How We Helped Boston Ballet Achieve Record-Breaking Sales For A Holiday Classic

Boston Ballet is one of the world’s leading dance companies, known for its internationally acclaimed performances, education programs, and community initiatives. We’ve been a proud partner since 2014, developing digital marketing strategies that support their full lineup of offerings.

Like many performing arts organizations, Boston Ballet depends on revenue from its holiday shows to sustain performances and programs year-round. The Nutcracker isn’t just a beloved tradition; it’s a vital part of their season. For 2024, they aimed to reach new audiences while reengaging loyal attendees in fresh, exciting ways—a common challenge when promoting the same event year after year. The solution? A dynamic, multi-channel approach that engaged audiences at every stage of their decision-making journey.

GOOGLE: CAPTURING ATTENTION WITH CAN’T-MISS PLACEMENTS

Google played a central role in capturing intent and driving conversions. We ran ads across Paid Search, Display, Demand Gen, YouTube, and Performance Max, targeting both past buyers and new audiences. 

AI-powered bidding helped us serve ads at the perfect moment—whether someone was actively searching for tickets or engaging with holiday content online. We also capitalized on high-intent search trends during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, bidding on keywords like “Nutcracker sale” and “Nutcracker Cyber Monday.”

Importantly, we combined Paid Search and Performance Max for greater impact. This “power pair” yielded more purchases and higher conversion rates than all other placements, proving once again they work better together. 

Results: 15,000+ purchases and a 1,962% ROI.

META: DRIVING ACTION WITH VISUAL STORYTELLING

Meta’s ad formats and storytelling capabilities allowed us to craft compelling narratives that engaged both loyal fans and first-time attendees. We leveraged AI-powered Flexible Ads to combine targeted storytelling with data-driven adjustments, and were pleased to see these ads drive the highest click-through rates of all the ads in the campaign.

With seasonal sales on the horizon, we took a phased approach by starting with a Flexible Ad, transitioning to Cyber Sale and Flash Sale posts, and then transitioning back to a Flexible Ad with updated assets and a renewed sense of urgency. This approach kept audiences engaged throughout the campaign.

Results: Nearly 10,000 purchases and a 1,968% ROI.

TIKTOK: EXPANDING REACH AND DRIVING SALES

For the first time, Boston Ballet’s TikTok strategy moved beyond awareness-building to focus on driving sales. By setting up the campaign to optimize for conversions, we were able to place Nutcracker ads in front of the users most primed to buy.

The campaign featured six different ads targeting past buyers and potential audiences. TikTok’s advanced targeting capabilities allowed us to reach a broad top-of-funnel audience, including performing arts fans, classical music lovers, and users engaging with theatre and stage-related content.

Results: Nearly 2,000 purchases and an extraordinary 5,104% ROI.

SPOTIFY: ENGAGING LISTENERS IN A DISTRACTION-FREE SPACE

Spotify was the perfect addition to Boston Ballet’s digital mix since the production naturally aligned with certain musical artists and genres (think: holiday playlists). 

We ran a mix of audio and video ads targeting theater enthusiasts, holiday music lovers, and parents who might want to bring their families to the ballet. While the audio ads had broad reach, the video ads generated stronger click-through rates, proving that visual storytelling still plays a role even in audio-first environments.

Results: 1.5 million impressions and 506 purchases with an estimated 1,008% ROI.

AUDIOGO: TAPPING INTO STRONG BRAND RECALL RATES

Running podcast ads through AudioGo allowed us to reach users in an engaged listening environment, and had the added benefit of strong brand recall rates. Similar to Spotify targeting, we honed in on users interested in the arts and parenting. 

Ads frequently played alongside top shows like Radiolab and 99% Invisible, as well as family-oriented, sports-themed, and holiday-focused podcasts. We didn’t stop there–we also leveraged display banners to retarget listeners and drive them to Boston Ballet’s website.

Results: 414,000 impressions and 10,000+ page views at an efficient $0.48 cost per page view.

CHOOZLE: BRINGING THE BALLET TO THE BIG SCREEN (AT HOME!)

Connected TV (CTV) ads allowed us to tell a rich, immersive story in a premium video environment. Nutcracker ads ran on platforms like Disney, Paramount, and Hulu, reaching families, holiday enthusiasts, and performing arts lovers while they streamed their favorite shows.

Combining CTV video ads with display retargeting kept The Nutcracker top-of-mind for potential audiences. In fact, a whopping 26% of all Choozle-related purchases were attributed to display banners.

Results: 687,000 impressions and 316 purchases with a 264% ROI.

RECORD-BREAKING RESULTS

Boston Ballet’s 2024 production of The Nutcracker became one of their most successful yet. Demand surged to the point that campaigns had to be turned off early due to low ticket inventory—an enviable challenge for any arts organization.