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NEW YORK (AFX) - New Yorkers will be seeing a lot of Madama Butterfly in the next month.
The Metropolitan Opera, which has long shunned advertising in favor of discreet sales tactics like direct mail, plans to blanket city subways, buses and phone kiosks with Puccini's doomed heroine as part of a $500,000 ad campaign promoting its new season, opening Sept. 25.
The campaign is part of new Managing Director Peter Gelb's push to attract a younger and more diverse audience.
"We were appearing to be too aloof," said Agnes Varis, a member of the Met's Board of Directors. "Lots of people just feel that we're not addressing them, particularly younger people."
The ads will appear starting Monday at subway entrances, on buses, at Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North and PATH stations, on phone kiosks and on street banners.
The ads, which are being paid for by Varis, feature Chilean soprano Cristina Gallardo-Domas as Madama Butterfly. The production will be directed by Hollywood director Anthony Minghella.
Only once in the Met's 123-year history has the company run a major advertising campaign. That 1975 initiative, called "Strike a Blow for Civilization," aimed to revitalize lagging ticket sales after a 1969-70 labor strike.
The new ad campaign is among several measures intended to expand the Met's audience. They include a free open house on Sept. 22 at the final dress rehearsal of "Madama Butterfly" and a new $15 lowest-price ticket, down from $26. Tickets run as high as $375.
Jeff McGovern of Manhattan, who said he attends the Met about twice a year and at 36 is one of the younger people there, said the campaign was a good idea.
"It's part of remarketing itself so that it isn't so stuffy," said McGovern, who added that he was pleasantly surprised to learn that he could wear a T-shirt and sport jacket to the Met and not feel underdressed. Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
Copyright 2006 AFX News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
