Matt Lehrman on Audience Building
Moooooore? You want more? Let's face it, there are moments when the typical nonprofit budget process can descend to Dickensian depths of oppressiveness, misery and hopelessness. So let's take a moment to dream up a DIFFERENT story ... something joyous ... one in which all of the other parameters of your organization's budget remain the stable, AND... The reply to your request is, "Why, yes! Gladly. Here you go! Here's an increase … [Read more...]
In a recent post, I wrote, "Stakeholders are demanding that non-profit arts & cultural organizations “be more entrepreneurial” – which is, too often, code for, “figure out a way to operate in which you don’t have to keep asking us for money." Literally, of course, that would be the uncharitable meaning of the phrase. Today, let's try for a more charitable interpretation. Suppose that such stakeholders are simply … [Read more...]
Jeff Williamson has been one of the most successful and thoughtful leaders of the Greater Phoenix arts & cultural community for as long as I've been working in the field. A life-long conservationist, Jeff grew up on farms and spent his career trying to integrate the interests of people and nature. He was appointed CEO/President of the Phoenix Zoo in August 1996 - and President of the Arizona Zoological Society in 2007. In 2011 he was … [Read more...]
Whose job is "relevance?" Does the word appear in any job title on your company's organization chart? Does the word even appear in the job description of any position in your organization? Will you argue that "relevance" is the obvious province of your organization's artistic director or curator since it is they who are responsible for interpreting and advancing your organization's artistic mission? With all due respect to artistic … [Read more...]
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, … [Read more...]
"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 … [Read more...]
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...]
With gratitude, I share this interview with Brian Camelio, the founder of ArtistShare - a pioneering "fan-funding platform for artists" to which I was introduced just a few weeks ago. I contacted Brian through his website's general information e-mail and asked if he'd be willing to share his experience & insights. I am profoundly grateful for his willingness to do so. In addition to reading this interview, I encourage you to thoroughly … [Read more...]
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...]
In the Greater Phoenix region, Actors Theatre isn't the oldest, largest or even most popular professional theatre company. It's just the most important. And this morning, Actors Theatre announced: "...the Board of Directors and Management have decided to take a PAUSE to assess and redesign our business model and to consider all options to “take control of our future.”... We are not closing. We are stepping back because we need to … [Read more...]
As principal of Audience Avenue LLC, Matt helps organizations (as well as entire communities) find creative ways to engage every sort of audience - attendees, visitors, members, users, supporters, donors, subscribers, fans, friends, followers, volunteers, tourists, spectators & stakeholders - in arts & cultural experiences.
Matt Lehrman is a dynamic speaker! His AUDIENCES EVERYWHERE presentations offer thought-provoking & highly-actionable ways to pursue innovation in audience building, based on the latest research in audience participation and cutting-edge developments in technology & social media.
www.AudienceAvenue.com [Read More …]
For too long, arts & cultural marketers have operated under the premise that the key to their organization's success is to "pick the low hanging fruit.” I have come to reject that premise. Fundamental changes in personal interests & … [Read More...]
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