A short and relatively information-free article in The Herald announces a new collaborative arts marketing initiative in Glasgow. Nine of the leading arts organizations in town have already signed on. Says the article:
Glasgow Grows Audiences, funded by around £180,000 from the Scottish Arts Council and the city council, will act as a marketing organisation for the theatres, galleries and companies based in the city…
It’s hard to say exactly what this initiative will do for £180,000, but it’s worth noting another attempt in a seemingly growing trend in community/regional arts efforts. Collaborative marketing initiatives range from basic aggregated arts calendars and on-line features (such as PortalWisconsin), to full-fledged marketing service organizations that provide a spectrum of support, consulting, research, and communications services to their member clients (like the Collaborative Arts Marketing Partnership [CAMP] hosted by Arts Council Silicon Valley).
Mixes of the two approaches can be found in ArtsBoston (consolidated calendar and web site, discount media buys, professional development, cross-promotion), and ExperienceColumbus (more of a tourism-promotion vehicle).
These initiatives are usually born from the frustration of funders, who keep seeing their money go to arts organizations that can’t connect to an audience, and who eventually wonder if a more systemic intervention might be in order. That’s what led the Knight Foundation to fund such collaboration in at least three cities (Charlotte, Long Beach, and Silicon Valley…here’s a story about the launch of Silicon Valley’s version in 2002).
While well intentioned, the same collaboration challenges probably plague all of these efforts — usually the least likely to play are large, established organizations (because they have a professional staff for marketing), and the little ones (who don’t even have the staff to do what they already do). That leaves the middle folks and the commercial venues to post events to the system, leaving it without the comprehensive listings that might make the resource a first destination for potential consumers. Without that prime traffic, such initiatives can become large administrative efforts with little actual return.
But there’s something in the collaborative marketing effort that’s worth exploring — especially when it encourages more sophisticated and consistent audience and market research. It’s good to see Glasgow and others giving it a try. Let’s hope they strive to learn from those who tried before them.
