Archive for Audience Development
Introducing: AUDIENCE WANTED
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For years, arts & cultural marketers have operated under the premise that the key to their organization’s success is to “pick the low hanging fruit.”
Personally, I have come to reject that premise.
Fundamental changes in personal interests & economics – coupled with advances in technology and social media – are radically transforming every aspect of why and how audiences choose to engage. There is no virtue left in the concept that organizations can “harvest” audience transactions rather than to cultivate meaningful and on-going audience relationships.
I could go on… And in fact I will!
ARTS JOURNAL has recently invited me to produce an on-going blog on the topic of Audience Development. You’ll find it here: http://www.artsjournal.com/audience/
If you’d like to be part of an on-going national discussion on the innovative future of how arts & cultural organizations are developing, cultivating, engaging audiences, I invite you to subscribe to AUDIENCE WANTED.
And to get you started, here are a couple of posts to help you get your 2012 off to a great start:
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Community Database: “Geographic Characteristics”
Posted by: | CommentsErika Sung is an ASU doctoral student in community resources and development where she focuses on non-profit management. Her analysis of the Arizona Arts & Cultural Census/Community Database is underwritten by a grant from the Lodestar Foundation.
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In the previous blog, we examined the national characteristics of Arizona’s arts & cultural patrons. Today, we will examine the Arizona statistics.
So far, the 94 percent of the households in the Arizona Community Database are located in Maricopa County, while 6% of households are from only three other Arizona counties: Coconino, Pinal, and Yavapai. The interesting point here is that all the households’ data of Coconino County are from only Flagstaff, and those of Yavapai County are only from Prescott. On the other hand, the data from Pinal County show a different aspect. Even though main attendances are from Apache Junction, Gold Canyon and Casa Grande also represent a total of over 4,000 households.
Patron by Geography in AZ
[Note: Only mailable households are included; for further information, refer to the Zip Penetration Report in eMerge. (https://emerge.trgarts.com/eMerge1/launch)]
Now, we will take a look at our 94% households specifically. Based on the number of households in Maricopa County by the 2010 U.S Census, the 94% households participating in arts and cultural activities represent 24% of all the households in the county.
What city do you think is home to the most active participation in arts and cultural activities? Look at the below graph. It shows our top three candidates. As you might expect, the top three are Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Mesa.
However, that result may be simply caused by size of the city. So, it is necessary to take a look at their actual proportion of attendance depending on households of each city. Unfortunately, there are no separate households information about Laveen and Paradise Valley based on the 2010 US Census. However, we can still get some interesting results. Look at the below graph. Do you think still that Phoenix is the most culturally activated region? NO! Contrary to expectation, Phoenix shows a relatively low percentage of patron households (17%). Also, Avondale, Glendale, and Surprise appear to have the same situation as well. As you can see below, the top three regions that show the most activated cultural attendance are Cave Creek, Litchfield Park, and Scottsdale. Isn’t it interesting?
Proportion of Patron
First of all, Scottsdale is a real gem; it lives up to our expectation, representing a high percent (48%) of patrons engaging in arts and culture. Also, even though Cave Creek and Litchfield Park have less than 3,000 households, the above graph tells us that it is worthwhile to include them as important arts and culture consumers. It shows their enthusiasm for arts and cultural activities.
If you have previously overlooked their potential as a valuable asset, it is time to devote attention to those cities from now on.
Community Database: Understanding “PATRON”
Posted by: | CommentsErika Sung is an ASU doctoral student in community resources and development where she focuses on non-profit management. Her analysis of the Arizona Arts & Cultural Census/Community Database is underwritten by a grant from the Lodestar Foundation.
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When an organization plans to produce arts & cultural offerings, when & how do you consider the availability of audiences?
While a quality arts or cultural experience is at the heart of every organization’s mission, there is no question but that without the PATRON, there is no experience to be had. As competition for patrons has (dramatically) increased, it is increasingly important to understand the characteristics of who comprises your organization’s audience.
The US Census (2010) reports that Arizona’s 6.4 million residents occupy nearly 2.9 million households. At about 700,000 unique households (and growing), the Arizona Community Database tracks arts & cultural participation of nearly 20 percent of ALL Arizona households and reveals fascinating insight into where Arizona’s arts & cultural audiences call home:
Because the Community Database has been most quickly embraced by organizations in the Greater Phoenix area (though it is certainly open to Alliance for Audience members in Tucson, Flagstaff & Prescott!) the data shows a preponderance of audiences members residing in Maricopa County. (The database tracks nearly 34% of ALL Maricopa County residents!)
It’s fascinating to note that 22% of the database resides outside of Arizona. All 50 states are represented somewhere in the Arizona community database (which speaks strongly to Arizona’s role as a visitor destination) – and California (not surprisingly) is the state with the largest representation.
Several new organizations from around the state are poised to join the Arizona Community Database in the next several months. It will be fascinating to measure how measuring arts & cultural participation in Tucson, Flagstaff & Prescott adds to these insights – and, in particular, to assess the extent to which the participation of Maricopa County-based residents powers arts & cultural participation around the state.
AFA Receives Grant to Boost Participation via Community Database
Posted by: | CommentsYesterday, the Flinn Foundation announced a grant to Alliance for Audience for which we are incredibly excited and grateful! See their announcement here: http://www.flinn.org/news/1038
In brief, the grant is going to allow us to conduct a audience engagement science experiment using the new Arizona Arts & Cultural Census/Community Database.
Step 1 – TRG will conduct a “market modeling” analysis on the records in the community database to that will identify a core demographic or “sweet spot” of current and active arts & cultural patrons.
Step 2 – Then, TRG will identify 20,000 households in Maricopa County that MATCH that demographic “sweet spot” but that are not arts & cultural participants. (In essence, that will be a list of households that are not arts & cultural participants – but, judging by their demographic profile, SHOULD BE!) That group will then be split in two – with half set up as a control group – to which nothing special will happen; and an active group that will be the recipients of multi-faceted year-long marketing efforts.
Step 3 - In the first 4 months, Alliance for Audience will invite a select few organizations (to be strategically recruited based on the Step 1 demographic analysis) to make the active group the subject of their own marketing efforts - and AFA will underwrite those marketing expenses. We’ll be monitoring the response rate of those efforts very closely.
Step 4 – Beginning at month 6, we will open up the active group list as a mailing list to ALL organizations participating in the Community Database. (Obviously, with some structure to assure that they don’t receive everybody’s materials all at the same time.) Since organizations that are participating in the community database have the ability to analyze the demographics of their own audiences, this can be a rich resource for organizations that wish to strategically test their own new audience-engagement efforts.
Step 5 - A year from now – we’ll compare the rates of participation of the active and control groups. Our hypothesis, of course, is that the active group’s participation will be higher. What we are especially interested to learn is HOW MUCH HIGHER?
This is an incredible learning opportunity – not just for Alliance for Audience but for Arizona’s entire Arts & Cultural sector. Expect to see (many) more posts about this project as it progresses.
Please note that this experiment purposefully focuses on a single demographic target (to be determined based on the Market Model analysis) so as to design, administer and measure results most clearly. A key point of this experiment is that its methodology must be replicable for future efforts with other demographic target audiences, as future audience development efforts must continually pursue priorities for audience diversity.
If you haven’t signed up yet to participate in the Census/Community Database – it’s not too late! The next deadline for new organizations to sign the participation agreement is November 9. CLICK HERE for more info.
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Say Thank You to Teachers & Veterans
Posted by: | CommentsDid you know that Alliance for Audience has created special relationships that enable the sale of discounted tickets in Arizona EXCLUSIVELY to:
- School Teachers
- Veterans & Active-Duty Military members.
These outreach initiatives are called, respectively, SHOWUP FOR TEACHERS (conducted in partnership with the Arizona Department of Education) and SHOWUP FOR VETERANS (conducted in association with the Veteran Tickets Foundation).
You may already be aware that ALL of the discount tickets in ShowUp.com’s Ticket Marketplace are available to Teachers and Veterans at a deeper discount. (That deeper discount is achieved by removing the ShowUp.com service charge – so organizations selling tickets receive the same amount regardless of where it sells.)
But did you know that you can make available EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT OFFERS to Teachers and/or Veterans? It’s easy – just a simple check box when you submit your ticket offer. The rest of the process is exactly the same as selling tickets regularly via the Ticket Marketplace. For additional assistance, please contact Veronica Martinez at VMartinez@allianceforaudience.org; or 602-971-2223 x100.
Veterans Day is November 11 – and then, the holiday season is right around the corner. So, how about extending a special THANK YOU to Teachers & Veterans by offering them and their families a SPECIAL DISCOUNT INVITATION to attend YOUR next performance, concert, exhibition or activity.
ShowUp for Veterans is supported by Bank of America
ShowUp for Teachers is supported by JPMorgan Chase
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Arts, Culture & Democracy: A Tucson Community Discussion
Posted by: | CommentsYOU ARE INVITED… to participate in a community discussion organized jointly by Tucson Pima Arts Council and Alliance for Audience/ShowUp.com and underwritten by a grant from the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona
ARTS, CULTURE & DEMOCRACY: A TUCSON COMMUNITY DISCUSSION
- Thursday, November 17, 2011
- 8:30 – 11:30am
- Temple of Music & Art, Cabaret Theatre, Tucson
- CLICK HERE to reserve FREE tickets (limited seating)
Keynote Speaker:
- Doug McLennan, Founder & Editor, ArtsJournal
- “More than Applause: The Pursuit of Cultural Conversation”
Panelists:
- Ron Barber, District Director, Office of Representative Gabrielle Giffords
- Denise Uyehara, Artist
- James Garcia, Co-Founder, The Real Arizona Coalition; Producing Artistic Director, New Carpa Theatre.
Facilitators:
- Roberto Bedoya, Executive Director, Tucson Pima Arts Council
- Matt Lehrman, Executive Director, Alliance for Audience & ShowUp.com
Description:
Where does our country – and our community – conduct its most important discussions? Consider ANY issue facing our country and our community (i.e. economy, war, immigration, terrorism, budgets, foreign affairs, education, health care, to name a few.). Where do people go to expose themselves to new perspectives, gain new information or engage in meaningful dialogue? Is it via the pundits of television news? Presidential candidate debates? Newspaper articles and editorials? Blogs? Is it the realm of Jon Stewart and Colbert Nation? To some extent, it’s all of these.
But the provocative question of this morning is: What will it take for the arts & cultural community to rise to the opportunity of serving civil society? What can/should/must we do to strengthen the arts & cultural community’s presence as values leaders, among others, who animate democracy within our pluralistic society.
In a tough economy, it’s understandable that artists and arts & cultural organizations are largely oriented to the need to invite the public to engage “on our turf” – to promote the sale of works of art and to participate in experiences situated in exhibitions, concerts, performances, festivals and other kinds of activities that we present or produce.
This morning we’ll argue that THAT’S JUST NOT ENOUGH. Decisions about budgets, for example, are not merely analytical exercises for economists and mathematicians – they represent fundamental questions of the values and of our community – what we are and to what we aspire. These questions deserve to be explored on the stages, in the galleries and via every means of engagement accessible by the arts & cultural community.
The goal here is not to politicize the arts. Rather, it is to make a strong connection between the issues facing contemporary society and the appropriate, helpful, engaged, constructive and vital role that the arts & cultural community can plan in advancing the public dialogue necessary to address those issues.
Please join us for a most important community discussion!
Again, CLICK HERE to reserve FREE tickets (limited seating).
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ASU President Michael Crow Addresses “STEM”
Posted by: | CommentsCLICK HERE and see ASU President Michael Crow’s thoughtful, articulate and incredibly compelling argument at Slate.com for why the nation’s education system must pursue goals broader than STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math).
“…resolving the complex challenges that confront our nation and the world requires more than expertise in science and technology. We must also educate individuals capable of meaningful civic participation, creative expression, and communicating insights across borders…” - ASU President Michael M. Crow, October 21, 2011 on Slate.com
Here’s a direct link, too: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2011/10/michael_m_crow_president_of_arizona_state_university_explains_wh.html
This is very well said – and worth sharing widely!
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Tucson Briefing on Arts & Cultural Census/Community Database
Posted by: | CommentsFollowing up last week’s presentation by TRG Arts (and yesterday’s sharing of the presentation slides), I’ve been asked to conduct a TUCSON BRIEFING on the Arizona Arts & Cultural Census/Community Database:
- Date: Wednesday, September 21
- Time: 2pm – 3:30pm
- Where: Tucson Pima Arts Council’s Community Room,
- 100 N. Stone Ave.
Please RSVP to Daniela Ontiveros at DOntiveros@tucsonpimaartscouncil.org to let us know to expect you.
For more information about the Arizona Arts & Cultural Census/Community Database, CLICK HERE.
I won’t attempt to recite all of the TRG presentation – but I took very good notes! So rather than make a big formal presentation, let’s just sit down together to review their findings and then discuss the implications in Tucson, in Arizona and beyond.
Whether your organization is – or is not – presently participating in the Census/Community Database, you’re welcome to attend – and I think you’ll find this discussion VERY INTERESTING & HIGHLY RELEVANT!
(And yes, I’m working on dates to bring this discussion to Flagstaff and Prescott, too!)
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Revealing What We Know Now
Posted by: | CommentsOn September 8, TRG Arts’ CEO Rick Lester and VP Will Lester led a remarkable 2-hour presentation and discussion in which they shared insights & information gleaned from the analysis of the demographics and patterns of participation of 700,000 Arizona households who are arts & cultural participants.
It is not hyperbole to say that the meeting was incredibly revealing & instructive.
As promised, HERE is a link to their presentation slides along a few of my notes on what they said:
- “Assumption Free Management” - On page 3, Rick Lester made this point emphatically: The power of statistical information is now within (easy) reach of arts & cultural organizations large & small. The goal of that information is not to command or compel artistic decisions – but rather to enable organizations to pursue “Assumption Free Management.” For every participating organization, the community database is a tool that can/should/will help them eliminate guesswork, risk and waste from their operations.
- Are We Normal? On page 5, Rick Lester noted that this is the first question every community asks when they first look at their data is: As also pointed out on page 15, what stands out most is that of nearly 700,000 unique households tracked (so far) in the database, only 21% appear on more than one organization’s database. Stated another way, 79% of the Arizona households tracked appear as participants/donors of JUST ONE organization. Rick and Will noted that this isn’t the highest or lowest percentage TRG has seen – but it should be a POWERFUL indicator of opportunity for organizations in Arizona to work together to encourage audience members to increase their participation.
- Relevant? You bet! – On page 12, Will noted that 25% of ALL Arizona households are already represented in the database (and because we’ve gotten off to a particularly strong start in the Phoenix area, the database tracks 34% of Maricopa County residents.) That means that this database is already significant in its ability to understand the demographics and participation patterns of Arizona audiences.
- These ARE the “Good Old Days” – Rick & Will spent a good amount of time discussing the general age parameters of Arizona audiences (and national audiences) - and forecasting how, in coming years, the numbers of ”traditionalists” will diminish and how the patterns of Baby Boomers will begin to change. Their “bottom line” is that in 10 years or so, arts & cultural administrators will look back to TODAY as being the “good times” – because the number of audiences is going to shrink and there is going to be increased competition for those that remain.
- Confront Conventional Wisdom – Rick concluded with the provocative thought that conventional wisdom is not the “safe” bet that most arts & cultural administrators assume. He offered that in Arizona and nationally markets behave distinctly, economics are fast changing, and organizations everywhere need to do a much better job of understanding WHO are their audiences, WHERE are there more of them and HOW to convey an invitation to participate in an appropriate and effective manner. He pointed out that just as TRG can measure the “total arts & culture market” of Arizona, that each participating organization RIGHT NOW TODAY has the power to log into the community database system and analyze the specific demographics, patterns of participation, geography and more of their own audiences.
Finally and MOST IMPORTANT – this is NOT a one-time research project. This is an ON-GOING system of tracking audience behaviors and the start of an on-going learning process for leaders in all facts of arts & cultural organization management and leadership.
So, stay tuned! There’s MUCH MORE to come!
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You’re STILL welcome to attend “What We Know Now”
Posted by: | CommentsThis Thursday, Alliance for Audience presents the FIRST-EVER presentation of the findings of the Arizona Arts & Culture Census & Community Database:
- When: Thursday, September 8; 1:30 – 3:30pm
- Where: Phoenix Art Museum, Whiteman Hall Auditorium
- Cost: FREE, but please RSVP: http://azcensus.eventbrite.com
This meeting will feature presentations by (and discussions with) Rick Lester, CEO and Will Lester, Vice President of TRG Arts and promises insights into the demographics and patterns of participation of Arizona’s audiences for arts & culture.
Here’s just one question the Census/Community Database will answer:
- Of the roughly 700,000 unique households compiled in the Census, what percent appear on ONLY ONE organization’s database of participation/support over the last 5 years?
(Care to guess???)
On Thursday, we’ll answer that question – and much more. And more than that, we’ll discuss the IMPLICATIONS & OPPORTUNITIES that result from these insights. This is just the beginning of what we can all learn!
I very much hope you’ll plan to attend Thursday’s meeting.
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