2. What is Marketing?
“The activity, set of instructions, and
processes for creating, communicating,
delivering, and exchanging offerings that
have value for customers, clients, partners,
and society at large.”
Selling stuff
3. Marketing is about actively
building good, defined,
relationships with your
audience.
6. • Marketing = Sales (Using Communications,
Engagement and Sales Tools)
• Communications = Communicating with Current
Audiences, Potential Audiences, Press, and (I
would argue) Internal Staff and Artists
• Audience Development = More About
Connections and Community and Less
Specifically About Sales.
7. What Does Audience Development,
Communications, and/or Marketing Entail?
• Branding - Tone, Institutional Voice
• Advertising - Print, Electronic, Outdoor
• Promotions – Sponsorships, Events, Partnerships
• Communications – Press, Web, Brochure, Emails
• Social Media – Not just marketing
• Box Office – Group Sales, Subscriptions, Single Tickets
• House Staff - Customer Service, Experience
13. Broaden – Deepen - Diversify
• Broaden: attracting more of the same
types of the persons already participating
• Deepen: increasing the of involvement of
participants
• Diversify: attracting new types of
participants
18. Sales Force
• How are you selling your product?
– Online
– Phone
– Box Office
– Volunteers
– Phone Centers
– Outside Services (E-Tix, TicketMaster…)
19. Service
• When does the experience being
– Once the show starts?
– Once you take your seats?
– When you enter the lobby?
– When you park?
– When you order your ticket?
– When you see an advertisement?
32. MAKE A PLAN
–Know what your goals are
–Know how you plan to
achieve them
–Know your challenges
–Know your achievements
(ROI)
33. Organizational Profile and Audit
• Name, Location, History, etc.
• Current Programs and Projects
• Missions and Goals
• Review of Current Marketing Practices
• Financial Health
34. Environment Analysis
• Demographic
– Local/Regional Developments
– Actions
• Economic
– Trends
– Changes in income
– Actions
• Political
– Legislation
– Agencies
– Actions
• Cultural
– Lifestyle, values
– Actions
35. Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges
– Declining Subscription Base
– Competition
– Lack of Marketing Technology
– Few Single-Ticket Buyers
– Lack of Diversity
– Marketing Not Targeted
– Lack of Customer Focus
36. Challenges and Opportunities
Opportunities
– State any Opportunities that might help meet
challenges
– State Opportunities as facts
• Potential to increase subscriber base
• Potential to expand technology
• Potential to increase sales
37. Objectives
• Base Objectives on Opportunities
– Increase Subscriber Base by net 5%
– Increase Individual Ticket Sales by 7%
– Invest in Marketing Technologies
38. Marketing Strategy
• Game Plan
– Target Marketing: Who is being targeted?
– Positioning: What is your positioning in the market?
– Product: What do you sell?
– Price: How do you set pricing?
– Distribution: How do you sell?
– Sales Force: Staffing?
– Service: Are you thinking in terms of your customer?
– Promotion: Ads, Communication, Direct Mail (This is
the actual media plan)
39. Marketing Process
This is the blueprint, timeline, and roadmap!
• Detailed Action Plan
– Who, What, When
• Timeline
– Details, Details, Details
• Budget
– How much, where?
40. Controls and Evaluation
• How will you meet your goals?
• How will you manage your progress?
• Can you measure ROI?
• What is success?
41. Don’t Forget The Audience
• Think in terms of audience
• Remember how many distractions there are?
• Think like an onion – You need many layers of
communication
• Marketing is about experience
Welcome
Intros
Me – Emerson College, Blue Man, GhostLight Media, PlayMakers
You -
AMA describes marketing as “the activity, set of instructions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”
Or selling stuff
What do you think of this statement? - "But in the performing arts, we're not in the business of selling seats. We're in the business of producing and/or presenting art."
How do you balance art with sales?
Let’s discuss the differences here.
Marketing is the all encompassing term that we will use, though many times marketing and communications may be split in an organization
A Director of Audience Development might oversee theatre and patron services
A communications manager may only really focus on press relations
Marketing = Sales (Using Communications, Engagement and Sales Tools)
Communications = Communicating with Current Audiences, Potential Audiences, Press, and (I would argue) internal staff and artists
Audience Development = More about connections and community and less specifically about sales. More holistic and all encompassing. Commercial theatre might be less about Audience Development and more about marketing.
Apple uses television commercials to Market (sell) iPhones. It uses press relations to communicate and develop articles, reviews and previews in mainstream publications. But it uses customer service, excellent product, fantastic design to develop audiences. They don’t want to sell just one iPhone, they want a long term relationship.
What does Marketing Entail
Branding - Tone, Institutional Voice
Advertising - Print, Electronic, Outdoor
Promotions – Sponsorships, Events, Partnerships
Communications – Press, Web, Brochure, Emails
Social Media – Not just marketing
Box Office – Group Sales, Subscriptions, Single Tickets
House Staff - Customer Service, Experience
Be careful of silos. Often in arts orgs departments become so focused on their areas that they lose sight of the big picture. Development, Marketing, Education, General Management can all be chasing different, yet inter-related goals. The same can happen for Marketing. If Marketing is only about advertising and promotion and not about customer experience then you may be missing an opportunity for Audience Development.
Marketing can’t make up for bad product.
No matter how much money is thrown at it.
Yes, people make money all the time by selling bad products, but in the long run it doesn’t hold up.
Product
Type - Shakespeare, Opera, Comedy, Dance (Ballet or Modern)
Brand – MET, Triad Stage, BroadwayExperience – Theater space and amenities, Parking, Smell
Place
Where is this being sold?Street, Broadway Theatre, YMCAPrice
PricingHow much can you charge? How much should you charge?Some price resistance is good
Don’t undervalue your artDynamic Pricing - We will talk about later
Promotion
Most visible AdsDirect MailWebsite
EmailPublic Relations
The four E’s provides a more “Audience Development” experience –
EXPERIENCE Discover and map out the full Customer Journey on your own brand – in your own country.
EVERYPLACE Develop your knowledge of new media and channels the way a chef masters new ingredients. Try new things – do something that doesn’t start with TV or print.
EXCHANGE Appreciate the value of things, not just the cost. Start by calculating the value of your customers – and what their attention, engagement and permission are worth to you.
EVANGELISM Find the passion and emotion in your brand. Inspire your customers and employees with your passion.
Over the past several years people have been talking about the concept of Broaden, Deepen and Diversify. What does that mean?
Easier to target individuals now. Vital and getting easier and easier all the time.
What are your goals – Broaden, Deepen, Diversify?
Market Segment – Develop a mix of the 4 P’s to market to a particular segment
Audience research
Who is buying tickets?
Age, income, education, race, location
Beliefs, attitudes, values, opinions
Lifestyle, interests, activities
Focus Groups
Mom’s
Segment, Mine Data, Leverage Word-of-Mouth and current audiences
Free Tickets
Audience Reviews
Friend Raisings
List and Ad Trades
Branding
What does your brand say about you? Identity and Value
Name, logo and look
Product, Reputation, History
Tone and Voice
As part of branding – think about your brand in terms of strong positioning statements.
The Premier Theatre of the Carolina’s
The State Theatre on North Carolina
The Triad’s Professional Theatre
Sales Force
How are you selling your product?
Online
Phone
Box Office
Volunteers
Phone Centers
Outside Services (E-Tix, TicketMaster…)
When does the experience begin.
Once the show starts?
Once you take your seats?
When you enter the lobby?
When you park?
When you order your ticket?
When you see an advertisement?
People buy tickets last minute
Subscribers are getting older and passing away
People what more flexibility
Flex passes are selling well
Easy exchange policies are vital
Will Memberships take over subscriptions?
Don’t forget about group sales
Dynamic pricing vs. variable pricing
Variable pricing is the type of pricing most performing arts organizations already use – Tuesday evenings are cheaper than Saturday nights, The orchestra section is more expensive than balcony.
Dynamic pricing has created all types of drama. Some people love it and some really, really hate it. It’s based on what the airlines do with their tickets. Based on sales data the price changes over time. So, if a show is selling out, the price increases. Two people sitting beside each other could have paid very different prices. But this really only works where there is some serious demand.
Discussion
Who are they targeting? What are they saying?
Who are they targeting? What are they saying?
Who are they targeting? What are they saying?
Who are they targeting? What are they saying?
Who are they targeting? What are they saying?
Who are they targeting? What are they saying?
Who are they targeting? What are they saying?
Who are they targeting? What are they saying?
Who are they targeting? What are they saying?
So how do you create a marketing plan?
Make a plan
Know what your goals are
Know how you plan to achieve them
Know your challenges
Know your achievements (ROI)
Organizational Profile and Audit
Name, Location, History, etc.
Current Programs and Projects
Missions and Goals
Review of Current Marketing Practices
Financial Health
Environment Analysis
Demographic
Local/Regional Developments
Actions
Economic
Trends
Changes in income
Actions
Political
Legislation
Agencies
Actions
Cultural
Lifestyle, values
Actions
Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges
Declining Subscription Base
Competition
Lack of Marketing Technology
Few Single-Ticket Buyers
Lack of Diversity
Marketing Not Targeted
Lack of Customer Focus
Opportunities
State any Opportunities that might help meet challenges
State Opportunities as facts
Potential to increase subscriber base
Potential to expand technology
Potential to increase sales
Objectives
Base Objectives on Opportunities
Increase Subscriber Base by net 5%
Increase Individual Ticket Sales by 7%
Invest in Marketing Technologies
Marketing Strategy
Game Plan
Target Marketing: Who is being targeted?
Positioning: What is your positioning in the market?
Product: What do you sell?
Price: How do you set pricing?
Distribution: How do you sell?
Sales Force: Staffing?
Service: Are you thinking in terms of your customer?
Promotion: Ads, Communication, Direct Mail (This is the actual media plan)
Marketing Process
This is the blueprint, timeline, and roadmap!
Detailed Action Plan
Who, What, When
Timeline
Details, Details, Details
Budget
How much, where?
Controls and Evaluation
How will you meet your goals?
How will you manage your progress?
Can you measure ROI?
What is success?
Don’t Forget The Audience
Think in terms of audience
Remember how many distractions there are?
Think like an onion – You need many layers of communication
Marketing is about experience
