By developing a nontraditional “point of romance” strategy, R&R created “Utah Opera – Embrace the Romance,” and used guerilla marketing tactics to deliver this sales messages during unguarded moments in a person’s day. These included shelf signage and bookmarks in the relationships/romance sections of bookstores; counter signs in high-end flower shops; fortune cookie messages at upscale Asian restaurants; tie tags and mirror clings at specialty clothing stores; even dry cleaning hanger tags placed on men’s formal attire or women’s dresses (with the message “You would look great in this at the opera!”). R&R also purchased two antique “love meter” arcade machines, customized both with statements about the Utah Opera, and displayed them all over Salt Lake City.
During the first year of the “Embrace the Romance” campaign, ticket sales spiked 15 percent and the second year saw an addition six percent increase. The Utah Symphony, envious at the Opera’s sudden success, hired R&R Partners to execute a similar nontraditional strategy for its performances. The campaign became a model for outside the box arts campaigns nationwide and was featured in Adweek and Condé Nast Portfolio magazines.