Kristen Purcell spoke at the Art Museum Marketing Association (AMMA) meeting at the Baltimore Museum of Art on Friday, May 17th, for an audience of marketing directors from the largest art museums in the U.S. Sharing insights from Pew Internet's recent national survey of arts organizations, Kristen discussed how these organizations are using digital tools to carry out their missions and the key questions art museums can focus on in developing their own digital strategies.

1. Museums and Digital Communication
Audience –Content – Impact
Kristen Purcell, Ph.D.,Associate Director, Pew Internet Project
Art Museum Marketing Association Meeting. Baltimore, MD. May 17, 2013.

2.  Data presented here are based on surveys conducted by the Pew
Research Center – our mission is to provide high quality, objective data to
thought leaders and policymakers
 Between May 30 and July 20, 2012, Pew Internet conducted an online
survey of a non-probability national (U.S.) sample of arts organizations
 1,258 arts organizations took the survey, representing a wide range of
disciplines, organizational functions, budgets, etc.
 Art museums comprised 9% of the final sample (performing groups made
up the largest portion of the final sample at 22%)
 Presentation slides and full report are available at pewinternet.org
Arts Organizations
and Digital Technologies

3. Audience – Content – Impact
Arts Organizations and Digital Technologies
Guiding Questions
Who is your
audience and how
well do you know
them?
What digital tools
do they use/have
access to?
Do digital tools
broaden or
fundamentally
change your
audience?
How does your
content shape your
choice of digital tool
or strategy?
Can you give up
control of your
content and the
online conversation?
What is your
organization’s
(digital) identity/
personality?
What are your
ultimate goals in
terms of impact?
How will you
measure impact in
these areas?
What impacts
are possible?
(Your resources +
tools available +
human nature)

4. Audience
Arts Organizations and Digital Technologies
Guiding Questions
Who is your
audience and how
well do you know
them?
What digital tools
do they use/have
access to?
Do digital tools
broaden or
fundamentally
change your
audience?

5. “listen more than you ask”
Who is your audience and how
well do you know them?
81% of arts organizations surveyed let users comment publicly
on their websites
77% use social media to monitor what is being said about their org
65% use social media to learn more about their audience
52% use social media to get feedback from the public or
“crowdsource” an idea
28% host online discussion groups
How, and how well, are you listening?

6. 85% of US adults use the internet
2/3 have broadband at home
84% have a cell phone, including 45% who
have a smartphone
24% have a tablet computer
19% have an e-reader
2/3 of adult cell phone users are wireless
internet users
69% of online adults use social networking
sites, 16% use Twitter
US Adult Internet/Digital Tool Use in 2013
What digital tools does your audience use?
* Based on Pew Internet Tracking Surveys

7. 95% of kids 12-17 use the internet
93% have a computer or have access to
one at home
78% have a cell phone, including 37% who
have a smartphone
23% have a tablet computer
74% access the internet on mobile devices
(smartphone, tablet, etc)
In July 2011, 80% of online teens used
SNS, 14% used Twitter
US Teen Internet/Digital Tool Use in 2013
What digital tools does your audience use?
* Based on Pew Internet Tracking Surveys

8. Information is Woven Into Our Lives
Mobile is the needle, Social Networks are the thread
Social Networks…
Surround us with
information through our
many connections
Bring us information from
multiple, varied sources
Provide instant feedback,
meaning and context
Allow us to shape and
create information
ourselves and easily
amplify others’ messages
Mobile…
Moves information
with us
Makes information
accessible ANYTIME
and ANYWHERE
Puts information at our
fingertips, literally
Magnifies the demand
for timely, actionable
information
Makes information
location-sensitive

9. 6%
8%
12%
15%
16%
View/download info or images from a
museum
Download or listen to audio tour at a
museum, gallery or historical site
View or download info/images from a
historic site, park or monument
Watch or download a music, dance or
theater performance
View or download visual arts content
% of all adults in 2011 who had used a handheld device (phone/e-reader/tablet) to…
How your patrons reflected these mobile/social trends in 2011
Currently, 74% of adult smartphone owners use their phone to get directions,
recommendations or other information based on their present location
21% use their phone to get coupons or deals to use at local businesses
2011 data
What digital tools does your audience use?

10. 8%
11%
29%
41%
Museums
Arts galleries or other visual
arts orgs
Musical, dance or theater
groups/venues
Individual artists, musicians or
other performers
% of adult SNS/Twitter users in 2011 who followed…

11. In the 12 months prior to the 2011 survey….
44% of adults had attended a live music, dance or theater performance
It was 77% among those who follow a music/dance/theatrical group
or venue on SNS
35% of adults had visited a museum
It was 82% among those who follow a museum on SNS
35% of adults had attended an arts, craft or music festival
It was 55% among those who follow individual artists, musicians or
performers on SNS
29% of adults had visited an art gallery, show or exhibit
It was 82% among those who follow an art gallery or other visual
arts organization on SNS
Social networking is a connection with “Superfans”
What digital tools does your audience use?
It’s a chicken and egg question, but does the answer matter?

12. Perceived impacts of technology on the arts
Based on your experiences and those of your organization, do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. Conducted May 30-July 20, 2012. N for respondents who answered this question=1,207.
Broad impacts of digital technology on the arts
Do digital tools broaden or change your audience?
27%
31%
50%
50%
52%
42%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
The internet has played a major role in broadening
the boundaries of what is considered art
Because of the internet and digital technologies,
the arts audience is more diverse than it was in the
past
The internet has increased engagement in
the arts by providing a public platform through
which more people can share their work
Strongly agree Somewhat agree
“Because we do a lot of work in rural areas, with
senior citizens, and low income areas, social
media only works for a portion of our
audience…A heavy reliance on social media,
though convenient, can exclude many people.”
93% of arts orgs say social
media help them reach a
broader audience than they
would otherwise be able to

13. Content
Arts Organizations and Digital Technologies
Guiding Questions
How does your
content shape your
choice of digital tool
or strategy?
Can you give up
control of your
content and the online
conversation?
What is your
organization’s (digital)
identity/personality?

14. 99% of arts organizations surveyed host a website
On those sites, 94% post photos
81% post or stream video
57% post or stream audio
50% maintain a blog
20% present online exhibits
---------------------------
86% have increased the number of online events and exhibits
they host over the past several years
24% use mobile apps to provide content to the public
No two organizations (or digital strategies) are the same
How does your content shape your organization’s
choice of digital tools and strategies?

15. How does your content shape your organization’s
choice of digital tools and strategies?
97% of the arts organizations surveyed have a profile
or page on a social media site
69% have employees with professional social media
profiles they use in their capacity as a representative
of the organization
56% of the orgs that use social media have a profile on
4-9 different social media sites
10% of the orgs that use social media are active on
10+ platforms
No two organizations (or digital strategies) are the same

16. How does your content shape your organization’s
choice of digital tools and strategies?
Among arts orgs that use social media, the top sites used are…
Reflects where
the audience
is, but…
Does it reflect
the best
platform for
YOUR content

17. How often arts organizations post content on social media…
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project Arts Organizations Survey. Conducted
between May 30-July 20, 2012. N for respondents who answered this question=1,131.
Several
times a
day
25%
About
once a day
20%
Several
times a
week
28%
About
once a
week
16%
Every
few
weeks
8%
Less
often
3%
Infinite uses of social media…
• 82% use social media to engage
with audience members prior to,
during, or following an event
45% of arts orgs that use social media post daily
How does your content shape your organization’s
choice of digital tools and strategies?
“We solicited ideas for how to name our
"signature cocktail" at an upcoming
benefit, based on the theme of the
benefit. Facebook fans wrote in with lots
of ideas, we picked our top favorites, and
then released a poll so fans could vote on
the name we ended up using. It generated
awareness of the event (which was a
record success) and allowed those who
might not have been able to attend the
event a way to engage with the party.”

18. There is no one-size-fits-all digital tool or strategy
How does your content shape your organization’s
choice of digital tools and strategies?
“When SB1079 passed in Arizona, our organization (who
specializes in Mexican music and dance), in the matter
of days, was able to write, record and make a video of a
song that directly addressed the issue. The video was
posted on YouTube and got hundreds of hits in the
matter of days. It was a way for us to execute our
mission to a large audience in a short amount of time.”
“After seeing that a patron has checked into our venue or has been
talking about how good our show was, we thank them publicly and
invite them back. This gives us the ability to create a personal
interaction with them and create a connection that encourages
them to come back. Sometimes our actors will join in when they see
us thanking a patron, and send a personal thanks from the cast.”
Personal
Timely
Relevant

19. How well does your content lend itself to digital dissemination?
How does your content shape your organization’s
choice of digital tools and strategies?
What is the VALUE of your content?
What is the NATURE of your content?
How much DEPTH is there to
your content?
Can your content be MORSELIZED
easily and in a meaningful way?
Is your content easily SHAREABLE?
5 key
questions
to ask

20. Patrons likely already expect free + open access to your content,
and at least partially digital immersion
90% of the arts orgs
surveyed let patrons
share their content via
email, SNS andTwitter
48% strongly agree and
26% agree that “the
internet and related
technologies have
created an expectation
among some audience
members that all digital
content should be free”
Just 3% strongly agree
and 19% agree that “the
internet and digital
technologies are hurting
attendance at in-person
events”
Can you give up control of your content?
“Access will be good for educational purposes and to increase
awareness of the arts, especially historical material in performance
of all types. However, issues of copyright and payment for that
material, such as in apps and in streaming or downloading, are
murky and hard to navigate for artists themselves as to value and
fairness of payments to the artist for original content.”
“As the realism of participatory digital entertainment and the
immersion ability of non-participatory digital entertainment
increases, it threatens the elements that make the live arts unique—
the sense of immediacy, immersion, and personal interaction with
the art. We've long hung fast to the belief that there's nothing like a
live experience, but digital entertainment is getting closer and closer
to replicating that experience.”
“The audience has already moved from ‘arts attendance as an event’
to ‘arts attendance as an experience.’ This desire for a full-range of
positive experience from ticket purchase, to travel, to parking, to
treatment at the space, to quality of performance, to exit – this will
only increase over the next 10 years.”

21. Can you give up control of the online conversation?
• Credibility and reputation are
assessed through multiple filters
–Trusted information sources
(including search engines)
–Personal beliefs/experiences
–Social networks
–Aggressive fact checking
• Bad information hangs around, but it
can be attacked in several ways
–Directed response
–Recanting (by you or others)
–Better information, especially from
multiple sources
• Just 5% of the arts orgs surveyed say
that “social media creates more risks
than benefits for our organization”
“Any time you engage in social media, you
open yourself up to negative feedback. An
example of this would be announcing our
summer concert series, and having someone
not like one of the many guest artists we
bring in. However, for every negative
comment, there is usually someone with a
different opinion.”
“We were the subject of comments
concerning funding and donations from a
local political organization and our patrons
responded in full with comments, examples
and telling our story in a stronger and better
way than even our staff would have been
able to do. We were proud that we did not
have to, in any way, defend our value to the
community, our audience did this for us.”
52% of organizations not on social media say that lack of control of
what is said in these spaces is a reason they don’t use them

22. Surveillance –
powerful watch
ordinary
Sousveillance –
ordinary watch
powerful
Coveillance – peers
watch peers
Can you give up control of the online conversation?
The reality is that all organizations face more scrutiny
Transparency and openness are new markers of trust
Signal your audience that you trust them with your content
AND with your reputation
“We provide grants and
an organization who
was unhappy about not
receiving a grant
posted some negative
stuff on Twitter. While
we responded and kept
it professional, it did
put negative comments
out there associated
with our profile,
potentially damaging
our brand.”

23. What is your organization’s digital identity/personality?
• 76% of social media-using arts orgs have full-
time paid staff tending the sites
• 29% use part-time staff
• 16% use volunteers, 8% use paid contractors
• Altogether, 13% use a combination of full-time
and part-time staffers to manage social media
• Just 27% have a staff member whose position
is dedicated to social media management
• 73% use staff to oversee social media who
also have other responsibilities
• 70% agree (including 38% who strongly agree)
that “Younger employees in our organization
have a more positive view of social media”
“Before we put policies in
place, one of our employees,
who was a great social media
user, kind of merged his own
identity on Facebook with
that of our organization.
Therefore, when he also
would party and post about
it – it became an area of
discipline. And he didn't
understand the need for
separating these things out,
keeping his personal life off
of our public profile. That
was several years ago.”
Social media is a top-down activity, not bottom-up
Who will you be online, and who will speak for you?

24. Impact
Arts Organizations and Digital Technologies
Guiding Questions
What are your
ultimate goals in
terms of impact?
How will you
measure impact in
these areas?
What impacts
are possible?
(Your resources +
tools available +
human nature)

25. % of arts orgs who say the internet is very or somewhat important for…
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project Arts Organizations Survey. Conducted between May 30-July 20, 2012. N for respondents who answered this
question=1,212.
19%
27%
28%
33%
55%
63%
64%
65%
78%
81%
24%
16%
39%
37%
29%
29%
27%
25%
18%
15%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Improving arts curation
Improving arts cataloging and collections management
Artistic creation and/or collaboration
Providing arts education to the public
Engaging in arts advocacy
Using your organization's resources more efficiently
Indentifying sources of funding
Gathering research and data for grant applications
Increasing audience engagement
Promoting the arts
Very Important Somewhat Important
What are your organizational goals vis a vis impact?
Perceived importance of the internet and digital tools among arts orgs,
both external and internal
Internal
Education,
Collaboration,
Curation

26. • 56% see major impact on boosting org’s public
profile
• 53% see major impact on engagement with public
• 48% see major impact on increasing traffic to
website
• 45% see major impact on event promotion/
attendance
• 41% see major impact on audience building and
stakeholder engagement
----------------------------------------------------
• 27% see major impact on audience engagement
w/content
• Just 13% see major impact on professional
collaboration, or on fundraising
What are your organizational goals vis a vis impact?
Promotion
(increasing
awareness,
public image,
attendance)
Engagement
(with organization,
with content)
Education
Fundraising
Collaboration
Actual impacts arts orgs see from their internet/social media efforts
91% say social media is worth the time their organization spends on it

27. Promotion
•74% maintain an online calendar
•72% sell tickets online
•34% make info available through RSS feeds
•31% offer discounts through services such
as Groupon or LivingSocial
Fundraising
•86% accept donations online
•47% sell merchandise online
•15% use apps to sell tickets, products or
services
•5% accept donations or gifts via SMS or text
messaging
What are your organizational goals vis a vis impact?
Promotion
(increasing
awareness, public
image, attendance)
Engagement
(with organization,
with content)
Education
Fundraising
Collaboration
Internet/social media efforts geared toward specific goals

28. What are your organizational goals vis a vis impact?
Engagement with an organization can mean many different things
Leading
Owning
Contributing
Endorsing
Following
Observing
At the bottom, communications
and relationships are tech-
centric and automated. At the
top, they are personal and
labor-intensive.
Using tech to automate
interactions at the bottom helps
scale engagement to reach lots
of people (websites, databases,
email, social networks).
Automated communications
become less effective above
level three, where personal
relationships become
increasingly critical.
Borrowed from Gideon Rosenblatt’s “The Engagement Pyramid: Six Levels of Connecting People and Social Change”
Where
bulk of
social
media
impact
occurs

29. What are your organizational goals vis a vis impact?
What is the next level of engagement?
• 56% of arts orgs surveyed said internet
and digital media have a MAJOR impact
on organization’s public profile
• 53% say dig tools have a MAJOR impact
on engagement with the public
• 48% see major impact on website traffic
• 45% see major impact on event
promotion/ attendance
-------------------------------------------------
• 27% see a major impact on public
understanding of/engagement with
artistic content
• 16% see major impact on public
education
A concern of orgs surveyed
was that while social media
encourage engagement with the
organization, they do not always
encourage a deep engagement
with/ understanding of artistic
content
___________________
Is it the tool?
Is it how the tool is used?
Is it something unique about
arts content?
Is it the social media audience?
Has this always been the case
with arts outreach?
Is this true for all kinds of
organizations?
Engagement with an organization or engagement with content?

30. How will you measure your impact?
Measuring impact is
a 3-step process:
1) Decide which
metric/tool to use
to measure impact
2) Learn how to use it
3) Make decisions
based on its
output
Metrics can 1) help improve online presence, 2) provide data for funders, 3) inform decision-making
•55% of arts orgs surveyed use Google Analytics
to measure web traffic and campaigns
•8% are not using any web analytics
•Generally, the bigger the overall budget, the
more metrics an organization uses
•Online metrics (page views, unique visitors) v.
measurable outcomes (ticket sales, museum
visits, membership, donations)
•Smaller organizations in particular note
that measurable outcomes are very important
to funders
•Online metrics v. measurable impacts v.
immeasurable impacts
(public education, collaboration may be less
measurable impacts, not less common)
This may be the million dollar question!

31. What impacts are possible?
• 49% of arts orgs surveyed
have sought funding
specifically to expand
their organization’s use of
the internet or other digital
technologies, such as
apps and social media
(mostly unsuccessful)
• 36% have conducted
research to learn more
about how their audiences
use technologies
• 35% agree that “the
internet is shifting the
focus of many arts
organizations from artistic
creation and curation to
promotion and marketing”
Possible Impacts =Your Resources +Tools Available + Human Nature
30%
37%
38%
52%
58%
5%
44%
48%
32%
41%
33%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Social media creates more risks than
benefits for our
organization
Overall, my organization does not have
the personnel or resources it needs to
use social media effectively
Social media helps our existing
audience members
feel more a part of the organization
The younger employees in our
organization have a
more positive view of social media…
Social media helps my organization
reach a broader audience than it would
otherwise be able to
Social media is worth the time our
organization spends on it
Very true Somewhat true

32. Among arts organizations that do not currently have a social media presence…
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project Arts Orgs Survey. Conducted May 30-July 20, 2012. N for respondents who answered this question=1,117.
5%
7%
12%
16%
18%
30%
35%
5%
23%
40%
33%
39%
25%
40%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
My organization tried using social media in the past and
found that it was ineffective
My organization does not have access to the updated
hardware or software necessary to use social media
effectively
My organization does not use social media because it is
too difficult to control what is said in social networking
spaces
My organization does not have the financial resources it
needs to begin using social media
My organization is able to reach our community/
stakeholders through other means, so we do not need to
use social media
My organization does not have the staff skills or
knowledge it needs to begin using social media
My organization is concerned about the continued
resources that would be necessary to maintain a
successful social media profile or campaign
Major reason Minor reason
What impacts are possible?
Not everyone is on board the social media train,
mainly because of resources not desire

33. What impacts are possible?
A new way of thinking about SCALE
Borrowed from
Michael
Edson
Web and New Media
Strategy for the
Smithsonian
@mpedson
Full version of his talk
“The Age of Scale”
is available on
Slideshare
http://www.slideshare.
net/edsonm
“A global ‘audience’ of collaborators (individuals, learners, fans, community) was not
imaginable to an organization 30 years ago” – Michael Edson
• New tools = a new approach to organization’s mission

34. What impacts are possible?
• National Gallery has 4.6 MILLION visitors
• 108.4 million viewers for the 2013 SuperBowl
• 1.3 BILLION views of Gangnam Style (and
counting)
• In November 2012 TEDTalk reached its ONE
BILLIONTH video view
• Wikipedia has 1.8 BILLION edits and growing
• On KICKSTARTER in 2012, 2.2 MILLION people
from 177 countries pledged more than $319
MILLION to support 18,000+ projects
• Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield’s rendition
of “Space Oddity” had 1.8 million views on
YouTube and more than 3,000 Reddit comments
Monday afternoon, one day after it was posted
Parts borrowed from
Michael Edson
Web and New Media Strategy
for the Smithsonian
Full version of his talk
“The Age of Scale” is available
on Slideshare
Chris Hadfield understands SCALE
A new way of thinking about SCALE

35. Kristen Purcell
Associate Director for Research, Pew Internet Project
kpurcell@pewinternet.org
Twitter:
@pewinternet
@kristenpurcell
THANKYOU!!
Data and report available at pewinternet.org