New Years Day is an excellent time to reflect on the beliefs we choose to carry forward into the new year - the pillars upon which our future efforts will be based. Here are my TOP FIVE. I welcome discussion - and would love to hear yours, too! --- An empty seat never recommended anything to anybody. Arts & culture is a business driven by word of mouth. Every empty seat (or whatever that looks like for your type of … [Read more...]
“Thank you for your Service!”
One of the great honors of running an organization dedicated to "audience development" has been the privilege to meet and work in partnership with the dedicated leaders of the Veteran Tickets Foundation - which is best known as VETTIX.org. (And imagine my delight to discover that this national 501c3 non-profit organization is based here in my hometown of Phoenix - less than 3 miles from my office!) Their mission: "Give without prejudice … [Read more...]
4 Questions for the Arts & Cultural Community
Why is this night different from all other nights? Thus starts "The Four Questions" - the centerpiece of the traditional Passover Seder (held tonight) which recounts the story of the Jewish people's freedom from slavery in ancient Egypt. The Seder is more than a great meal with family and friends. It is an annual experience by which a Jewish family revisits the essence of its history, religion and culture in a way that conveys meaning and … [Read more...]
Where Do Audiences Come From?
In just 30 seconds - and without words - this AT&T commercial poignantly answers the question of how a son receives the gift of passion for football. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAQddBxWlNA The answer is universal. The commercial could have been set in an art museum, concert hall, theater, science center, art studio or many such places. This is commonly understood. When we were young, we were introduced to experiences that … [Read more...]
Defining a “Great” Arts & Cultural Community
Imagine two communities: One is widely regarded for its high-quality theaters and museums - but very few of its residents participate, The other is undistinguished nationally for its theaters and museums - except for the fact that very many of its residents participate frequently. I'm not asking in which community you'd rather live or visit. One suspects that the readers of Arts Journal blogs are routinely drawn to communities whose … [Read more...]
The Fundamentals of an Audience Development Plan
The goal of arts & cultural marketing is "butts in seats." So it generally follows that the goal of audience development is to put "more butts in seats" and/or "different butts in seats." Marketers are necessarily focused on "picking the low hanging fruit." The best marketing plans present finely tuned and adaptable strategies for optimizing sales while conserving resources. So, it generally follows that the function of audience … [Read more...]
My Life as a Starship
I am a Trekker. I am not ashamed to admit that I own an (original series) Captain's uniform (don't call it a costume, please), my own set of "Vulcan ears" and an eclectic array of items both purchased and received as gifts including, yes, my very own tribble. As a kid, countless idyllic Saturday nights began with a Star Trek rerun (at 6pm on Channel 11 in New York) on a black & white TV while the babysitter heated up my frozen … [Read more...]
Learning to Play Ball on a New Field
In the book, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game Michael Lewis reveals how the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its general manager Billy Beane crafted an analytical, evidence-based, sabermetric* approach to assembling a competitive baseball team, despite Oakland's disadvantaged revenue situation. (*SABR refers to the Society of American Baseball Research, an entity founded in 1971 to compile information of interest to historians, … [Read more...]
Newt & Mitt Get On the Bus for Audience Development
It is the obvious nature of politics that each candidate tries to throw their opponent under the bus. But that's not the part of the bus to which arts & cultural marketers should most be paying attention. We should be asking: Why does every Presidential candidate have a campaign bus in the first place? Consider the modern Presidential campaign: Each candidate possesses substantial financial resources and directs them to massive … [Read more...]
Entrepreneurial Resolve
A couple of months ago, I accepted an invitation to teach a semester-long upper-level seminar on Arts Entrepreneurship this Spring at Arizona State University. Having conceived, founded & operated Alliance for Audience over the last 10 years, I accepted the invitation with confidence in my knowledge, experience & ability to convey the substance of strategic plans, cash-flow management, human resources, marketing, board management, … [Read more...]