Edelweiss and e-marketing - MU students promote The Sound of Music –The Musical

August 26, 2011

‘’The hilllls are alive, with the sound of muuusic!’’

Known throughout the English-speaking realm and translated into a plethora of languages, the iconic 1965 film The Sound of Music draws fans from all around the world to the Austrian city of Salzburg to experience first-hand the Alpen meadows, bright blue lakes, and enchanting abbey where it was filmed. Telling the story of a free-spirited young woman who unexpectedly finds love in war-time Austria featuring plenty of song and dance, the film holds a special place in the hearts of millions.

Originally premiered in 1959 as a Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical, it achieved international success with the film version, and has since been performed on stages from Broadway to Buenos Aires, Melbourne to Tel Aviv, and a few stops in between. For the first time in Salzburg itself, a full-scale theater production is bringing the story of the Von Trapp family to the city’s Landestheater. The Sound of Music –The Musical offers the chance for visitors to immerse themselves even deeper in the full experience.

As the tourism industry in Salzburg is heavily supported by the yearly influx of tourists wanting to trace the footsteps of Maria Von Trapp, this new production of presents a golden opportunity for a new, innovative online marketing campaign and MU students are behind it. In cooperation with the Salzburg Tourism Office, the 6th semester e-marketing class taught by Clemens Költringer and Irem Arsal have implemented the "Create YOUR Sound of Music’’ campaign.

Of all the Sound of Music fans the world over, who has never pictured him or herself twirling in the green hills surrounding Salzburg, or dancing about clad in lederhosen made of recycled curtains? Perhaps making a daring nighttime run for the Swiss border, or being 16-going-on-17, sashaying about in a gazebo with your first love? What would it ? Two new ''Laugh and Share'' applications designed by MU students and posted on the Salzburg Facebook page now makes this possible. The face-in-a-hole application allows a user to upload a picture of him or herself and to place it into an existing shot of one of the movie’s most memorable moments, or to be another of Salzburg's most famous residents, W.A. Mozart. Try it out!

Secondly, the Facebook page includes a photo competition in which fans are encouraged to recreate scenes from the original movie or post pictures with a direct connection to the film. This competition will be judged upon the number of votes given to the contributions, and various prizes including free tickets to the musical, DVDs and audio CDs will be given to the winning entries.

In order to motivate fans to contribute, the e-marketing class came up with a variety of ideas such as organizing a flash mob featuring two musicians singing The Sound of Music songs in public wearing traditional Austrian attire, producing a trailer introducing Salzburg and the surrounding areas, and creating promotional videos to entice people to participate in the online campaign. Benefiting from the international student body, the class also interviewed fellow Modulians from far flung places such as Australia, England, Syria and the USA to share what The Sound of Music means to them. Check out 'their favorite things' on Salzburginfo's Youtube page. Another MU-produced short features the director of the upcoming musical, Andreas Gergen, which can be seen here.

To find out more about the ongoing campaign for the The Sound of Music – The Musical, visit the Salzburg Facebook page or the Salzburg Info page.