Creative Execution

We sent 11 Melbourne influencers an InterContinental Hotel key printed with a room number, time and date. Behind three hotel doors we recreated three scenes from the play, giving viewers a glimpse of the dark world of Birdland through the peephole. To do this we fitted out each room with a new door, custom-built with a magnetic iPhone lens in place of the peephole. This meant that a smart phone had to be attached for our audience to watch the debauchery on the other side. The preview, and the unique moments captured, were shared instantly on social platforms using #peepholepreview and #MTCbirdland.

In one night, using only 11 influencers, we reached 450,000 people and introduced the Melbourne Theatre Company to a whole new audience. Importantly, 90% of those who saw and shared the Peephole Preview were under 30 – this is attributed to driving a 150% increase in youth ticket sales. The Peephole Preview helped the Melbourne Theatre Company find a voice on social media, and with 100% positive feedback online, increased their consumer awareness with the younger demographic.

The Melbourne Theatre Company wanted to promote their latest production, Birdland – a play about a rock star and his excessive, often nihilistic existence in hotel rooms. Birdland was a relatively unknown play from the UK, which was darker and more confronting than most of the Melbourne Theatre Company’s productions. With an audience base of mostly older patrons, the MTC needed to connect with a new, younger audience in order to sell tickets. To bring the world of Birdland to life, we created a preview like no other – the Peephole Preview.