From the Nominator

The global COVID-19 crisis presented us all with unprecedented challenges. Although the academy building was closed, the music never stopped, and our role was more crucial than ever before. Through this campaign, we provided a high-profile platform for music-making when there was no other opportunity for public performance, reaching more than 5 million across digital channels. 

By early April we were thrilled to see that the academy’s students, staff, alumni, and friends had been busy with digital projects, from creating free education resources to performing living room concerts and solo recitals. Inspired by what we saw, we planned to share as much of this content as possible to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with #RAMplaysON, with the aim of reaching and engaging with as wide an audience as possible in place of our usual concerts and events. 

An added benefit of this campaign for our team would be to expand our reach as much as possible ahead of what was our upcoming rebrand and website launch in July to maximise our visibility and positive sentiment with prospective students.

From the Judges

Live and in-person events are a significant aspect of the engagement strategy for the Royal Academy of Music. To continue connecting with current, former, and perspective students and the community at-large, they had to transition from traditional means of outreach, and looked to social media to provide that same level of connection through music. Staff engaged their community by asking musicians to showcase their talents via social media channels. Using only the cost of time (budget was $0), they were able to engage audiences, including Elton John, and treat them to what they are known for—shared experiences through music. They used multiple social media channels and selected a diverse group of musicians and musical stylings.