Book Burning: A Study In How To Shape Perspective

The 2012 Effie Awards, which recognize marketing ideas that work based on effective index rankings, awarded a trio of Gold Medals to Leo Burnett Worldwide for their Troy Public Library “Book Burning Party” campaign. When it comes to learning how to shape public perception and frame a debate, this campaign should be required reading.

knowledge is power!Download a copy of the case study and you’ll see a number of correlations between the Troy Library challenges, as identified by the Leo Burnett team, and what many orchestras have experienced the past few years.

[ilink url=”https://adaptistration.com/wp-content/uploads/2012_5940_pdf_1.pdf” style=”download”]Download the case study.[/ilink] 

In fact, the case study framework can serve as a useful template in helping make sense of some very complex issues for this field, such as defining value and identifying objectives. The idea is to help discover your Big Idea; the hook, the tag line, the a-ha moment or whatever it needs to be to help shape perspective and build support during challenging times (not to mention pushing back against what can feel like overwhelming opposition).

Visit the Book Burning Party’s showcase page for additional inspiration and set aside 2:53 of time to watch this extraordinary overview video created by Leo Burnett Worldwide that serves as a must-watch companion piece to the written case study.

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

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