Many museums around the country will be watching the attendance impact of the 50% price jump for tickets to Chicago's Art Institute. The change went into effect this past Saturday in conjunction with the museum's new Modern Wing opening.
Museum officials say they aren't expecting attendance drops because numbers have risen steadily in recent years, despite moving to mandatory ticket fees (from voluntary) earlier in the decade.
The pricing change is actually a benefit for those viewing special exhibitions because the new $18 fee is inclusive for those events. Previously special exhibitions could run an extra $20 over the general admission charge.
Still, the effect on overall attendance will be interesting to keep an eye on. If general attendance remains steady or increases, it could signal pricing increases at other museums across the country.
Other items:
One additional note from the land of the Cubs and the home of the Bears. My thanks to Adam Thurman, director of marketing at Court Theatre. Adam authors the Mission Paradox blog for arts marketers and was kind enough to give That's the Ticket a mention last week. If you haven't read Mission Paradox I'd encourage you to give it a try.
The growth of video on the web is certainly one of the year's top marketing topics. And while they may not be a viable advertising medium for arts marketers yet, that will change once video ads can be targeted by content, geography and viewer profiles.
I'm waiting until YouTube can sell an ad to me for any viewer in the Raleigh market watching a video with the tag "Contemporary Art". As soon as that happens we'll have to add online video to the considered set when doing media planning with the Nasher Museum.
How much more valuable is that self-identified potential visitor worth than the general population your advertising currently reaches?
Last week a colleague sent me the link to the Museum of Modern Art's new short film "I See". I didn't want to write about it initially, because I wasn't satisfied with my first impressions. Today I saw the work had made it on to AdAge's online spotlight, so this morning I looked at it again. I'm still torn.
On the one hand I absolutely love the piece. It addresses our tendency to quickly dismiss much of contemporary art without time for reflection. And it points this out without chastising us. I came away reminded of how much richer life can be when you go beyond initial impressions and spend time with an idea.
At some level that's why I didn't write about the short film immediately. I wanted to give "I See" some time for reflection.
But the thing that stuck in my craw the first time I saw it has stayed with me for nearly a week. After two minutes of thought provoking copy and images, the piece ends with the web address moma.org/isee.
I, like most who will watch it, went to the address. And here's where my disappointment comes in. The site simply plays the same video for me again. There is no series of other videos (this is apparently their first). There are no essays on the benefits reaped from deeper consideration. There aren't even T-shirts that say "Now I see" for sale. It's a missed opportunity to extend the idea.
Granted, the piece was powerful on its own, and I would have been completely satisfied had it simply ended with the MoMA logo or the museum's homepage address. It may be that they created an idea larger than they had expected and weren't quite prepared to take it beyond those two minutes. But by providing that special URL, I felt they were promising me more. Then they let me down.
So I'll applaud MoMA and their agency, TAXI, for creating an amazing piece of work. But they should take a cue from the main character in their short film and give more time for reflection. I believe it would allow "I See" to be fully realized.
If you want to read even more, here's what the Wall Street Journal wrote about it.
Our friends at the Nasher Museum have been using Twitter for nearly two years. Originally the Tweets were directed to early adopters, mainly student groups on the Duke campus. With Twitter more widely accepted now, the messages are designed for a more general population.
The short, direct communication seems to serve the needs of both the museum and its fans. And Nasher is hardly the only one taking advantage.
During a panel session on arts marketing conducted by the Arts Council of New Orleans, Jim Mulvhill, Director of Communications and Marketing at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) talked about how well Twitter was working for them. Here's a brief audio clip from his comments:
"...marketing is the only way to grow an audience."
Michael M. Kaiser, President Kennedy Center
I believe that quote that should be pasted in big bold letters on the wall of every arts organization in the country.
Three months ago Mr. Kaiser announced the creation of Arts in Crisis: A Kennedy Center Initiative. Through the program, Kaiser and other executive staff members at the Kennedy Center are providing free consultations to arts organizations around the country.
The Sacramento Philharmonic is participating in the initiative and they're hearing very clearly that Kaiser is not in favor of putting marketing budgets on the chopping block. Here's an article that appeared yesterday in the Sacramento Bee "Don't sacrifice marketing, expert warns arts groups".
Mr. Kaiser's remarks resonated deeply with me. Yes, we need to be prudent. Yes, we need to stretch marketing dollars. But if we allow our offerings to disappear from public view because we don't promote them, we are assuring that our audiences will disappear as well.
If you'd like to know more about the Kennedy Center initiative the website is www.artsincrisis.org. Or read one of the following articles:
Joanne Scheff Bernstein is the well known author of two arts marketing books, Arts Marketing Insightsand Standing Room Only. With so many of us in the midst of selling ticket packages for the 2009-2010 season I thought it would be a good time to get her perspective on how to handle sales in a down economy. She was kind enough to answer a few questions on the topic:
Ticket - Is this the most difficult year for selling season subscriptions you’ve seen as a marketer?
Bernstein - Most organizations are still selling their subscriptions for the 2009-2010 season, so it is hard to tell at this point how much the performing arts will be affected during the upcoming season by the difficult economic situation. Overall it is expected that subscriptions will be down. How much each organization is affected is dependent on three main factors: 1) the quality of their artistic product 2) the pricing structure of the organization, and 3) how responsive the organization is to customer needs and preferences. If subscribers have only been delighted by 2 or 3 out of 5 productions in their series in recent years, they are more likely to drop their subscriptions and select which programs to attend. When the quality is consistent and meets audience expectations, there will be far less erosion of subscription sales. An organization with highly priced tickets, such as a major opera company or symphony, is more likely to lose subscribers than an organization where the financial commitment is not significant given people's more frugal life styles in the current environment.
Subscription selling became challenging for performing arts organizations around the turn of the 21st century. Over the past several years, more people have clearly exhibited their preference to choose exactly which shows to attend and to be more spontaneous in their ticket purchases. Organizations that have adapted to these changes in consumer behavior by offering mini-series, choose your own series, and offering payment plans over time for package sales, among other strategies, are in a stronger position to retain subscribers and even attract new subscribers than those organizations who have not been tuned in to meeting customer needs. Those organizations that have not been flexible and customer-centered in their marketing approaches are definitely facing difficult subscription campaigns this season.
Ticket - What are the questions you’re getting from your clients in regards to season subscriptions and what advice are you giving them?
Bernstein - My advice this season is no different than it has been in the past several seasons: the key to success is great art well marketed. If marketers keep doing the same things they have always done, no matter how much they improve it, they will only get what they had before. It is crucial that marketers put their customers first. This means that they must pay attention to what their customer are saying and doing and that they must be rigorous about customer satisfaction. This is the fundamental concept that is explained in detail from various approaches in "Arts Marketing Insights."
Ticket - What are some of the more innovative ideas you’ve seen organizations use to try to combat the economy this year?
Bernstein - One symphony I work with has gone from a season brochure that historically divided up concert descriptions by whether the programs were classical, pops, chamber, or choral. This year, based on the premise that people often like a variety of styles, the brochure listings are strictly chronological and people are encouraged to select which performances they want to attend. None of the programming is pre-packaged for them. Hopefully this new approach will encourage people to try programs they have never attended in the past and possibly even purchase more tickets than in previous years by selecting from among the variety of options.
Some organizations are starting to do something that I recommended in both my books: offering extended payment plans over several months to encourage subscriptions.
The most common strategy I've seen in recent years is the frequent use of deep discounts. There are pros and cons to this tactic. Generally the organizations sell more tickets than they would have otherwise, but I am concerned that people will become accustomed to "last-minute" price reductions and will not buy tickets without such discounts. Hopefully, as the economy improves, people will ease up on their expectations for discounts and will attend the shows they want to see. People need entertainment and appreciate asethetics as much as ever, if not more so, and arts attendance is a fine alternative to other more expensive pursuits, such as leisure travel.
Many organizations are appropriately cutting costs in areas that do not have a detrimental effect on the quality of the artistic product to help them through these difficult times. I am recommending that organizations conduct short-range strategic planning, reviewing budgets on a monthly basis and their strategies every three months, so they can be responsive to the rapid changes in the environment. When an expected foundation gift does not come through or the annual fund does not realize the anticipated revenue, organizations must adjust immediately.
Ticket - You released your last book in 2006. Any plans for another?
Bernstein - Since my books cover fundamentals and strategies that apply over a wide variety of times and situations, I do not feel the need to update what I have written in the current environment. I do expect, however, that over the next couple of years I will compile some interesting case studies based on my consulting work that will have generalizable messages for arts managers.
Our creative director often tells me that when you borrow an idea from one source it's plagarism, but when you borrow from many you're observing "Best practices".
I was reminded of that when reading excerpts from Alvin Reiss' 1995 book "Don't Just Applaud, Send Money: The Most Successful Strategies for Funding and Marketing the Arts". It's full of dozens of case studies from around the country, presented in easy-to-read two or three-page summaries.
One of my favorites is from the GeVa Theatre in Rochester which used law firm sponsors to fill the roles of non-jury members in "Inherit the Wind". Not only did they raise money from the sponsorship, but the law firms usually invited clients and colleagues for both the show and a post-show reception.
Not sure which of the ideas may provide some inspiration for you, but I'm sure there's at least one new fundraising strategy that could be of use. Here's the Amazon link if you'd like to find out more or get a copy for yourself.
I always love to see what other organizations are doing for their advertising. A few weeks ago I shared some print ads I thought were intriguing. Today I've got a TV spot that aired in the Los Angeles market last year for the Getty.
Nice production values and a clear simple takeaway.
The National Arts Marketing Project provides their free arts marketing newsletter twice a month via email and I recommend it for anyone looking to get ideas from other markets.
One of the recent articles "Cultural History Tourism" is from Meri Jenkins, the Program Manager for the Cultural Economic Development Program, an initiative of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
I was just in Boston last week and had a conversation with Larry Meehan of the Boston Convention and Visitor's Bureau. It's very obvious to see how much integration they have between their arts destinations and the area's overall tourism efforts. So Jenkins has a good perspective to offer.
If you'd like to get your free NAMP newsletter in your inbox sign up here.
The May issue of the Art Newspaper has a lengthy article on the decline of arts journalism in the newspaper industry. You probably have some first hand experience in your market, almost everyone can point to staff cuts at the local daily. Either your local reporter was let go or their beat is now much larger so it's harder than ever to get their attention for a story pitch.
One of the article's key points is that, while newspaper arts coverage is in danger, there are more people writing about the arts than ever, thanks to blogs.
If you are concerned about the decreasing coverage of the arts in your local media I would suggest it's time to update your media list to include the authors from your most popular local arts/entertainment blogs. While these writers are rarely trained critics in the way traditional arts journalists may have been, they are becoming a vital source of arts news when newspapers are cutting back.
As an example, here in the Triangle there's a name that probably isn't on a lot of traditional story pitch lists, it's Ginny Skalski. Ginny's a community content manager at the local NBC affiliate's online effort, mync.com.
She's not officially a reporter, but not only does Ginny make decisions on what's shown on the mync.com site. She's a major contributor to the local events blog 30threads.com. And she hosts her own site as well Ginnyfromtheblog.com. As such she has the power to touch thousands directly each day and could be a valuable contact for any arts marketer in our area.
Do a Google Blog search for arts, or museums, or theatre in your community and soon you'll likely find the Ginny Skalskis that are writing in your market. If you don't already have them on your media contact lists add them and make a first connection.
Good overview story in the Washington Post on the impact the economy is having on arts organizations across the country.
One interesting example included in the article was from the Rochester Philharmonic. They've elected to keep season ticket subscriptions open for those that have lost their jobs since January. The Philharmonic has guaranteed that if the member is still unemployed by the time the season begins, they'll receive their seats for free this year. It's a nice gesture that, hopefully, will build long-term loyalty.
Dewey Mooring serves as the director of account leadership for Jennings, a marketing firm in Chapel Hill, NC. Jennings works for the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, the Durham Performing Arts Center and the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.
