This really isn't news: That credit bureaus monitor our actions and marketing agencies score our consumer propensities is well known. That we routinely sign-up for mailing lists and make all sorts of on-line purchases without bothering to even read the privacy policy, is commonly accepted. That Facebook, Google, Amazon and who-knows-how-many other on-line systems track our clicks, preferences and patterns to deliver fundamental parts … [Read more...]
Massive On-Line Library of Arts Marketing Resources
You'll never have to start "from scratch" again. Have you heard of the massive on-line library that collects, evaluates, catalogs and shares high-quality/non-proprietary work samples among nonprofit arts & cultural organizations? Recognizing that 1) so many of the administrative, marketing and fundraising staff of arts & cultural organizations arrive at their positions from OUTSIDE the sector and without any specific arts & … [Read more...]
The Enemy is Empty Seats
Do empty seats make you angry? They should! They should make you BOILING MAD. Each empty seat represents a direct cost: the wasted expenditure of advertising, the loss of immediate cash flow, pressure to increase ticket prices and/or spend even more on marketing, a diminished pool of future donors. Each empty seat also carries the indirect cost of the APPEARANCE OF FAILURE to artists, audiences, members & donors, visitors, … [Read more...]
A Rose By Any Other Name … Doesn’t Sell
"Sometimes, We Want Prices to Fool Us" is the title of today's New York Times article that notes that "...most shoppers, coupon collectors or not, want the thrill of getting a great deal, even if it’s an illusion." You want proof? The article reports that J.C. Penney suffered a whopping 25 percent drop in sales over the last year due to its decision to stop promoting sales and offering coupons and instead focus entirely on offering “everyday” … [Read more...]
Gymnacafatorium
The word rolled off his tongue so easily, I almost didn't catch it. Steve Martin is the Managing Director of Childsplay, the renowned professional theatre company here in the Phoenix area whose chosen audience is children. We were discussing the evolving nature of the cause of “audience development” and the various implications of its growing number of metaphors – pathways, on-ramps, entrances, channels, passages, approaches, avenues, … [Read more...]
Kerry Lengel: A Critic’s Take on Arts & Entrepreneurship
Kerry Lengel is the Arizona Republic's theatre critic. His articles are most readily found HERE: Recently, I invited Kerry to address the Seminar on Arts Entrepreneurship that I am teaching at Arizona State University this semester. In preparation for that class, we got together for a lengthy (and lively) discussion about the nature of arts & entrepreneurship. The discussion was so fascinating and insightful that I asked Kerry to … [Read more...]
The Myth of “Our Audience”
You serve an audience but you don't "have" an audience. An audience is not something you own. Your venue is the shore. It's a place where an audience washes up to connect with your arts & cultural experience. Your organization is a beachfront property. You stand on the deck and watch as the audience tide periodically surges in attendance. And as it ebbs. You may own a property "on the shore" but you do not own any particular … [Read more...]
Miz’ed Opportunity
Do you hear the people sing? I really want to. I absolutely loved the new Les Misérables movie. In fact, I just returned from doing something I have NEVER done before: saw the movie again while it is still in the movie theater. I wanted another opportunity to drink in in the film's visual richness. I wanted another injection of the emotional heroin that literally left me sobbing. I wanted to wrap myself in the virtuous flag of … [Read more...]
Crista Cloutier: On Empowering Creatives
Crista Cloutier travels the globe teaching her original workshops, The Working Artist, The Working Creative & The Writer’s Life. More than a teacher, Crista is a nurturer, emboldener and coach to career-focused individuals engaged in all sorts of artistic and creative pursuits. Her website is: www.theworkingartist.info. In this interview we explore how the “marketing” and “audience development” challenges of individual artists compare to … [Read more...]
Adrian Peterson, Raffi & the Pursuit of Perfection
I have the greatest respect for Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Viking's running back who improbably returned from major knee surgery to complete an incredible season in which he fell just 9 yards short of the all-time rushing record for an entire season. Oh so close. It made me recall my closest brush with marketing "perfection." As the marketing director of the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts in the late 1990's, we had the … [Read more...]