrow”
- Thomas, 24
http://learn.infusionsoft.com/marketing/social-media/best-social-media-marketing-stats-and-facts/
Millennials wants to interact with
their friends during an event,
through both social media and IRL

13. Spontaneous
“I tend to plan my
entertainment
at the last minute”
- Sal, 23
Adaptive
Infinite choices
Impatient
Flaky
Quick
Fast communicators
“I usually don’t commit to one
plan, I like to keep my options
open” - Lina, 26
No commitments
FOMOThe fear of missing out
90%
https://eventbrite-s3.s3.amazonaws.com/marketing/Millennials_Research/Gen_PR_Final.pdf
Of young adults,
ages 18 - 29, use
social media to
communicate/
find events
One reason to why the millennials are so
hard to reach and are so spontaneous is
because of this cultural phenomenon. This
has been born out of today’s instantaneous
new modes of communication.

14. The Bias
”The first thing that comes
to mind when I think of the
symphony is old people
playing old music”
- Alfin, 23
Eminence Symphony Orchestra
Classical Music + Video Games
”I really love movie music
that is played by an
orchestra/symphony”
- Thomas, 24
Slow
O
ld
Boring
Sleepy
Long
Years old in 193728
The average visitor was
Today it’s
41
Millennials’ lack of familiarity with
classical music is shown with the
same snap judgments/assumptions
that it’s for old people
https://eventbrite-s3.s3.amazonaws.com/marketing/Millennials

15. Price
78%
Of Millennials would
rather spend money on
experiences, than things
“Symphony tickets are
expensive and scarce”
Millennials are ready to
spend money on an event,
as long as the occasion
allows them to be
Social / Spontaneous
http://www.clandivarcody.com/sfsymphony-millennials/
$25-30
Unplanned event
”There is so many different
events that are available here
in SF that people don’t know
about. That are free as well”
- Sal, 23
clandivarcody.com/sfsymphony-millennials/
Planned event
$50-60
They are ready to spend

16. Exposure
! Play Me, I’m Yours initiative - LA
We have to incorporate the
symphony into their culture inorder
to reach the millennials, and not the
other way around
http://www.statistics.com/symphony-millennials/
”I don’t think most of my
peers realize how often
they get exposed to
symphony music, I mean
name a good movie that
doesn’t have it”
- Thomas, 24
Space Classics - Adelaide Symphony
Exposure
that works
Symphony = Boring
Star Wars Symphony = EPIC!

17. Social
They are a social group that
wants to share their experiences.
Both digitally and IRL.
Spontaneous
They don’t like to commit to one
plan and are fast communicators.
The Bias
The symphony is perceived as
something negative, even though
they are exposure to classical
music all the time in other
contexts - Games & Movies.
Price
Millennials are ready to spend
money on an event, as long as
the occasion allows them to be
Social and Spontaneous.
Exposure
We are much more likely to catch
their attention if we integrate our
message into their culture.
Core Issues Core Insights
!

18. CORE STRATEGIC MESSAGE
Integrate the San Francisco symphony with their popular culture and remind them of the nostalgic moments
that orchestra music has already given them

19. Millennials
CREATE & RECALL
THE NOSTALGIA
We will reach them by integrating the San Francisco symphony with
our TA’s popular culture, and by reminding them of the nostalgic
moments that orchestra music has already given them.

20. Creative Guidelines

21. The Bias
Exposure
Price
Give them several options - Not just one price:
Have Flashsales, Student discounts, Group discounts, Last
min sales. Make sure that there is an option for the last
minute guests as well as for the ones that plan ahead.
Show them what they want - Through their culture:
Be present on their feed, with music/popular culture they
can relate to. Show an integration between the symphony
and; The movies, the club, the park hangout, etc.
Show them that you are not a fossil - wtf is mozart?
Play music they can relate to, from their culture. Show LoR
and play the music live, Harry potter, tap in to the gaming
music, both in the concert hall and outside it.
Spontaneous
Give them the opportunity to be spontaneous:
Tap in to the FOMO, Have a strong presens where they are
- Social media, Make the buying/booking process faster/
easier and integrate it with the different event platforms.
Social
Allow them to socialize - The more the merrier:
Give them the chance to ”mingle/pregame” before/during/
after the performance. Let them build excitement and
memories - and share them. Happy hour,
the pre-symphony bar, etc.
Here are the
Millennials

22. THANK YOU