The Challenge

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The Atlanta Opera's marketing team didn't have the time or resources to dedicate to social media. As a Tier One opera company, they had a solid social audience, but no dedicated strategy to keep that audience engaged or move them toward becoming ticket buyers.

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They also faced the perception hurdle every opera company contends with: the assumption that opera is inaccessible, old-fashioned, or not for a modern audience. The Atlanta Opera has built its identity on breaking those boundaries, and needed social content that reflected that mission. It also needed to build genuine community, brand the organization beyond any single production, and grow ticket sales and fundraising support.

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That challenge came with an added layer of complexity. Think Tank manages Atlanta Opera's social presence remotely from Louisville, without daily physical access to rehearsals, productions, or the Atlanta-based team. Producing a steady stream of authentic, high-quality content meant building a pipeline that didn't depend on being in the room.

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Our Solution

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We closed the distance with weekly check-ins and frequent communication touchpoints with Atlanta Opera's marketing team, staying aligned on goals and priorities in a landscape that often changed. Beyond that, we built a remote-content model around three principles:

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Local capture, remote curation.

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We worked with Atlanta Opera's in-house Film Studio and instituted a “social captain” role, a model already proven on Think Tank's national touring Broadway productions. This ensured someone was always on the ground capturing raw footage and photography, collaborating with artists, and surfacing behind-the-scenes moments. Our team then turned that raw material around quickly, often the same day, editing it and adding graphics, music, and captions tailored to each platform.

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Beyond the stage.

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Before Think Tank joined, Atlanta Opera's social strategy was built almost entirely around event promotion. We pushed to surface the parts of the organization most audiences never see including education programs, wardrobe and costuming, and the Studio Artist program. This painted a fuller picture of the organization and positioned it as a community-driven arts organization worth following year-round, not just a marketing feed tied to whatever show was currently on stage.

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Volume without sacrificing quality.

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During peak production weeks, this pipeline supported as many as 18 raw assets, transformed into up to 50 pieces of platform-ready content across Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Moreover, that content was developed specifically for each social platform. That meant community-focused storytelling on Facebook, striking photo and video on Instagram, and institutional messaging for donors, board members, and professional audiences on LinkedIn. Each asset was curated and optimized individually, with unique copy and visuals tailored to each channel, rather than cross-posted as-is. During slower, non-production stretches, we shifted to evergreen content to maintain a consistent posting cadence and engagement between shows.

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Results

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• Total following grew 23.6% across Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, reaching 81.38K followers.

• Instagram grew from 12.63K to 15.59K followers, crossing 15K for the first time. 

• Interactions were up 24.9% and Reels interactions up 121.8%.

• Facebook interactions grew 47.92%, with Reels seeing an even steeper climb than Instagram's.

• LinkedIn saw the sharpest relative growth of any platform, as Think Tank expanded activity there to reach donors, board members, and professional audiences.
   

Business Impact

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This audience growth translated directly into business results. Atlanta Opera made no other changes to its advertising or promotional strategy this season. The only new variable was Think Tank's social media partnership.

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• All three Atlanta Opera productions staged in 2026 exceeded their sales goals: The Marriage of Figaro at 134%, Turandot at 122%, and Twilight of the Gods at 105%.

• Organic social referral traffic drove stronger results on the ticketing site, both more traffic and better-quality traffic. Comparing the 90-day window of May 1 to July 30, 2025 with the same window in 2026, sessions from organic social grew 22% and engaged sessions grew 108%.

• New users to the site grew 12% over that same 90-day period.

The Challenge

 

Grow sales and brand awareness for a local gourmet popcorn shop that did not have a retail location

Our Solution

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We created a series of brand message points that focused on the personality of the company rather than sales messages. We were able to get to the why of the business owner, which was to bring creativity to her life and give back to the community. From there we created videos, and pitched stories about these aspects of the business. We also helped develop a give-back program, and brokered partnerships with local animal shelters that furthered our efforts to tell the Froggy’s Popcorn story. We established a better online shopping user experience, set up and enhanced social media shopping options, and closely tracked how our messages landed.

Results

 

In 6 months we grew sales from $500 per month to over $10,000 with plans to expand regionally and nationally as the company is able to scale up production

The Challenge

 

Celebrate the anniversary of Louisville pure tap® bringing attention to the brand and Louisville Water Company.
 

Our Solution

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As part of the creative team, we developed a series of promotional ideas and events around town that were visually appealing to social media channels and to the press. We leveraged our personal relationships with local media celebrities to create viral Carpool Karaoke videos with the Louisville pure tap® mascot, mini celebrations at local businesses with nostalgic 90s dance themes (since the brand was established in 1997), a contest centered around an original rap song created for the brand, and other creative ways to draw attention to the fact that Louisville’s award-winning water is among the best tasting in the country.
 

Results

 

Increased news and media coverage of the brand and celebration over the course of 8 months. Viral video views and communications that engaged the local Louisville public and had the town talking about Louisville pure tap®. 

The Challenge

 

Overcome perceptions of an art form that are largely incorrect, thereby generating interest in programs, contributions, and ticket sales for Kentucky’s State Opera company, while at the same time remaining authentic to the lovers of opera already attending.
 

Our Solution

 

Although we used several tactics over the years, the overarching solution was to showcase that opera is relevant and entertaining to today's audiences. Opera is theatre in its highest form, but has always been at a disadvantage when it comes to public perception because nearly everyone has some notion of what opera is...whether they’ve attended a performance or not. We worked with members of the media, social media influencers, and community partners to educate them about the stories and the relevant messages that speak to the modern citizen in Kentucky. We created new opera fans among these influencers who were able to talk about operas in a positive light from personal experience. At the same time, we were able to drill down into those messages and test them across digital platforms using curated, creative video, audio, and behind-the-scenes access.
 

Results

 

Consistently near sold-out performances of traditional operas and increased attendance at modern and lesser-known productions.