Hot on the heels of a post-pandemic rebound, Cirque du Soleil‘s ‘Discover the extraordinary’ introduces the iconic circus troupe to new generations of fans.
Rather than spotlighting a specific show, Cirque du Soleil, the world‘s largest circus producer, is pulling the curtain back on a new trick in 2023 with ‘Discover the extraordinary.’
‘Discover the extraordinary,‘ which went live in December, marks Cirque du Soleil‘s first-ever brand-centric campaign and a legacy of nearly 40 years. The spot, developed by Canadian creative agency Sid Lee, takes real Cirque du Soleil crewmembers from the stage and to the outdoors. It is currently running on ABC’s Good Morning America, Hulu Originals, in Times Square, on the New York Times’ website and other platforms.
The campaign comes after a significant low point induced by the pandemic, during which Cirque du Soleil shut down its 38 global shows and its employee base of 5,000 dwindled to 50.
Come 2022, however, Cirque had made a comeback of acrobatic proportions, having re-hired 3,000 employees amid its return to the stage and debuted several new shows, including its first holiday-themed show, ‘Twas the Night Before, as well as Mad Apple, a New York-inspired variety act.
In tandem with the campaign rollout, Cirque also forged a partnership with Legends Global Partnerships in December to facilitate more long-term growth in the coming years.
“We’re going out to market and telling a new story,” says Nickole Tara, chief growth officer at Cirque du Soleil. “We’ve launched social media channels that we’ve never had before and we’re building new assets for the next generation of fan.”
THE CIRCUS’ DIGITAL DEBUT
To meet young fans where they’re at, Cirque du Soleil has a number of digital initiatives in store for 2023, the first being a new show called Echo, which has a notable digital slant and premieres in Montreal in April.
Cirque also plans to enter the metaverse in June of 2023 via global gaming platform Roblox. There, the platform’s estimated 55 million daily users can buy some of Cirque’s famous costumes for their avatars. “The metaverse is a circus – the notion of it is so wild and otherworldly,” adds Tara. “We’re worldmakers at our core. We’ve been making worlds for 40 years, so of course it’s in our prowess.”
More than anything, Tara says, this new era for Cirque is centered around bringing together all walks of life. “The circus is a shared experience amongst family members. We know people are coming to our shows in groups, so we hope to cater to this youthful, cultural element … There’s something in a Cirque show for everyone – the ladies, the men, the gays, the straights – everyone has an element of them in the show.”
