LSO take steps to protect their reputation online, then share knowledge with performing arts sector

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London - London Symphony Orchestra, one of the UK’s most popular classical music orchestras, has joined many other well-known brands to take proactive steps to protect their reputation online and preventing their ads appearing on inappropriate sites within the Google Display Network

This is the first time a performing arts organisation has taken such a high-profile step, and the LSO is providing their blacklist to all others in the performing arts.

Collated by Velo, LSO’s digital agency of the last five years, the blacklist contains just short of 1,000 sites to exclude from campaigns that are anything deemed to be politically biased, prejudiced, extremist, bigoted, hateful or providing fake news. The list is being updated by Velo regularly and made available for free at http://blacklist.velomarketing.co.uk/

Jo Johnson, Senior Marketing Manager, Digital Communications at LSO, said

“Our brand is precious, and we are not prepared to risk any contamination by our ads appearing in inappropriate places. But the reality is that these channels deliver good ticket sales for our events, so it was important to us to be proactive and take control without pulling out of the medium entirely.”

Commissioned by the LSO to build and maintain the list, digital agency Velo is offering to help other digital marketers within performing arts industry the opportunity to exclude them from their campaigns too.

Paul Crabtree, MD of Velo said: “As a leading digital agency in performing arts, we know how important this channel is. Giving marketers the method to protect their reputation felt like the right thing to do, and we’re grateful to the LSO for sharing it with the wider industry.”

About the London Symphony Orchestra, www.lso.co.uk

The LSO was established in 1904 and has a unique ethos. As a musical collective, it is built on artistic ownership and partnership. With an inimitable signature sound, the LSO’s mission is to bring the greatest music to the greatest number of people. Through LSO Discovery, it is a pioneer of music education, offering musical experiences to 60,000 people every year. With the formation of its own recording label LSO Live in 1999 the LSO pioneered a revolution in recording live orchestral music. The LSO strives to embrace new digital technologies – having successfully moved into digital film, Blu-Ray Audio, downloads and streaming – and it continues to innovate with platforms such as LSO Play, a web-based video player that allows people to observe the Orchestra from different angles. The LSO is also a highly successful creative enterprise, with 75% of all funding self-generated.

About Velo, www.velomarketing.co.uk

Velo is a London-based digital content and communications agency delivering our best work to the biggest professional services companies through to the brightest in the performing arts.

Founded in 2010, we only work for UK based companies, but always blend enthusiasm and intelligence with creativity and technical brilliance to produce great work that works. Whether it be content or communications, it is always produced in-house in our SE1 studio.

Clients include Babcock, Cisco, JLL, London Symphony Orchestra, RADA and Universal Music.

Velo is a London-based digital content and communications agency delivering our best work to the biggest professional services companies through to the brightest in the performing arts.

Founded in 2010, we only work for UK based companies, but always blend enthusiasm and intelligence with creativity and technical brilliance to produce great work that works. Whether it be content or communications, it is always produced in-house in our SE1 studio.

Clients include Babcock, Cisco, JLL, London Symphony Orchestra, RADA and Universal Music.