Click here to watch the advertisement!
Most orchestra advertisements invite audiences to hear a concert. A recent Pittsburgh Symphony advertisement does something different. It barely talks about the music. Instead, it shows people moving through Heinz Hall, talking, gathering, smiling, and sharing an evening together. It concludes with a simple line:
“Maybe it all starts right here at Heinz Hall with the PSO.”
At first glance, this may seem like an ordinary promotional video. I think it is much more than that.
The advertisement isn’t primarily selling Beethoven, Mahler, or Danny Elfman. It is selling community.
That is an important distinction.
For decades, orchestras largely marketed concerts. The implicit message was, “Come hear this great music.” This advertisement suggests something broader.
It asks whether people are really searching for a place to belong. Heinz Hall becomes not simply a concert venue, but a gathering place where relationships begin and shared experiences are created.
During my recent visit to Pittsburgh, I was struck by Heinz Hall’s architecture. Unlike many concert halls, it invites patrons to linger. Its grand public spaces, multiple bars, and elegant gathering areas encourage conversation before the concert, during intermission, and afterward.
The Pittsburgh Symphony appears to understand that those spaces are not incidental. They are part of the experience.The orchestra remains the artistic centerpiece. But the evening extends beyond the performance itself.
This approach reflects a broader trend in arts marketing. Increasingly, successful organizations are not simply selling tickets. They are selling experiences, identity, and community.
The music still matters profoundly.
But perhaps the first invitation isn’t “Come hear Beethoven.”
For more about the changes happening in the symphony orchestra space, go here:
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