What’s NOT trending in 2022? The ivory tower.

With its series "Our City, Your Orchestra" The Philadelphia Orchestra provides the perfect example of being not just in a city, but of the city. What does this mean?

As marketing expert Mark Schaefer writes, we’re in a new era where the customer is in control (think Yelp, Google Reviews, and review videos on Youtube). "If we're going to be loyal to you, you have to be loyal to us." Organizations must be active and visible in their communities in order to stay on the radar of their potential audiences. He encourages marketers to think about how their organization can be a friend: Come alongside as a helper; show the community you share their values. Partner with other local nonprofits. Bring attention to pressing issues in your city.

This is how you build brand loyalty. And The Philadelphia Orchestra is nailing it.

Our City, Your Orchestra is a series of free online concerts performed by small ensembles at Black-owned businesses, non-profit institutions, and iconic cultural locations throughout the Philadelphia region. In its most recent episode, viewers learn what one local organization, Family Promise of Burlington County, is doing to address housing insecurity in the region.

The video features Family Promise Executive Director Scott Rush plus Philadelphia Orchestra musicians performing works by Brahms and more. The series is supported in part by the William Penn Foundation, with additional support provided through the Connelly Foundation, PNC Arts Alive initiative, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Presser Foundation.

But The Philadelphia Orchestra doesn’t stop there. They also launched a new podcast, HearTogether, in June of 2020 following the tragic killing of George Floyd. The monthly podcast features dialogue and music with industry thought leaders and guest artists exploring racial and social justice, as well as creative equity and inclusion, through the lens of the world of orchestral music. HearTogether is supported by the orchestra’s lead corporate sponsor Accordant Advisors and Otto Haas Charitable Trust. In launching the podcast, the orchestra shared an essay written by Wynton Marsalis, and encouraged their patrons to read it as a way of better understanding “the history and pain that has led us to this American watershed.”

At the same time the orchestra also publicly re-committed to “creating a diverse, equitable, inclusive institution dedicated to the art form of orchestral music. We know we have work to do. We are, every day, building a Philadelphia Orchestra that all are proud to say is My Philadelphia Orchestra.”

It’s 2022. Technology and a major demographic shift have dramatically and irrevocably changed the marketing landscape. As Mark Schaefer writes, “How do you market to a person who is…proudly unreachable?” Leaving your familiar venues and finding meaningful ways to interact with your community is a start.

Have you seen other arts organizations who are renouncing the ivory tower in favor of coming alongside their community? I’d love to hear about it.