ABOUT THE PROJECT
Breaking stereotypes to celebrate a century of excellence
To mark the 2026 centenary of The Royal Ballet School, Imagination developed “This is”, a bold campaign designed to raise awareness with a new generation of supporters. Moving away from traditional, “safe” marketing, the strategic idea centred on showing the unfiltered reality of elite ballet. By blending journalistic-style photography with bold, emotive messaging, we created a bridge between the school’s prestigious 100-year heritage and a modern audience, positioning the institution as a vibrant, human-centric hub of innovation.
CHALLENGE
The Royal Ballet School approached Imagination with a significant task: develop a campaign platform to raise global awareness in anticipation of their 100th anniversary in 2026. The challenge was twofold: the School needed to honour its storied history while simultaneously modernising its appeal to engage both loyal patrons and entirely new audiences. To succeed, the campaign had to live seamlessly across multiple channels and break through the “classical” noise of the arts sector to create a genuine human connection.
OUR IMPACT
- 00
- years of heritage redefined through a modern lens
- strategic territories explored to identify the brand’s unique USPs
- final comprehensive playbook developed for national centenary activation
THE OUTCOME
Deep discovery and strategic grounding
Our process began with extensive desk research and benchmarking to understand the global landscape of cause-based marketing and elite arts education. We conducted in-depth interviews with current and prospective audiences to uncover their true passion points, alongside stakeholder sessions to distil the essence of The Royal Ballet School’s vision. This collaborative, research-led approach allowed us to move beyond the surface, defining strategic territories that grounded the campaign in authenticity and cultural relevance.
Redefining the “true” ballet school
The creative evolution focused on three distinct concepts, with the client selecting “This is”- a bold direction designed to shatter old-school ballet stereotypes. We moved away from polished, staged imagery in favour of a journalistic style that captures the grit, passion, and unfiltered journey of the students. By overlaying unexpected actions and feelings onto real-life scenarios, we aimed to encourage the audience to look twice, replacing traditional marketing with an evocative, modern visual language.
A blueprint for global activation
The final output was a comprehensive campaign playbook that tied the narrative together with the powerful conclusion: “This is 100 years.” More than just a creative concept, the playbook provides the School with clear instructions and templates for execution across social, digital, out-of-home, and print media. We also delivered a suite of activation ideas for upcoming events, ensuring the centenary isn’t just a milestone on a calendar, but a living, breathing movement that drives sustained engagement.
Our centenary year is an opportunity to define how the School presents itself for the future, not just to celebrate its past. Imagination gave us a platform that has brought real clarity and cohesion across the organisation, aligning how we speak to audiences, supporters and partners. The campaign feels fresh and visually compelling, and presents the School at its best, strengthening our ability to reach beyond our existing networks. And it has given us a confident, consistent and dynamic way of expressing who we are.
Patrick Harrison CEO at The Royal Ballet School
Working with Imagination on our centenary campaign, building on a longstanding relationship, was a real pleasure. From the outset, there was a shared understanding of what this moment needed to be. They understood our audiences deeply and gave us a thoughtful, confident platform to reach existing and new people without losing what makes the School so distinctive. The work is dynamic, striking and contemporary, but still feels completely true to us. It lets our students shine and invites audiences in, which was exactly the brief.
Dorothy Greenfield Director of Audiences and Communications at The Royal Ballet School
VALUE
For the audience
The “This Is” campaign offers audiences an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at The Royal Ballet School. It invites audiences to look past the spotlight and into the studios, putting the personal stories of the students and their unwavering dedication centre stage. By humanising the pursuit of excellence, the campaign increases relatability with audiences, repositioning this historic institution as a vibrant, inclusive home for the next 100 years of talent.
For the brand
For The Royal Ballet School, this project provides a transformative framework that shifts their communication from functional and traditional to emotion-driven and disruptive. By establishing a new creative territory, the School is empowered to lead the cultural conversation, ensuring the centenary serves as a platform for long-term brand evolution and a stronger connection with the next generation of dancers and supporters.
More like this
