Gold Strategy 2010

Strategic Marketing and
Audience Development for

Cultural Organisations
September 2010
MORRIS HARGREAVES McINTYRE

Strategic Marketing and Audience Development for Cultural Organisations
Strategic Marketing and Audience Development for Cultural

Organisations
© 2007 MORRIS HARGREAVES MCINTYRE
50 Copperas Street, Manchester, UK M4 1HS

Telephone 0161 839 3311
Fax 0161 8393377
Email intray@lateralthinkers.com
www.lateralthinkers.com
MORRIS HARGREAVES McINTYRE 16/9/10 2

Contents
1 What is marketing? 4
2 The Marketing Planning Process 13
3 Marketing and corporate strategy 6
4 Situational Analysis 15
5 Competition 21
6 The Market 22
7 Implications for Marketing Strategy 45
8 Developing the right product 56
9 Marketing strategies 60
10 Positioning 64
11 Branding 67
12 Marketing Tools 70
13 Measuring success 77
14 References Error! Bookmark not defined.

1 What is marketing?
Marketing as a term stimulates much debate and a good deal of

confusion. The debate is in part prompted by the fact that marketing
has represented, for some, something sinister and unwelcome in the
economy; the confusion because it is difficult to arrive at a
satisfactory explanation of exactly what marketing is.
The fact is that marketing has increased in importance as

organisations have found themselves in more crowded and
consequently competitive markets and have had increasingly to rely
on the market for their continued existence.
It is the recognition of this dependence upon the market for the

achievement of objectives that helps us understand what marketing
is.
Marketing is three things:
A philosophy that holds that focusing upon the market is the best
route to survival for an organisation;
A management concept that provides a process of analysis,

planning, implementation and control which enables an organisation
to operate efficiently and effectively;
A functional activity which offers a variety of tools from selling,

advertising, production, publicity, public relations to pricing and
distribution which enables the organisation to meet customer needs
and communicate this more effectively than competitors.
1.1 Definitions of Marketing
There are many definitions of marketing.
Marketing is a management process whereby the resources

of the whole organisation are utilised to satisfy the needs of
selected customer groups in order to achieve the objectives
of both parties.
Malcolm H B McDonald

Marketing is the management process responsible for

identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer
requirements efficiently and profitably.
Chartered Institute of Marketing
Marketing is a social and managerial process by which

individuals and groups obtain what they need and want
through creating and exchanging products and values with
others.
Phillip Kotler, Gary Armstrong, Principles of Marketing
Marketing is the process of planning and executing the

conception, pricing, promotion and distributing ideas,
goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy
individual and organisational objectives.
American Marketing Association
At its simplest, marketing can be described as:
A management process whereby we meet the organisation’s

objectives by satisfying the needs of the market

2 Marketing and corporate strategy
2.1 Corporate strategy
Strategy is the direction and scope of an

organisation over the long term: which achieves
advantage for the organisation through its
configuration of resources within a changing
environment, to meet the needs of markets and to
fulfil stakeholder expectations
Johnson & Scholes, Exploring Corporate Strategy
Or, more simply:
Strategy is the determination of long-term

objectives and the means of achieving them
Connor, Marketing and Corporate Strategy
Strategic management is then:
An act of synthesis.
It brings together and co-ordinates the various
functions of the business,
in a coherent, synergistic approach
to achieving long-term objectives
2.2 Role of marketing in corporate strategy
While marketing might be an overall philosophy of the organisation, it

is clear that corporate strategy is about more than marketing alone
but understanding of the market environment and customer needs
and motivations will underpin all aspects of corporate strategy.

Ultimately, marketing connects the organisation to its audience.
Marketing provides the sensitising antennae…

which pick up signals from the environment
The purpose of marketing is to understand

potential and to promote the creativity required for
product and service development
2.3 The evolution of marketing in cultural organisations
While it does operate on three levels, marketing is often seen by

organisations only as a function and having little to do with
management. Marketing cannot serve an organisation efficiently
unless it comes from the top; marketing decisions start with
management decisions. Marketing is one of a number of approaches
to management and marketing planning is the application of
marketing principles to a strategic planning process.
In understanding what marketing means as a management approach,

it is helpful to look at the evolution of marketing and how it differs
from other approaches to management.
The diagram on the following page charts the evolution of marketing

through:
Product focus
Selling focus
Marketing focus
Audience focus.
Outcome focus
Product Focus
Philip Kotler in his book 'Principles of Marketing' describes the

Product Concept of management and the Selling Concept:
The Product Concept holds that customers will

respond
"The Product to a product
Concept holds thatthat is good and
customers
onably priced." reasonably priced.

Most service industries and particularly the arts industries have

followed and still follow the Product Concept - as long as we produce
a good public service; entertainment; preservation of heritage;
libraries; information etc, people will continue to use it. The
assumption is that the product is inherently desirable. There is
nothing inherently wrong with this concept if the organisation can
survive by it. Unfortunately, in recent years this has not been the
case.
Marketing in this context is primarily about information and promotion;

marketing resources are relatively low and marketing has low status
within the organisation. There is little knowledge within the
organisation about users or potential markets.
Selling Focus
In the UK the arts were generously funded between 1948 and 1980,
but since then public sector funding has declined. This has meant
that arts organisations have had to generate more of their income
from the market place, through fundraising and ticket sales. Once an
organisation can no longer survive by being product oriented, they
tend to become Selling oriented.
The Selling Concept holds that

customers will not buy enough of a product
"The Selling Concept unless
holdsthey are approached
that customers will _
with substantial
h substantial selling effort." selling effort
The assumptions here are that:

- the product is still desirable but won’t sell without substantial sales
effort
- we have to work hard to reach and keep the market
- we differentiate the product
- we sell the benefits of the product
- we build the brand and focus on general awareness.
In this scenario increasing resources are devoted to marketing and

marketing begins to achieve management status, albeit tactically.
There is increasing awareness of the need for market knowledge –

primarily to know where to find the market.
The Marketing Focus
Having experimented with and achieved some limited successes with

the Selling Focus, most organisations begin to recognise that
customers have their own needs and that the selling focus often suits
organisations much more than it suits the customers. This
recognition takes a long time to develop in most arts organisations
and the extent to which organisations are able to recognise
customers’ needs remains limited. The next stage of development is

what we term the Marketing Science Focus. This stage is a more
sophisticated version of the Selling Focus than an indication that the
organisation is now responsive to the needs of its customers.
."
The Marketing holds that the key task of an
organisation is to identify and communicate with the
target markets more efficiently than its competitors

- the product is still desirable
- but needs the appliance of marketing science to reach the market
efficiently
- we enhance the product by services and by developing
‘relationships’ with users
- significant focus is also on existing customers.
In this scenario marketing is about the medium rather than the

message – using databases, direct mail, subscription, friends and
loyalty schemes.
There is increasing emphasis on communicating efficiently with

customers and of the need to feed market intelligence into the
company – to find out both how existing and potential customers view
the brand and the products and to understand the behaviour of
existing customers.
More resources are devoted to marketing. Resources begin to be

allocated to market research. Marketing achieves strategic
management status.
The Product and Selling concepts focus on the needs of the

producers and the sellers. Through the marketing concept the
organisation begins to focus more directly on the customers. For
those arts organisations that have reached the marketing focused
phase there is a danger of introspection, over reliance upon database
marketing and of under-development of users and potential users.
Customers may be being reached efficiently but more often than not
the message is not being conveyed effectively. Prolonged operation
in this phase often results in a decline in audiences. This prompts the
move into the next phase.
The Audience Focus
The Audience Focus (otherwise known as market or customer focus)

holds that it is only by understanding and meeting the needs and
wants of current and potential attenders and users that organisation
can successfully achieve their own objectives. It is essentially this

change of focus which makes marketing management different from

what we have been doing up until now.
The public perceives the services we have to offer as packages of

benefits that they see as being able to meet their needs and wants.
Successful marketing lies in our being able to match the benefits we
can offer with people's needs and wants, and in so doing achieve our
own objectives.
The Audience Focus holds that the key task of an

organisation is to determine the needs and wants of
the target market and to adapt the organisation to
delivering the desired satisfaction more effectively
and more efficiently than its competitors

- the product can reach wider audiences if we adopt different
marketing strategies to fit different audiences’ needs, wants,
attitudes, motives and benefits sought
- the organisation as a whole becomes audience focused with shared
responsibilities and philosophy.
In this scenario marketing becomes a two-way process of

communication with customers. It is not just about identifying and
targeting them but about understanding them.
The acquisition of market knowledge is taken a step further to include

an understanding of the needs, wants, attitudes of and benefits
sought by customers.
Resources are allocated as appropriate to achieve objectives.

Allocation of resources to market research becomes increasingly
important.
Arts organisations find themselves at particular points along this

evolutionary continuum. Whatever the stage of development, basic
principles of marketing can be applied to make the organisation more
effective at reaching and communicating with its markets.
The Outcome Focus
A more recent development is for organisations to move from being

audience-focused to being outcome focused. This means taking
concern for audiences their needs to a point where planning evolves
around defining what period, learning and social outcomes and impact,
or benefits the organisation seeks to effect through its activity. Success
is measured according to the extent, to which those impacts are
achieved.

2.4 The purpose of marketing
Marketing helps you to:
Set realistic organisational objectives

Identify clear targets for achievement
Evaluate the performance of your organisation
Get to know your particular market
Get to know your product
Understand what influences the effectiveness of the organisation both
within your organisation and outside in the market environment
Communicate effectively and efficiently with your market
Monitor and evaluate your progress
Marketing Planning
Is a process, which helps an organisation to market itself

successfully, encouraging a methodical consideration of all the
factors that can affect the organisation's effectiveness in relation to
the market. Much of this process is, as will become apparent, based
upon common sense and a great deal of it is already being practised
within organisations. By explaining the process this document will
hopefully help to slot the right pegs into the right holes and clarify
some terms.

2.5 WHAT IS AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT?
Audience development describes an audience-focused approach to

arts development. As a term and a process it can be interchangeable
with that of marketing, when marketing is regarded holistically.

3 The Marketing Planning Process
Organisation Purpose
ANALYSIS What are you here for?
What are your expectations?
Where are you now?

How well are you doing? Situational Analysis
Marketing Audit & SWOT
PLANNING Where do you want to get to? Marketing Mission

Objectives & SWOT
How do you plan to get there?

Marketing Strategies
IMPLEMENTATION What will be done?

Devise &
When and by who?
Implement Plans
How much will it cost?
How will you monitor the

Monitor
progress?
EVALUATION Starting again…

What have you learnt? Review

4 Purpose and aims of the organisation
What are we here for?
The answers to this question have to be the first step in devising your
Marketing Plan. Reviewing the basic purpose of your organisation,
its stated policy and what it is trying to achieve are crucial for a
thorough and objective analysis of the performance of the
organisation.
Marketing is based upon the principle that each organisation is

guided by a basic purpose and that there are people who are
sympathetic with that purpose and whose needs and wants the
organisation can satisfy. These are the people who make up the
market for that organisation. Without clarity of purpose it is difficult to
identify and locate the market. Answering the following questions will
help arrive at a clear definition of purpose:
What do we do?
Who do we do it for?
How do we do it?
Why do we do it?
Mission
- overriding purpose of the organisation

- in line with the values and expectations of stakeholders
Vision or Strategic Intent
- desired future state of organisation

- main intentions and aspirations
- reasons why organisation exists
- the logic and the dream
Reviewing previous achievements and milestones will add context to

this appraisal.

5 Situational Analysis
Where are we now?
How well are we doing?
5.1 Situational and SWOT Analysis
Before deciding on an appropriate marketing strategy it is important

to know what the starting point is. The Situational Analysis is a
critical review of the current situation of your organisation. This is
determined both by the internal and external environments in which
the organisation operates. Indeed this is sometimes called the
‘Environment Analysis’.
There are three stages to the Situational Analysis:
1. Marketing Audit
This is a snapshot of where the organisation is now. To review the
current situation and performance of an organisation requires a
Marketing Audit. Done properly this can take a significant amount of
time, but gives you invaluable information for the future management
of your organisation.
2. SWOT Analysis
This is a summary of the key factors arising from the Marketing Audit
presented as the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation and
the opportunities and threats facing the organisation.
3. Implications
The final stage of the Situational Analysis is a statement of the
implications arising from the findings in the Audit. These findings
must be evaluated and prioritised to provide direction for the
Marketing Strategy.
The diagram overleaf illustrates the range of factors considered within

the Situational Analysis.

Situational Analysis
Internal Environment External environment
Controllable Uncontrollable
Operational variables Environments
Market Variables
Organisation Potential Markets
Mission, Objectives and goals Competition
Product Macro-environment
Income Social
Sales / attendances Technical
Audiences / customers Economic
Marketing Approach Political
Marketing Resources Legal
Marketing Activity Cultural
Monitoring & Evaluation Demographic
Strengths Opportunities
Weaknesses Threats

5.2 Internal environment
The Organisation
Statement of Purpose – Mission / Vision

Aims - how the Mission will be achieved
Objectives - actual goals for achievement
History and structure
Board and management structure
The Product
Nature of services;
Programming policy
The site and its buildings;
Quality of customer care;
Knowledge and manner of staff,
Atmosphere and ambience,
External aspect and accessibility.
Facilities
Services;
Toilet facilities;
Access and parking;
Cafe, Restaurant, Bar
Car Parking:
You are reviewing anything that can affect the experience of the
attender or user.
Income
You need to analyse your income levels and income sources:

Income by attendances / usage of different facilities;
grant-aid;
sponsorship;
fundraising
education;
cafe;
merchandise;
services;
special events:
office rentals.
These figures need to cover at least the last three years, longer if
appropriate.
You are looking for trends, are figures rising or falling, are they rising
in places and falling in others? Can you explain the trends?
Attendances / usage
You need to give annual figures for as many years as you can, by
year and by month, by courses, performances, hires, events,
exhibitions, and other categories appropriate to your own
organisation.
Again, you are looking for trends:

Have figures gone up or down or stabilised?
Which weeks or months, categories of product are the busiest,
Which are the quietest?
Attenders / users
Detailed knowledge of attenders / users requires audience surveys,

although a substantial amount of data can often be gathered ‘in-
house’. However knowledge of users is essential for informed
analysis and planning. You want to know:
who your attenders / users are;
where they come from – geographically and by type of origination;
who they come with;
what age they are;
what made them come;
how long they stayed;
what they liked best about their visit;
what they didn’t like;
how they found out about you.
This is all crucial information to your marketing plan: knowing who

already comes can help you identify the markets you need to attract
in the future; knowing what makes them come tells you which
publicity method is most effective, and where you are wasting money.
Knowing what they like best tells you whether you are promoting the
features of your products that mean the most to people in terms of
benefits.
Market research data can also help you distinguish between your
attendances and your attenders. Do you have a small existing
market of individuals who come very often, or do you reach a great
many people who come only once or twice a year?
You can estimate the approximate size of your existing audience by

asking people in a questionnaire how often they come. By calculating
the average frequency of attendance and dividing the total
attendances by this figure, you have the estimate for total number of
users.

Marketing Resources
What is your marketing budget?

What staff are there to work on the marketing effort?
What are their levels of skills and experience?
Do you have any volunteers to help with any aspect of marketing?
What physical equipment and resources do you have?
Do you have external / collaborative help with marketing?
Marketing Approach
Stand back and take a cold critical look at your present marketing
effort.
How strong and appropriate is your corporate identity?
Does it communicate your purpose and speak to the right people?
What marketing tools do you use?
Does your print / e-media/ other tools do you justice?
Is it saying enough about you, is it taking user’s / potential user’s
familiarity too much for granted?
What about your distribution - are you getting your marketing
communications to as many places as possible, or could you do
better?
Are you spending too much, or enough on marketing – what effect
can you see from that expenditure?
Marketing Activity
Outline your regular marketing activity. What do you do and when,

and how often? Include:
Print;
Distribution;
Press Activity;
Direct marketing – mail / telephone / e-media;
Previews;
PR;
Talks / tours;
Special events:
E-media etc.
Anything else you carry out which you feel contributes to informing
the public about you.
Depending on the complexity of your range of products / activities you

may find you need to undertake this separately for different areas of
work.
When you have addressed all of these points and come up with
answers in the form of statistics or qualitative analysis you have
completed Part 1 of your Marketing Audit.

It is far simpler to conduct a marketing audit if there are research and

intelligence systems in place or available to plug into. These can be
simple and inexpensive.
A large amount of data is often available in-house. The systems can

include:
Putting out simple survey forms, which you analyse on a regular
basis can tell you about your users.
Being on other organisation's mailing lists can keep you informed;
Computerised accounts systems, databases and Box Offices now
store enormous amounts of invaluable data.
Undertaking evaluation interviews with key users can yield valuable
feedback.
More detailed comments on Marketing Information are included in

‘Monitoring The Marketing Plan’ further on in the document.
5.3 External environment
Organisations do not operate in isolation, but are affected by what is

going on in the external environment.
The key external factors affecting any organisation are Competition

and the Potential Market.
In the wider, macro-environment, factors that can influence

organisations both positively and negatively are known as the STEP
factors:
Social
Technological
Economic
Political
plus
Legal, Cultural and Demographic.
The more aware you are of the effects these factors can have on your
organisation, or on the market, the easier you will find it to anticipate
and plan for those effects. Thus, an anticipated drop in funding, a
new source of potential users, the opening of a similar organisation,
an up-turn in the economy, changes in education etc all need to be
considered as potential Opportunities or Threats to the organisation.

6 Competition
Understanding the competitive environment.

How desirable are we?
What market are we operating in?
Who or what is our competition?
6.1 Market position
Where your organisation sits in relation to other organisations in the

market / potential competitors is known as your Market Position.
You determine this by finding out:

Which organisations do you see yourself as being in competition
with?
How many similar organisations are competing for your users?
How many similar organisations and issues are competing for
funders’ and sponsors’ money and goodwill?
What are competitors’ resources like in relation to yours?
How does their performance compare to yours?
To what extent are potential competitors’ actually collaborators?
6.2 Analysis of Competitor Strategies
It is important to analyse the organisations competing successfully for

your target market's time and money in order to be aware of the
impression held of these organisations by the target market, the most
attractive and unattractive characteristics of these organisations, what
it is that makes them successful or otherwise.
Competitor
Strengths
Weaknesses
Strategies
Plans
This analysis is used to inform the market position you choose to

adopt, which is discussed in Section 10: Positioning.
7 The Market
Having identified who is visiting, now is your opportunity to explore

who you might attract.
What does your internal analysis / audience survey tell you?
Are there large geographical areas that you realise are under-
represented in your analysis of attenders?
Are there age brackets that you feel are missing, or groups - do you
feel that school, adult or family users have adequate representation?
If you have social or community policies are you achieving them?
Can you identify groups of people who you feel will help you achieve
your aims?
What is the size of your catchment area and the size of your potential
market?
7.1 Potential market
The Market for our product consists of people whose needs and
wants we can satisfy. This is generally a relatively small proportion
of the total available population. In the arts we are involved in niche
marketing.
The potential market for your particular organisation or artform can be

defined as those who:
have a potential interest in the product

and the ability to gain access to it
Two factors prevent us from making our product available to the

whole market:
We have limited resources of product, people and money

People have very different tastes, needs and values
For this reason, in order to channel our resources at the segments of

the public whose needs best match our aims, we divide the public up
into market segments.

Definition
A market segment is
a group of people with shared needs
The task in segmenting markets is to channel resources at the people

most likely to respond to your message, and not to waste valuable
effort on the people who are unlikely to have any interest in your
organisation or its products.
You identify target groups as those who:

• are sympathetic with the aims of the organisation
• are responsive to the product
• are able to be reached within the resources of the organisation.
• are able and willing to respond to the offer
It is also important to remember that not all target segments are

customers. We might need to reach:
• Funders
• Stakeholders
• Donors
• Clients
• Sponsors
• Decision- influencers
• Consumers or End-Users.
7.2 Bases for Market Segmentation
There are many different ways of segmenting markets. Traditionally,

the arts have used demographic and behavioural segmentation
models. Increasingly, organisations are turning to psychographics.
Demographic Segmentation
 by age group
 by geographical location
 by social status
 by occupation
 by ethnic origin
 by sex
 by marital status
For example you might isolate as a target segment women, as you

feel that your product will appeal more to women than to men or
children or teenagers etc or that women will make the decision within
family parties or groups or couples to visit.
Behavioural Segmentation
Relationship to organisation
Frequency of attendance
This is an approach to segmentation widely adopted by arts
organisations, which separate people out according to their loyalty to
the organisation. The more loyal people are, the more frequently they
are likely to attend. A factor often overlooked is that, in concentrating
on those who already attend and in trying to increase their frequency
levels, we often forget that there is a large potential market which is
‘Open to Persuasion’.
Benefit Segmentation
Another approach to segmentation is to segment by the benefits that

customers seek from the product. For example we might identify
people who seek family entertainment, challenging, thought
provoking entertainment, or a complete night out with food and
parking package. Benefits sought reflect the needs that customers
have.
Psychographic Segmentation
• by lifestyle • by attitudes
• by interests • by media orientation
• political orientation • religion
A psychographic approach to market segmentation is based in

understanding customers’ needs and wants.
For example you might isolate as a target segments anyone

interested in contemporary issues, or by the fact that people are

innovative in their tastes and are therefore fashion-leaders, as has

been proved to be successful in targeting potential art purchasers.
An approach which we are increasingly using is to segment people

according to how open they are to risk. This is based on the model of
the Diffusion of Innovation which identifies the number of people in
any group who are open to adopting new ideas, as opposed to those
who wait to adopt something once it is well established in the market.
Using this principle we can identify those in our audience who are
open to new or contemporary work as opposed to those who prefer to
see work which has been well endorsed and is established as a safe
choice. Here we are segmenting people according to the degree of
risk they are willing to take with their choice of event or artform.

The process of segmenting customers is a fluid, flexible one.

Approaches to segmentation might include one or a combination of
methods. The correct approach is whatever offers you the best proxy
for clustering people according to their needs as it is only by
understanding and grouping people according to their needs that we
can really be effective with our marketing strategies and
communications.
Targeting
Targeting is a fundamental principle of marketing. Having identified

the market segments the aim is to direct your resources at those
segments that stand the best chance of responding to your offer. This
involves literally targeting your resources as if at the centre of a bulls-
eye. The best approach to this exercise is to see the segments you
are targeting as not so different from you or your existing customers,
they just require a little extra effort, the further out from the centre
they are.
Dead-enders Attenders
Non-committed Committed
Intenders
Semi-committed
Developing New Attenders?
For many arts organisations, it isn't those who are already interested
who are the problem, it's the ones who are not, but who the
organisation is supposed to be serving by providing a community
resource, who pose the challenge. Or else there is an awareness
that the present attenders are under-represented in one particular
segment such as families, young people or ethnic groups, and it is
also the purpose of the organisation to reach these groups.
Targeting helps organisations reach these people by approaching the

task in a different way. Instead of focusing the marketing or publicity
activity on those people whose needs the organisation already meets,
targeting new areas of the market involves identifying the new
segment and researching the needs of this segment in order to
develop new services or highlight existing services that reflect these
needs, and establish new ways of communicating this information to
these customers.
If you are developing new markets it is necessary to review the whole

marketing mix and introduce new elements which are perceived as
benefits to those target segments, for example interactive displays if
you wish to attract more families; baby changing rooms; black
outreach workers.
Identifying and promoting the organisation through benefits as

opposed to features not only helps in establishing a distinct market
position, this process is also essential for focusing on the most
relevant factors in creating effective publicity literature.
Very often segments are identified by a combination of these

considerations, for example a segment might be young men aged 18-
35, living within 20 miles of a venue, who are interested in
contemporary issues.
Or else, for campaign purposes, a large target segment of anyone

interested in contemporary issues might be broken down into smaller
segments like students in full-time education; the thirty-something
generation; retired people etc.
Establishing the needs of these segments involves research; asking

people, surveys, looking at what other venues offer which can attract
these people, comment and suggestion boxes needn't cost a great
deal, but help you make informed decisions based on more than just
gut instinct.
Criteria for segmentation
Segments should:
• Have similar needs

• Identified differences
• Be reachable through communications
• Be able to respond in a desired way
• Be able to respond in different ways to different marketing mixes

Segmentation approaches should allow for:
• Measurability – segments should be capable of being quantified
• Mutual exclusivity – segments should be sufficiently

differentiated and distinguishable to justify different treatments
• Accessible and actionable – the segment should lend itself

having its specific needs met and being reached through
communication media
• Size or substantiality – the segment should be large enough to

promise a worthwhile return on investment.
7.3 Market Trends
Demographic and psychographic market trends will affect

consumption of culture in the future, including:
Limited and competing leisure time
The UK has the longest working week in Europe: UK adults have 60

hours of free time per week on average. The average number of
hours of free time has reduced over the past three decades. People
consequently seek to balance the exertion of work by seeking and
enjoying leisure time as an end in its own right (Henley, 2000).
Free time is particularly squeezed for some. Women now constitute

almost 50% of the workforce. Those working full-time and those with
dependent children, particularly women, have significantly less free
time per week than other groups. Time is becoming a precious
resource. Lots of leisure pursuits are now competing for this limited
free time and time has become a currency for many people; value for
time is just as important as value for money. (Henley, 2005)
At the same time, working structures are less rigid. The typical 9-5
working week is changing, with a growth in part-time, flexible and
contract working forecast.
Multiplication and fragmentation of leisure market
More time spent in 'third spaces' than ever before
We spend an ever-growing proportion of our leisure time ‘out and

about’. Time not spent at home, at work or travelling has more than
doubled since 1960.
60% of the population agree that they enjoy a wide range of culture
and entertainment, from serious culture to light entertainment. Variety
and personal fulfilment are leisure goals. (nVision)

We pack a wider range of leisure activities into a similar amount of

time: the leisure market is becoming increasingly fragmented. The
number of different leisure activities engaged in during 12 month
period has increased from 5.5 in 1970, to 10.3 in 2000.
Mintel (2006), in a 2005 study of day trips, estimated that there were
an estimated 492 million visits to attractions in the UK during 2005,
spread across approximately 7,000 attractions for which visitor
figures are available. Mintel define ‘days out’ as ‘a visit made to an
attraction or place that takes up a substantial portion of the day,
typically three hours or more’, so this clearly does not include all
museum visitors. However, what is important, is that the figures
show that museums / galleries were seventh on the list of places
visited, accounting for 26m visits annually, an increase of 2% on
2004.
Places visited for a day in the past 12 months

% of adults aged 15+

Travel-time a key determinant in trip taking
Travel time is of key importance on day trips – the availability of

attractions in the vicinity of the consumer's home has considerable
bearing on their activities. Attractions view residents living within one
hour's drive time as being their core days out customers, with those
living between one and two hours away as the next most important.
The proximity and site of a local attraction is often a stronger factor
than its actual character in influencing the decision to visit. (Mintel,
2006).
Recent future casting research suggests that increased time pressure

and advances in communication technology have created shortened
planning horizons: visitors are deciding to attend leisure attractions
later than they were. (nVision).
Propensity to visit cultural attractions
According to DCMS’ Taking Part research, nine out of ten UK adults

had engaged in at least one form of cultural or sporting activity during
the past 12 months. Cultural attractions are defined by DCMS as
including museums and galleries, historic environment, libraries,
archives, arts and participation in arts or active sports.11. 42% have
visited a museum or gallery, 69% have visited an historic
environment site and 66% have attended an arts event. (DCMS)
More older people, and more active older people
The UK has an aging population: by 2010 there will be nearly three

million more 45-64 years olds and two million fewer 25-34 year olds.
This Baby-boomer generation will be wealthy, active and celebrating
their age. By 2010, 40% of the population will be aged 50+. By 2050,
the median age of the UK population is projected to be 46 years old
compared to 38 years old in 2005. (Henley, 2000)
Less traditional family units
Non-traditional households are showing the fastest growth,

particularly one person, multi-person, lone parent and co-habiting
households. Only 1 in 3 households are ‘nuclear families’. 1 in 4
women born in 1972 will not have children. (Henley, 2000)
More wealth, and more disposable income
In the last five years, the upper socioeconomic groups (AB and C1)
have expanded by almost 12% and 10% respectively. This is good
news for the days out market, which relies on disposable income.
These groups will continue to grow over the next five years at a
slower rate. Real incomes have grown considerably in the past

decades and the majority of the UK is getting richer. Disposable

incomes have doubled since 1971. (Henley, 2000)
Increasing inequality and the ‘rise of rights’
At the same time, there is increasing disparity between the richest

and poorest in society, which results in inequality of access. This has
resulted in increased government and funder focus on access for all
to public services. (Henley, 2000)
City centred
Increasingly mobile workers, regeneration and city living has seen a

gravitation towards cities. Cities are viewed as tolerant and outward
looking with good public spaces and culture.
More graduates
Trend data shows increases in the number of graduates in the UK

and in the proportion of the population in the higher socio-economic
groups, potentially increasing the proportion of the population who
have the propensity to take part in cultural leisure activities. In 2005,
35% of 24 year olds were graduates. (Henley, 2000)
Desire for wellbeing and rich quality of life
As people’s basic material needs are satisfied we are moving up the

hierarchy of needs, from wants to desires. (Henley, 2000) At the
same time, people are less happy overall - over half of adults say
they are unhappy with their standard of living and 38% would take a
pay cut for less stress. (Henley, 2005) Wellbeing is becoming more
important than affluence.
Rising expectations and willingness to pay
People are becoming more demanding. Expectations of quality,

value, friendly and flexible customer service are rising.
People are prepared to pay more for experiences than goods.

Consumers are looking for a range of leisure experiences, including
those that offer an ‘oasis’ from their busy lives: experiences that
provide a counterbalance to hectic work and leisure activity.
(nVision).
Marketing savvy
Consumers are now bombarded with choices. They are 'commercials

veterans', inundated with up to 1,500 pitches a day. Far from being
gullible and easily manipulated, they are cynical about marketing and
less responsive to entreaties to buy. Some of the most cynical
consumers are the young. Nearly half of all American college
students have taken marketing courses and ‘know the enemy'.

Increased distrust in corporate messages
A recent survey shows that people's trust has shifted away from
authority figures and towards 'average people, like you'. 58% of
Americans trust only the opinions of medics and academics more
than they trust the opinions of people like themselves (68%). This
means that people are increasingly disinterested in neatly packaged
marketing messages, and want to engage and be engaged in
conversations. (Edelman)
Personalisation and DIY media
Globalisation and affluence create a world of endless choice.

Consumers are becoming increasingly selective and greater
expectations that what they access and purchase can and will be
personalised to their needs and interests. This includes development
of personalised ‘DIY media’ where consumers create and schedule
their own sources of information. (Edelman)
Polyglotting
The erosion of traditional social structures of gender, religion class

and education means that individual identities are becoming
increasing complex. Media and technology means that people now
have access to a more diverse range of influences, lifestyles and
cultures than ever before. People seek to actively self-define their
identity through reference to these plural sources, meaning that
identity itself is becoming increasingly diverse. The implications of
this for the arts are:
• People will dabble more, 'snacking' on bitesized pieces of culture.

Organisations therefore need to offer experiences appropriate to
this mode of consumption.
• Diversity and speed become key to attracting audiences.
• There will be great competition for the attention of these
consumers. (Henley, 2000)
This leads to what have been described as ‘modal consumers’, who
negotiate multiple roles such as self, family, citizen, worker, friend,
consumer. (Henley, 2005)
Authentiseeking
Decline in trust in global companies and the desire to be individual

combined with the growing experience economy and the proliferation
of virtual experiences has produced a growing desire to obtain the
original against a mass market filled with falseness. Implications for
the arts and heritage include:
• Increasing importance of seeing 'the real thing' against backdrop

of virtual access and screen-based museum exhibits. Morris

Hargreaves McIntyre has observed this trend in a number of

recent projects, for example where there has been strong interest
amongst general visitors in visiting museum stores to see real
objects. It seems that digital access to collections can never be a
replacement for the resonance of a real object.
• Increasing importance of live and original experiences to those
who choose them. (Henley, 2000)
Cult of self-improvement
Aligned to this is increasing desire for self-improvement as illustrated

by increasing interest and take-up of life coaching, evening classes,
learning holidays, ‘bibliotherapy’ and growing interest in books and
book clubs. (Henley, 2005)
Connoisseurship
Rise in disposable income and the increased need to actively create

and assert individual identity combined with easier access to
information and increasingly limited time means that people are
looking to add value for time by becoming connoisseurs – in any
subject, however obscure. Implications for the arts and heritage could
be:
• Increase in interest from small specialist audiences for specific

cultural products
• Increase in commitment to specific field of interest – increase in
frequency but not necessarily loyalty to specific organisations
• Heightening exclusivity of some cultural activities (Henley, 2005)
Perfect moments
Growing wealth and shrinking spare time together with heightened

aspirations due to the exposure to celebrity lifestyles means that
people are increasingly seeking experiences that offer fantasy as
reality as an antidote to the pressures of modern life. Implications for
the arts include:
• Increasingly demanding consumers who will expect all elements of

the experience (including the toilets) to live up to their high
expectations.
• Interest in value for time experiences – a market for concentrated
(short, extreme) performances.
• Increasing need for flexible opening hours and programming
times.

• The need for guarantees and risk-free choices.

• It may become more difficult to market 'difficult' and less
immediate experiences. (Henley, 2005)
People as 'players'
Satisfaction of human needs at the lower level due to increasing

income means that people are now looking to fulfil their wants – to
escape from the increasingly pressurised daily grind, and are turning
to play as a way to self-define. The implications for the arts include:
• High demand for interactive experiences.

• Growing interest in participation.
• Increased spending on leisure time, but more competition between
leisure activities for customers. (Henley, 2005)
Communal yearning
Consumers long to connect with each other, but the decline of

traditional social structures, increased mobility, technology and less
leisure time mean that the idea of 'community' is being defined.
Implications include:
• Growing importance of social networking sites and social network

marketing in targeting potential audiences.
• Growing importance of word of mouth recommendation.
• Trends of communities forming to participate in the arts.
• Trends of communities forming as a result of artistic engagement.
(Henley, 2005)
‘Always on’ society
Increased use of mobile phones means ‘Always on’ is becoming the

default – switching off is now a choice. This is leading to similar
expectations around access to services, particularly among younger
people. (Henley, 2005)
Multiple market segments
All these factors illustrate that people have multiple ‘identities’ and
operate in different modes depending on their role and needs at any
particular point in time. The same consumer can vary in behaviour
more on two different occasions than two different consumers on the
same occasion. This has implications for how we group identify
different groups or ‘segments’ of consumers. The same person for
example might be an independent adult visitor on one occasion and a
family visitor on another or a connoisseur in one context and a self-

improver in another and in each guise will have different needs,

motivations and expectations.2
Personalisation and participation
From the trends highlighted above, there is a clear move towards

customised experiences, accessed at a time and in a way that suits
the consumer and tailored to suit the consumer's needs. These
together with the impact of information and communication
technology, and the imperative for publicly-funded arts organisations
to prove their value to the public, point to a clear trend towards
personalised services and user participation.
The prospect of greater choice and personalised services is being

used by the government to drive improvements in many areas of the
public services, partly by raising voters' expectations for better, faster
personalised services. This involves two main strands – equipping
the user to tailor the experience to their needs, and allowing the user
to co-produce the experience by actively participating in its
production.
Cultural organisations are therefore coming under increasing

pressure to become responsive, customer-focused organisations and
to engage customers in dialogue and collaboration. Some argue that
personalisation could be a key source of product innovation for the
arts, helping to ensure the visit experience is tailored to the needs of
potential users. However, most arts organisations still offer
predominantly preset programmes at fixed times and a single
location.

8 The Challenges Of Audience

Development
The people who do attend the arts do so because they recognise that
the arts can meet needs and wants that they have: needs for:
• Social interaction
• Doing something different
• Escapism
• Entertainment
• Education
• Self-improvement
• Stimulation
• Inspiration
• Creativity
• Self-expression
• Shared experience
• Celebration
• Spirituality
• Relaxation
and many more. These are very human needs that the majority of
human beings feel.
Hierarchy of Motivation to Visit Museums3
Morris Hargreaves McIntyre has identified and quantified the range of

motivations that people hold for visiting museums, galleries and other
arts activities. This model is a useful way to divide visitors by their
principal motivation i.e. by the needs they are satisfying by visiting.
Based on the degree of engagement, the ‘needs’ are arranged into

the following hierarchy;

Hierarchy of motivation
© MORRIS HARGREAVES MCINTYRE
Spiritual – seeking a place for transcendental experience and soul

food, likened to a church
Emotional – visitors looking for somewhere for essential, regenerative

therapy, likened to a spa
Intellectual – seeking a resource to feed their formal or informal

studies visitors, regarding the museum/ gallery as almost an archive
Social – museum as a visitor attraction, a place to see, to ‘do’
Examples of particular visitor motivations detailed in a range of

different reports and studies include:
Intellectual – Museums can enable visitors to deepen their

understanding of a subject area, ‘I am interested in historical and
military issues, I would come here to do research and listen to the
lectures…4
Emotional – Museums at a site that is part of the whole experience,

e.g. industrial heritage museums, old reconstructed factories with
working equipment, ‘These kind of museums provided a sense of
discovery, a range of different experiences and gave visitors the

chance to explore for themselves’5
Spiritual – Museums and galleries can be inspirational, stimulating

creativity, ‘I saw work by Andrew Logan …it was made with smashed
mirrors and beads and it inspired me to go home and play with
materials, to create similar things myself’6
Research tells us that the reason why people don’t attend the arts is
because they cannot see arts activities meeting these needs, or
because specific factors prevent them from feeling able to use the
arts to meet their needs.
A great deal of research has been carried out into identifying these
‘obstacles’ or ‘barriers to attendance’.
Understanding The Barriers To Attendance
The first step in considering what cultural organisations should or

could do to combat access problems is to recognise the barriers that,
it has been suggested, prevent their inclusive use; for example
museums and galleries need to ‘examine the circumstances of their
communities, and the reason why some people do not make full, if
any, use of their services’.
The barriers to use of museums have been analysed in both the

DCMS report and in Dodd and Sandell’s ‘Not for the Likes of You’. 7
The DCMS report identifies them as;
• Institutional
• Personal and Social
• Related to Perceptions and Awareness
• Environmental
DCMS Barriers to Museum Usage
Institutional: These are the barriers that museums and their staff
create that discourage usage by certain people or sections of the
community. They include:
• Unsuitable or unduly restrictive opening hours, or restrictions upon

the availability of services
• Inappropriate staff attitudes and behaviour

• Direct and indirect discrimination

• Inappropriate rules and regulations
• Charging policies that disadvantage those on low incomes
• Acquisition, exhibition and cataloguing policies which do not reflect
the needs or interests of the actual or potential audiences
• Lack of signage in buildings, so that people cannot easily find their
way around
• Lack of sense of ownership and involvement by the community
• Lack of adequate provision of services or facilities for people with
disabilities
Personal and Social: These possible causes of social exclusion can be

experienced by individuals, or as a result of cultural or community
circumstances. They include:
• Lack of basic skills in reading, writing and communication

• Low income and poverty
• Lack of social contact
• Low self esteem
• Lack of permanent fixed address
Perceptions and Awareness: The notion that museums are ‘not for
us’ exists in both community and individual terms. This perception
causes difficulties for:
• People who are educationally disadvantaged

• People who live in isolation from wider society
• People who don’t think museums are relevant to their lives or
needs
• People who lack a knowledge of facilities and services, and how to
use them
Environmental
• Difficult physical access into and within buildings

• Problem estates and urban decay
• The isolation experienced by people in rural communities

• Poor transport links
Other Studies
Other studies have been undertaken to try and understand why

people do not visit museums and galleries and these echo those
identified by DCMS and Dodd and Sandell.
Physical Barriers
• Physical i.e. disabled access, people with prams, cost, travel,

childcare8
• Other physical barriers include: transport – access to public and
private, availability of information, lack of time and no-one to go
with9 as well as effort to go10
• Lack of awareness i.e. that a museum exists or a limited
awareness, e.g. a large national museums against (and at the
expense of) local museums 11 (especially in London)
• Information gaps i.e. how to get to a museum, opening times,
suitability of content, facilities for families, where to find
information12
• Lack of facilities e.g. for people with physical and sensory
disabilities, resources that do not cater for particular groups or
minority communities and facilities for young children and toddlers13
• Cost is a barrier but ‘short term initiatives such as free or cheap
tickets, have little long-term effect and cannot be the basis for a
relationship with an audience for whom price is a genuine obstacle
to participation’14
• Management ethos e.g. inappropriate staff attitude, inappropriate
rules and regulations, inadequate staff training to address groups
with specific needs, inadequate organisational practice, direct and
indirect discrimination by management, other users or wider
society. ‘Management ethos has the most detrimental effect upon;
low income households, socially disadvantaged/ low achievers,
people lacking basic skills, ethnic minorities, teenagers,
unemployed, disabled and C2DE socio-economic groups’15
Perceived lack of relevance
Moore’s study in Ireland identifies five barriers; financial, practical,

social, physical and cultural, ‘people living in poverty were unlikely to
attend even those events which were free… The social and cultural

barriers are the most difficult to remove …the arts are inaccessible,
therefore irrelevant’16
Arts has little connection with everyday life17
Cost and inconvenience mask a more deep seated discomfort with

the arts 18
Lack of interest, i.e. museums and galleries do not house collections

that are relevant, people have stereotypical ideas about what a
museum is, a bad experience of an earlier museum trip informs an
opinion and deters from further visits to other sites19
Only for ‘boffins’ i.e. people with specific interests20
Lack of confidence
• The perceived risk of attending an arts event against other forms of

entertainment for non-attenders is very high; 60% of non-attenders
in London stated that they did not like going to see things that they
did not know much about21
• Fear of not understanding – those people who do not think they will
understand what they are seeing are more likely to believe they will
find the trip boring, ‘Some people believe that museums and
galleries require specialised knowledge, e.g. history, context, and
importance of exhibits, how and why they were created and what
stories about the past they embody22
• ‘[Some] people are ‘socialised’ into visiting museums …they have
been almost pre-destined (by family and education) to visit
because they have been socialised into accepting the value of such
cultural institutions from an early age.’23 Those that have not
experienced this socialisation process do not view museums as
part of their life
Research into Specific Audiences
Studies have also been undertaken that examine the attitudes and
needs of particular groups of people.
Cultural identity
A report commissioned by the Museums and Galleries Commission

(MGC) entitled Cultural Diversity: attitudes of ethnic minority
populations towards museums and galleries24 explored the barriers
that exist for a range of ethnic minorities and what organisations

could do to remove these barriers and meet the needs of these

visitors. These findings were also supported by the London Museum
Service report ‘Dingy places with different kinds of bits25.
• Black and South Asian people in particular felt that few museums
contained displays which related to their cultural backgrounds
• Many Black people felt that their contributions to British society
were ignored
• Lack of racial representation inhibits attendance and sensitivity to
where artefacts are derived and presenting a colonial view of
history 26
• Images of their homelands were often negative and they were keen
to seen positive presentations to redress this balance
• Some considered the interpretation of the past was colonial and
biased rather than accurate
• Access to information about museums and galleries and
interpretation contained within the venues was difficult for people
who spoke little or no English
• Some Black and Asian visitors felt unwelcome in museums – these
feelings were also found amongst young people and other potential
visitors
Families
The single most important issue for families is the view that the arts in
general are not perceived as ‘family entertainment’27 Families have a
particular set of needs that must be met before they choose to visit
museums and galleries. Research undertaken by Morris Hargreaves
McIntyre28 and Harris Research Centre29 found that families were
concerned that:
• Children would not be made welcome in a museum or gallery and

they would disrupt other visitors
Children by their very existence are noisy things ….It doesn’t bother
me but I think it might bother other people and that is the perspective
I have’30
• There would not be enough to entertain and engage children and

the family as a whole

‘Lack of activities to engage the child when you get there – children
don’t just like looking, they want to get involved31
• Museums and galleries are not perceived to offer a day out, in

terms of the activities and facilities available
Other studies of family behaviour identify the need for participation,

involvement and engagement; physically, intellectually and
emotionally
‘Inter-active displays – ‘Children liked to make things happen and see

what was going on’32
Family events - ‘This could get round the parental concern that their
children might be too boisterous for the quiet atmosphere of a
museum or that they might get bored’33
Content and collection as well as the style of delivery are the key
success factors 34; museums whose displays ‘brought the past to life’
are popular with parents and children, e.g. reconstructions of rooms
or houses as they would have been, displays which showed things
working such as engines at industrial sites and staff in character or in
period costume. 35
Young People
• Young people feel that museums and galleries hold nothing of

interest are dull and uncomfortable, they felt museums had nothing
of interest to them36
• Displays are perceived as ‘static’37
• Museums are seen by the young as ‘mazes’38 with poor signage
and orientation
• 15-19 year olds had a negative association that the arts were
primarily for older, middle class people and ‘uncool’39
• The arts are not perceived by young people to be entertaining a
good night out, being value for money and an enjoyable social
event 40

Older people
The main barriers amongst older people tend to be physical and

psychological41 and these issues can determine their leisure activities
in general not just their attitudes toward museums
• Ill health ‘I am retired through ill health and there is not a lot I can
do’
• The cost of transport and general difficulties of ‘going out’
• Fears about safety
These references provide an analysis of reasons why people may not

use museums and galleries. Similar factors prevent the use by more
people of theatre, orchestral music, dance and all of the other cultural
offers.
For an audience development strategy to work effectively, and be

sustainable, it is essential to understand the barriers to attendance
and address these in the way in which the product and service are
designed and in communications with the target groups.

9 Market Research
Why conduct Market Research?
Market research is an important tool in understanding the market
It can inform:
• Organisational planning and development
• Product planning
• Marketing planning
• Promotional planning
• Audience Development
Destroying the myths:

• It need not always involve additional time and money
• Often tells you more than you think you already know
• The only way to explode myths and misconceptions
• Need not result in streams of statistics
• Dispels uncertainty

The Process
Take a systematic approach:
Stage One: Setting Your Objectives
Most important element

Required to give the research direction
Consider:
• What information you need
• Why you need it
• How you will use it
• What you would do without it
(1) Business Objectives - what you aim to achieve.

To understand whether current promotional activities are cost
effective
(2) Research Objectives - what you want to find out.

To establish which information sources are being used and which
would increase awareness
Ensure they are:

• Understood and agreed by everyone in the organisation
• Simple and clearly defined
• Measurable

• Achievable (timescale and resources)
The Need For Research
Before embarking on any market research find out if the data already
exists – internally or externally (Secondary Research)
Secondary or Desk Research
Data already in existence but has not been collected in direct

response to a problem that has arisen
Invaluable exercise - can save time and money
Vital for establishing potential market size
Internal
• Talk to people in the organisation – FOH staff, volunteers

• Read comment books and analyse sales records
• Previous research reports
External
• Funding bodies – ACE, RAB, bfi

• Local authorities, BTA, Regional Tourist Boards
• Other RFTs
• Generic data - Dodona, CAVIAR, TGI, ONS, PSI
Still may require data to be collected specifically to meet your

objectives (Primary Research)
9.1 Stage Two: Writing A Research Plan
Three key elements:
(1) The Sample and Sample Frame

Who you will talk to and when
(2) The Methodology

How you will consult them
(3) The Questionnaire

What you will ask them
The Sample
‘The people you want to consult’

Described as the population – the whole of the material from which a

sample may be taken.
e.g. all bookers from the past 12 months
Census = survey of all members of the population

Sample = survey of a representative part of the whole
Sample Size
Depends on:
• Level of detail required – sub sets
• Range of people you want to consult
• Time and resources available
Robust minimum sample size - 100-150.

200-250 recommended for quantitative research
Sample frame – Criteria for the sample
Quotas – age, gender

Timetable and deadlines - snapshot survey, 12 months
9.2 The Methodology
Making an informed decision depends upon:
• Understanding your range of options – what methods exist and

their advantages and disadvantages
• Deciding who you will collect information from and what might be
the most appropriate method for this group
• Are there any time or resource issues? – Can you do the research
in-house? Can you commission an agency? Have you got time to
complete a postal survey?
Methodologies
Primary Research consists of:
Quantitative Research
Conclusive research on relatively large samples for measuring the
incidence of views
For example:
• In home surveys
• Telephone surveys
• On-street surveys
• In-venue surveys
• Postal surveys
• Self completion surveys
Qualitative research:
Exploratory research on small samples using unstructured or semi-
structured techniques
For example:
• Focus groups – re-convened, extended, mini groups
• Depth interviews – individual, paired, trio

9.3 Quantitative vs Qualitative Research
Quantitative Research
Quantitative Research Uses Qualitative Research Uses

Generating quantifiable data Image, positioning and brand
development
Market size Attitude and motivations
Some qualitative data Product development
Advertising and promotional
developments
Advantages Advantages
Statistically robust Dynamic and creative
Representative Depth of understanding
Helps identify trends and patterns Rich source of ideas
Wide variety of techniques
Different Quantitative Methods
Face to face interview

Pros Cons
Personal approach Interviewer influence
High quality data No anonymity for respndant
Probe responses The cost
Longer interview
High participation
Stimulus materials
Telephone interview
Pros Cons
Quick Absence of face-to-face contact
Cost effective Is it a representative sample
Less personal Limited duration
Co-operation Lack of visual stimulation
Self-completion questionnaires
Pros Cons
Geographic coverage Unrepresented samples
Low cost Low response rates
Respondent convenience Absence of interviewer
Anonymity of respondent Standardized questions
Length of questionnaire Time
Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages.

Cost, timescale and sample make-up must be considered – but don’t
go for the cheapest option, or the quickest return.

Different Qualitative methods
Focus groups
(8-10 people recruited to a set criterion, 1.5 hours long, led by a
moderator, explore experiences, attitudes, beliefs, motivations)
Pros Cons
Dynamics generate creativity Inhibits openness
Shows consumer differences Dominant participants
Sponaneity of response Lose minority viewpoints
Observations Hot-housing - lose perspective
Can be expensive
A skilled moderator can overcome most weaknesses
Variations
Mini-groups (4-6 people) intimate subject matter, adolescents or
children, difficult samples to recruit.
Extended discussions ( 3 hours) good for ‘blue-skying’, using

projective techniques, more complex issues.
Accompanied visits, good for pre and post visit expectations and
experience
Re-convened groups/panels, useful for exploring responses to

changes in the organisation eg: testing brand identity
Observation (overt or covert) assessing responses to facilities,

services and the visiting experience.
Depth interviews
(1-3 people in depth semi-structured interview, can be tape-recorded,
penetrates below question and answer format)
Pros Cons
Intimate / personal information Time consuming
Geographical spread Costly
Range of sample Little opportunity for idea
generation and creativity
Sense of perspective
Variations
Paired/trio depth ( 2 – 3 people), good for children, adolescents and

couples.

Mystery shopping – participants asked to visit the venue and

complete a number of tasks. Detailed questionnaire used to record
their experience.
9.4 Designing the Questionnaire
The business objectives and research objectives will, largely,

determine your questions.
Types of questions:
Closed – dichotomous (2 options), multi-code or single code

Open ended – elicits a free response
The Rules:
1. Does the question add value?

– if not leave it out
2. Will the respondent understand the question?

- avoid jargon & complex language
- avoid skirting around the question – get to the point
- avoid asking two questions in one
- avoid making assumptions
- maintain a common standard – define your terms, be consistent to
aid benchmarking
3. Can the respondent answer the question?
4. Will the respondent answer the question?

avoid questions that may cause embarrassment or offence
Question sequence
• Questions that are easy to answer at the beginning
• Questions that will interest the respondent should go early
• Personal, emotional or complicated questions at the end
Before a change of topic insert an introductory phrase

e.g. before asking personal questions say ‘Now I would just like to
ask you a few questions about yourself’
Questionnaire layout
• Allow adequate space in the layout for recording the answers.
• Needs to be clear and well spaced (postal/self completion)
• Include lots of very clear instructions
Remember to pilot

Test the questionnaire on colleagues, and respondents to make sure

it works.
Taking the time to get this part of the process right will reap rewards
during the data collection and analysis stage.
Asking the Essential Questions and Being Creative
Some questions are vital if you are to develop a deeper

understanding of your market
Market size
Current attenders - ask attendance and frequency
Potential attenders – collect data from screening questions gauging
degree of interest and propensity to attend
Go beyond demographics
Attitudes, motivations, knowledge and confidence

10 Implications for Marketing Strategy
10.1 SWOT analysis
A short- hand summary of a Situational Analysis, the second stage of

a Marketing Audit and another useful exercise in its own right is the
SWOT Analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats.
Strengths and weaknesses
These are internal aspects of your organisation which are helping

you or preventing you from achieving your objectives. They might
relate to:
• staff skills and numbers
• volunteers
• range or quality of product
• facilities
• capacity achieved / available
• income
• fundraising success
• marketing activity
• press relations
• management processes
• planning systems – marketing / information
Each aspect needs to be considered and listed as either a Strength

or a Weakness. The idea is to establish ways of exploiting the
strengths and overcoming the weaknesses.
Opportunities and threats
These are external considerations which have an influence on the

organisation but over which you have no direct control:
• sector changes
• funding
• Local Authority changes
• competition
• urban development
• demographic changes
The idea here is that you consider strategies for overcoming threats
and making the opportunities work for you.

Having completed the Situational and SWOT Analysis it is time to

make this information begin to work for you by drawing out the
conclusions and implications. These implications form the starting
point of the marketing plan.
At this stage you have gained an idea of the present performance of

your organisation . Before a plan can actually be devised it is
important to go into greater detail in analysing and deciding upon:
• Who your customers are now
• Who and where your potential customers are
• What it is you are offering them
• Who or what you are competing against
• How you want to be seen as an organisation.
Simple SWOT analysis
INTERNAL EXTERNAL
Strengths Opportunities
Weaknesses Threats
10.2 Conclusions and implications
The implications of the data gathered in the situational analysis and

summarised in the SWOT now need to be identified so that the
marketing strategies are informed by this evidence.
SWOT Factor Possible Explanation Implication

11 Developing the right product
An Audience focused organisation adapts the product offering to suit

the needs of the target market. For many in the arts this sounds like
the start of the slippery slope towards theme parks, once again this
needn't be the case as long as the developments are compatible with
the organisation achieving its own aims. It is possible for the
organisation to continue to be led by a strong artistic vision but still be
audience focused. Equally it is possible for an organisation to be
chiefly led by social policies and adapt the artistic offering specifically
to meet the needs of those people it is trying to reach.
Broadly we adopt an approach in reaching our audiences which is

either Product-led or Market-led.
If we are product-led the marketing task is to identify those who are

most receptive to the product, locate them, identify the benefits they
respond to and design appropriate means of communicating these
benefits that stimulate them to attend.

This approach tends to rely most heavily on marketing

communications and price promotions.
If we are market-led then we identify the people we wish to reach,

identify their needs and wants and develop the product offering or
service, the process of interaction, and the communications methods
that meets the needs of the target market and our own objectives.
This approach tends to use the whole of the marketing mix to meet
people’s needs.
The process of designing elements of the product to match the needs

of target segments is known as developing the Marketing Mix.
Marketing management acknowledges that the core product alone is

not the sole cause of the success or failure of a product, in arts
organisations this would be the productions, performances, services
or exhibitions. As far as the customer is concerned it is the quality of
the complete experience that influences their impression on whether
the visit was a success or a failure; whether their needs have been
met and whether they will wish to return or to recommend the place to
their friends.
For arts organisations the Marketing Mix comprises seven elements

which correspond to different types of needs that that customers
have. These can be seen as benefits sought and benefits offered:

Product
The customer has functional needs such as to be entertained,
educated, inspired etc., these needs are met through the product
element of the marketing mix.
The artistic programme and physical characteristics of the
organisation including quality of building and facilities
The customer needs to feel that what they are paying for represents
value for money to them. This is reflected through the pricing
strategy.
Price
Represents fees, entrance charge, ticket prices, hire fees. Specific
customer needs can be addressed through discounts, subscriptions,
concessions Pay What You Can Nights and special offers.
Customers increasingly expect to see the core products enhanced by

value-added extras. This added value is introduced through the
Process by which the customer is encouraged to interact with the
product.
Process
Represents aspects of the service which enhances the visitor
experience such as information material; interpretation; talks and
lectures; events; workshops; classes; Friends scheme a web-site etc.
Quality of service and customer care is central to the customer’s

experience and crucial in making them feel that their needs are
understood and are being met.
People
Meet this aspect of customers’ needs. The staff involved in delivering
or interpreting the product for the customers e.g. box office, front of
house staff, education liaison staff, guides, attendants. Their
approach, demeanour and commitment to customer satisfaction can
have a resounding effect on the overall visitor experience.
Place
Availability at a time and place which meets needs will also determine
whether people attend or not.
Within the marketing mix represents the opening times, touring

venues, seasonality and any peripatetic or out-reach work.
i.e. how the product is made available in order to meet the needs of
market segments.
Branding
Many people feel intimidated by arts venues, or by the people who
they think attend them. They might also feel that they may stand out
from the crowd for being too old or too young or not trendy enough.
People want to feel that the venue or event they are attending will
complement their own self-image.
Branding is our way of communicating that our identity will meet our
target segments’ self-image needs. We can project a specific
personality, benefits and values through our brand identity.
Guarantees
Any expenditure on a non-tangible product represents a risk. Our
customers want to minimise that perception of risk. We address this
need by offering guarantees.
We can provide guarantees through our reputation, track record,

press endorsements, word of mouth etc.
Marketing Planning involves consideration of all elements of the

Marketing Mix in order to develop a complete product offering which
can meet the needs of the target market enabling an organisation to
make the most efficient use of its resources and achieve its own
objectives. Any aspect of the Marketing Mix might be adapted to help
meet the specific needs of separate market segments.
We communicate the fact that we are meeting these needs through:
Promotion
The means of communicating with the potential market and the
method, choice and style of publicity and advertising media.
Positioning
This is the way in which the organisation is perceived in
comparison to competitors, the distinctive characteristics which
set it apart from the competition.
Persuasion
This is the power of the selling message, which encourages the
potential customer to recognise that their needs are being met.

12 Marketing or audience development

strategies
12.1 Strategic options
Thorough knowledge of the existing and potential market

segments for your organisation and a full appraisal of the product or
service are essential before marketing planning can proceed. With
this knowledge we can consider which marketing objectives to set
and which strategy to adopt.
Marketing objectives are related broadly to products and

markets; which products will be targeted at which markets in order to
achieve the overall corporate objectives of the organisation.
A model which helps in this decision-making process is

Ansoff's matrix. Here we are presented with four strategic options:
Targeting existing products at existing markets - this is a

strategy of market penetration; getting existing attenders to come
more often, or getting new visitors from within the same market
segment.
Targeting existing products on new market segments - this is

a strategy of market development; reaching new market segments
for example young people, families etc with the existing product.
Developing new products or product features in order to

attract existing market segments by better meeting their needs - this
is a strategy of product development.
It may become necessary to develop an entirely new product

in order to meet corporate objectives, This might be developing new
aspects of the artistic product to meet the needs of specific markets
for example an Asian element to the programme to meet the needs of
Asian audiences, or it might mean branching into entirely new
business such as conference management, developing outdoor
recreation or garden features - this is a strategy of diversification.

Ansoff Matrix 1 – 4 = degree of difficulty
PRODUCTS
Existing New
Existing
Market Product
Penetration Development
1 3
Market
New Diversification
Development
2 4
12.2 Setting marketing objectives
Using the Ansoff matrix helps you to define the broad strategic
approach for the Marketing Plan and set the broad marketing
objectives, for example if, on analysis of the size of the potential
market, you discover that only 20% of that market has attended your
venue your marketing objective might be to increase that figure to
30%, which would mean pursuing a strategy of market penetration.
Tactics
Strategy Implication Tactics
Market Penetration Increase use by More promotion;

existing users; Improved image;
Users of competitors Special events
to use you PR
Market New market segments Revised corporate

Development to use existing image
product Re-branding
Re-positioning
New promotion plans
New services
Outreach work
Different venues
Product Attract existing Membership schemes
Development segments by Incentives

improving / adding to New product features

product Special events
Loyalty schemes
Diversification Attracting new market New collection; new

segments with new artforms; new staff
products and services team to focus on needs
of new segments; new
services and operations
Whilst broad marketing objectives relate to the corporate direction of

the organisation, sub-objectives relate more to the marketing
operation, or tactical management of the marketing operation.
Marketing sub-objectives might relate to increasing awareness; the
amount of media coverage being sought in one year, income figures
within one area of business etc. and are a reflection of the broad
strategy being adopted:
Marketing Objectives should be SMART:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Timed - set within a timescale
Example Marketing Objectives might be to:

• Increase attendances by 10% within 2 years
• Increase box-office income by 15% in one year
• Increase fund-raising income by 20% within 3 years
These might be accomplished through a broad strategy of market

development.
This strategy gives rise to sub-objectives related to the individual

market segments to be targeted and the changes in the Marketing
Mix elements made to reach those segments.
For example, if it is decided to increase overall attendances by

targeting family groups this gives rise to another objectives:
• To increase number of families by 5% per year by x (no/%) to

x (no/%) by y (time)
This might be accomplished through raising awareness, increasing

the number of family-orientated events and facilities and converting
more school-associated visits into family visits. These actions are the
tactics. Whereas tactics change often and are planned in the short-
term, strategies are longer term and should ultimately all serve to
accomplish long-term objectives.

Further Sub-objectives might be:
• To convert each school party into at least three family visits

• Obtain 25 press articles in the local papers aimed at women
and children
• Ensure that 80% of the local population is aware of us
The result is a hierarchy where for every objective there is a strategy

and for every strategy there are tactics.
Objective A stated target for achievement:

Should start with the word 'TO..........'
Strategy The broad approach to achieving the

objective :
Should start with the word 'BY..........."
Tactics The individual actions making up the

strategy.
Associated with any objective should be a means of measuring

achievement

13 Positioning
Positioning relates to the perception the target market has of a

product or organisation.
Positioning
is the act of designing the organisation’s image and value offer
so that the organisation’s markets understand and appreciate
what the organisation stands for in relation to its competitors.
It is desirable for an organisation to hold a clear and distinct market

position in relation to other competing organisations in the minds of
its public. Deciding on the position is related to the setting of
marketing objectives and strategies. Establishing a market position
is achieved through analysing the features and benefits your
organisation has to offer, and giving greater emphasis to those
benefits, which are not to be found within other competing
organisations, which make your organisation distinctive or unique.
13.1 Mapping market position
Your own and competitor positions can be mapped to show relative

positioning, to help identify the best position of your organisation if it
is to be clearly differentiated within the market place. It is best to
avoid holding a similar market position as a competitor as this means
you are competing for the same market on the basis of offering the
same benefits.
Intimate
● Venue B
● Venue C
Expensive Affordable
● Venue A
Formal

Working up a positioning map using as axes the benefits you are

wanting to position your organisation on helps to establish how much
work is needed in altering the public perception. Organisations
should take a conscious and determined approach to developing a
strong market position based on how the organisation wants to be
perceived by the target segments.
13.2 Competitive positions
Kotler identifies four main competitive positions based on the roles

organisations play in the market:
Market leader: largest market share
Market challenger: the runner-up, closing the gap
Market follower: runner up
Market nicher: serve small / niche segments

13.3 Classic competitive strategies
Market leader Expand the market New users

New usage
More usage
Protect market share Position defence
Flanking defence:
protecting vulnerable areas
Counteroffensive defence
Mobile defence: broaden

market
Contraction
Market challenger Attack Frontal

Flanking: weaker positions
Encirclement
Bypass
Guerilla
Market follower Follow closely Emulate

Follow at a distance Differentiation
Market nicher Speclialisation End-use

Customer-size
Specific-customer
Geographic
Feature specialist
Quality
Price
Service

14 Branding
A brand is an expression of a vision.
A brand is a promise - a combination of functional attributes (what

you get) and emotional associations (how you feel)
Successful brands articulate the promise clearly
and even more importantly, deliver the promise
each and every time the customer comes into contact with you
Brand Perceptions
A set of beliefs held about a particular brand. Consumer beliefs may

vary from true attributes because of their experience and the effect of
selective perception, selective distortion or selective retention
Or
Perceived impressions of a brand by market segment frequently

related to abstract associations. These may be the result of contrived
marketing action, inaction or an accident of market perception.
Brand Positioning
Development of a perception of a brand such that it occupies a

distinctive niche in the minds of customers / potential customers in
relation to competitors - thus it might be seen to have a high rating in
terms of quality, reliability, credibility, innovation etc.
Brand Positioning Map
Brands can be positioned / mapped in the same way as competing

organisations in the section above.

Importance of Brands
Every communication about you and every experience the market

has of you is filtered through their perception of your brand.
And these communications and experiences are constantly revising

your customers’ perceptions of your brand.
So actively managing their brand perceptions is a vital task shared

between product and communications.
It’s all in the mind…
A brand only exists in the mind of the customer

It is the result of assumptions, received messages and experiences
It can be exactly what you intended, a partial version or a distorted
version
It is the result of specific actions you do take (with the product and
communications)
OR of actions you fail to take
OR of actions others take
OR of unintended accident
How Brands Work
Level 1 PURPOSE How we see ourselves
Level 2 IDENTITY How we see the world
Level 3 VALUES Our beliefs
Level 4 ATTITUDES What we think about ‘x’
Level 5 OPINIONS Simplex, under-developed attitudes
Level 6 BEHAVIOUR What we do and don’t do (what we buy)
Level 7 LANGUAGE How we articulate
If we want to change our customers’ behaviour, we have to change

their attitudes. Brands are designed to work at this level.
If you don’t know what is in the audience’s mind…

Then you don’t know what your brand is currently.
If you don’t know what the brand is…

Then you don’t know what action to take to reposition it closer to your
ideal.

The brand can be perceived to have qualities which are transmitted in

three different ways:
Intrinsic Through a well known building, reputation, name,

logo or simply what the organisation is known to
stand for.
Communicated What you say and do through publicity media,

signage and public relations.
Experienced How the public’s perception of you is formed

through direct experience with your organisation
and the service you offer.
It is important that the brand image is consistent across all three.
The brand identity comprises five elements. Good brand

management requires the management of these elements across all
aspects of the marketing mix.
Brand Model


15 Communication Strategies
Strategy is implemented through changes and adaptations to the

Marketing Mix. This has resource and staff implications and changes
might be slow in coming due to the capital and revenue costs
needed.
The area in which progress can be made most quickly is in the area
of promotion and publicity. This part of marketing planning is often
the area mistakenly considered to be all that the process is about.
Effective communication of the benefits to the target markets is a
crucial area but it cannot be isolated from the rest of the management
function.
What might prevent people from attending arts events?
• Fear that it will be too expensive

• Fear that there will be nobody else like them there
• Concerned that they will not like it
• Concerned that their friends/ family won’t like it
• Worried they will not understand it
• Belief that it won’t be relevant to them
• Unsure what the benefits might be
Advertising, print, direct mail, posters, press relations, promotions,

telephone sales, public relations, education liaison, outreach work,
signs, word-of-mouth, e-media and many more are all effective in
their own way at getting some messages across to some target
segments. The challenge in marketing planning is to select the most
appropriate method for gaining access to and communicating with
your target segments.
In implementing any publicity campaign a worthwhile checklist is:
• Why are we doing this - what are our objectives?

• Who is our target market?
• What are we saying?
• Where will our message be seen?
• How will we get our message across creatively?
• When will the campaign take place
• How Much will it cost
• Who is responsible for implementation?
• How well is the campaign doing - evaluation?

The point of publicity to create impact, attract attention, arouse

interest, stimulate desire and offer information in order to ensure
that people take action.
Steps in Planning a Publicity Campaign
• Set publicity/ communications objectives

• Evaluate resources
• Identify target segments
• Identify the most appropriate publicity communications tools or
media
• Identify the most appropriate message
• Develop action plan
• Agree what, how, when, where action will be taken,
• Who is going to do it, and
• How much it will cost
• Monitor the results

15.1 Publicity and Communications Objectives
The purpose of all communications activity is to:

• Raise awareness
• Generate interest
• Stimulate desire
• Call to action
The task of raising awareness is likely to require a broadcast

message and medium, whilst the task of persuading someone to act
is likely to require narrowcast message and medium.
We can also use communications to help us achieve a variety of

marketing objectives:
Speak to new audiences

• Encourage existing audiences to attend more often
• Stimulate loyalty
• Inform
• Educate about new services, products, venue developments
• Remind
• Strengthen image
• Alter perceptions
• Re-position
• Build brand identity
Each of these has strengths and weaknesses depending on the task

they have to fulfil. We have to select our medium and message to
ensure they help us meet our objectives
15.2 How to reach your target segment
Who are you communicating with ?

Clearly identify who you are trying to reach as this will affect your
tone of voice; vocabulary; use of jargon ; images and colour; graphic
style ; assumptions you make; benefits you identify. Is the person
you are writing for traditional or unconventional; a parent or a single
adult; old or young; local or a visitor?
What media are they likely to use?

Leaflets; local evening newspaper; libraries; parish notice boards;
supermarket community information board; posters in shops;
flyposters; postcards; novelty gimmicks; word of mouth
Where do they go ?
Clubs or societies they might belong to; other venues they attend;
places they meet; places they eat and drink; schools and colleges;
bus stops and gathering places.
How do they behave?

Are they Innovative or traditional; will they book in advance or leave
things to spontaneous last minute decisions; do they graze for
leaflets; rely on freinds recommendations or like to be the one
passing on word of mouth; do they like sophisticated images or
trendy street-wise images; do they respond to prestige or to grass-
roots realism?
These questions will help you match the appropriate message and
medium to your target segment. The answers will inform your choice
of media, method of distribution, choice of outlets, tone of voice in
the words you use, colour and images in the print design.
Features or Benefits
In order to attract people to our events we need to spell out the

benefits that we can offer them. We are often so close to our
products that we only ever see them in terms of their features – the
factual or physical attributes that we know they possess.
Benefits are what the user derives from the experience, the factors
that reassure them that their needs are being met.
We need to assess the benefits we can offer at this early stage of

product analysis so that we can add them to our awareness of the
strengths and weaknesses and match the benefits with potential
target markets.
Features Benefits
Coca Cola Thirst quenching, young, cool,
Sweet, brown, fizzy liquid what life is about
Retrospective exhibition Insight, inspiration, something to
talk about
Festival of Street Theatre Excitement, spectacle, shared
experience, community well-
being, improves quality of life
Orchestral concert Escapism, spiritual experience,
emotionally moving
Classic Play Entertaining, re-enforces
traditional values, moral tale,
thought-provoking, up-lifting,
opportunity for self-improvement
Having identified the benefits we can offer our potential audiences we

can add them to our list of Strengths and, within the campaign, we
will need to translate them into an attractive proposition through our
persuasive publicity material.
15.3 Marketing communications tools
There is a wide range of tools we can use to communicate efficiently

and effectively:
• Printed leaflets
• Posters
• Diary brochures
• Newspaper Advertisements
• Press editorial and photographs
• Direct mail letters
• Newsletters
• Telephone selling
• Personal selling
• Outreach work
• Television advertisements
• Radio coverage
• Word of mouth recommendation
• Merchandise
• Free samples
• Publicity stunts
• Displays
• Videos and CDs
• Listings
• E.mail
• Website
We have to select the most appropriate tool to help us reach our

target segment and achieve our communication objective. Some tools
are better for broadcast messages, some are better for narrowcast.
Some are better for raising awareness whilst some are better for
stimulating desire.
Select the most appropriate tools by developing a matrix with

communications objectives along one axis and communicatuions
tools along another:
Posters TV Press Direct Mail Telephone

editorial Email
Raise awareness ✔ ✔
Generate interest ✔
Stimulate desire ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Inform ✔ ✔
Call to action ✔

16 Effective Communications
Golden Rules of Effective Copywriting for brochures, letters,

leaflets
In writing the sales copy to help you sell seats you need to put
yourself in the position of your target segment and consider all the
factors that might deter them from attending your event and what
benefits they will recognise in your proposition.
Imagine this person sitting in front of you and write in a way that you
feel could persuade them to attend.
Consider your tone of voice – does it have to be informal and friendly,

or formal to appeal to their status? Can you imagine yourself saying
what you have written? Does it sound genuine and convincing?
Speak to the artists involved, artistic director or curator. What makes

them passionate about this show? How can you communicate their
enthusiasm to your target segments?
Do you have access to any other famous or influential people whose

enthusiasm can both endorse and persuade others to see this show?
Avoid listing the features – try to convert them to benefits.
DON’Ts
1 Don’t assume prior knowledge. You say, ‘following last year’s

triumph with La Republica…’. They read, ‘if you didn’t come last
time, it’s not for you’.
2 Don’t use jargon – You say, ‘Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25 in C,
K503’. They think, ‘which one’s that – what does it sound like?’.
3 Don’t sell – just tell. Too many adjectives and superlatives make
you sound like a desperate salesman.
4 Don’t use too many exclamation marks. You’ll sound like Tony
the Tiger – “they’re Grrreat!!!”
5 Don’t quote only fantastic snippets of reviews. The longer and
the less… dots between, and the more measured they are, the
more credible impact they have.
6 Don’t just give a plot synopsis. Describe what it will actually be
like.

7 Don’t use every typeface and point size you own. It doesn’t grab
their attention, it just gives them a headache.
8 Don’t just list the features. It may be ‘the oldest working theatre
in Vietnam’, but it’s the unique, historic atmosphere that’s the
benefit.
9 Don’t use PSs. They may be textbook, but they’re hackneyed
and false.
10 Don’t shout. Interrupting the flow of your letter with a screaming
press review is like suddenly yelling at someone in the middle of
a conversation.
So what works? Well, here are some of the things that made them
want to reach for their money:
DOs
1 Be personal. But instead of pretending it’s a personal to them,

make it a personal letter from you. People buy from people.
2 Be conversational. We need to talk to people, not at them. That

means informal, short sentences.
3 Quote the fanatic. Every show has a director, curator, writer,

actor, or artist that really believes in it. What inspires them will
inspire the audience.
4 Be evocative. Tell them how it will make them feel. Use script
quotes or anything that gives insight and a real feeling for the
work. It’s art, so be creative.
5 Endorse it. Most bookers are risk-averse, so emphasise familiar

names, reputations and reviews. They love audience quotes –
‘people like me ’like it.
6 Dumb up. Assume they’re just as intelligent as you are, they just
lack knowledge.
7 Reveal a little magic. Give them a peek behind the scenes: the
set, costumes, rehearsals and how artists work.
8 Use popular culture references. When obscure jazz was

described as ‘making you think of tango and Fred Astaire
dancing in films’ they got it straight away.
9 Sell the whole night out. That’s what people want to buy.
10 Tell them where the No 7 bus stops. And every other detail
imaginable.

16.1 Action Plans
The action identified in the communications plan, as well as the

selling strategy needs to be set out in a timescale to ensure that
everything fits into the time available. (See example marketing
campaign plan in the appendix).
Each step in that activity needs to be costed to ensure that it fits into
the budget.
If you find you can’t carry out everything you want to then rationalise
the plan, don’t abandon it completely. If you can argue that you need
to carry out a minimum of activity to achieve the objectives then see if
the marketing budget can be increased.
Only increase the objectives if you are confident that the marketing
activity you can afford to undertake is capable of achieving them.
Each step also needs to be allocated to a person to carry out so that

it is clear how the plan will be implemented and by whom.
The sales targets need to be inserted into this action plan so that the
impact of the plan is being monitored against the objectives in the
weeks and days leading up to the final deadline.
16.2 Contingency Planning
Having a clear system of monitoring against objectives will enable

you to see if there is a need to implement a contingency plan. If you
aim to have sold at least 30% of your tickets in advance and by the
week before the event only 10% of the tickets are sold then there is a
clear need for a contingency plan. The contingency plan might be to
use another database for an extra direct mail shot, it may be to use
hand-to-hand leaflet distribution in the venue or outside another
similar venue, it may mean additional telephone sales. The whole
intention should be to push up sales to as close to the targets as
possible and to monitor and modify the marketing campaign
throughout the build-up and run of the event so that the overall
objectives are achieved.

Get up that Ladder!

Teleprompt and Test-Drive:
Audience Development that works
We all want to attract new audiences and we all want our current
audiences to attend more often. Teleprompt and Test-Drive are two
schemes developed to do just that. They are affordable, practical
and above all, proven to be successful, the result of several years
development and refinement.
Imagine your audience are on a giant ladder. At the top of the ladder
are your members, below them are subscribers, below them in turn
are frequent attenders and so on down to the non-attenders beneath
the bottom rung. Audience Development is all about getting people
further up this ladder whatever their starting point.
Teleprompt does this by turning infrequent attenders into regulars,

Test-Drive turns potential attenders into attenders. Both schemes
work by not only providing the initial push needed to move people up
the ladder, but supporting them so they stay there.
And the schemes really work. We have witnessed first hand

remarkable results at Buxton Opera House, Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic Orchestra and Halle Orchestra.
Andrew McIntyre
Morris Hargreaves McIntyre
&
Helen Dunnett
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra


Membership
Membership schemes are already well established and well

developed. For this reason we have concentrated our research and
thinking on the lower rungs which promise greater returns.
Subscription
As with membership, subscription schemes are well established and

well developed.
Customer Relationship Management
Morris Hargreaves McIntyre are currently working with the Royal

Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra as well as Royal Exchange
Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Customs House (South Shields) and
Citizen’s Theatre to produce a Customer Relations Management
scheme that is implementable across the performing arts.
Teleprompt
Teleprompt turns infrequent attenders into regulars.
Traditional press and publicity is not effective at the persuading

patrons beneath the top rungs to attend more than once or twice a
year. Teleprompt is a telephone information service which
overcomes these problems, by speaking directly to infrequent
attenders.
Simple to set-up and operate, the scheme quickly breaks even. At

Buxton Opera House every £1 invested produced £3 additional
income at the box office. For details of how this scheme worked
contact Helen Dunnett at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.
Test-Drive
Test-Drive gets people onto the ladder and guides them upwards.
For the vast majority of performances, concert halls and theatres

have empty seats. Test-Drive uses this valuable resource to enables
non-attenders to try the arts for free.
This is not mere altruism. Performances with the broadest appeal are
selected whilst the initial free offer is followed by staggered discounts.

Not only does Test-Drive increase the size of audience constituency,

but it also usually turns a profit within a year.
16.3 Teleprompt
Activating Infrequent Attenders
Typically, half the patrons on a theatre database only attend once a

year. Research shows that they generally get the ‘What’s On’ info
but that it doesn’t persuade them to book. They tend only to book for
major shows or ones they already know they’ll like.
TelePrompt is a free information service to activate infrequent

attenders.
Patrons are telephoned periodically and given a menu of shows

about which they can order more information. The information sent is
written to be more persuasive.
Teleprompt uses a deliberately ‘soft sell’ approach designed to build

up a trusting relationship. Typically,
• 70% of patrons join the scheme.

• Calling them can DOUBLE participation rates.
• Attendance keeps on rising in response to calls for up to 3 years.
For every £1 invested, patrons have spent £3 at the box office.
Taking Teleprompt Further
The original Teleprompt programme at Buxton Opera House

developed by Helen Dunnett concentrated on delivering solicited
information. However the programme could still be developed
further.
• Added Value: Exclusive open days, backstage tours or pre-

performance talks to strengthen the personal link
• Introduce a Friend: Providing incentives for participants to
introduce new people.
• E-prompt: Teleprompt using Email, a cost-effective option.

• Crossover Encouragement: Information on ‘entry-level’

productions of say opera or dance could be supported with
incentive or special packages.
• Frequency Packages: Multi-buy offers to increase frequency.
TelePrompt Practical Guidelines
Objective Don’t Do
Get the right people Call people who live Call people in the
50 miles away. catchment area.
Keep it legal Dive in without Ask for telephone

informed consent. consent as Q1 in the
call if you don’t have
it.
Explain the scheme Assume people will Use a clear,
want to join - the reassuring script that
scheme is unusual allays their fears -
and they might worry people are then very
there’s a catch. positive.
Build a personal Be an anonymous Introduce yourself
rapport voice reading from a and make sure it’s
pre-printed script. you that calls this
patron next time
round.
Record their Just tell everyone Find out what they’re

preferences about everything interested in and
every time. tailor the info to their
interests.
Solicit feedback Just transmit info in Encourage dialogue,
one way - from you ask questions, get
to them. feedback, comments
and suggestions.
Record what they say
and act on
complaints.
Arrange the next Call again out of the Agree when you’ll call
call blue. them again.

Dispatch the info Wait until there’s Send the requested

quickly enough for a batch info 1st class next
mailing. day.
Keep it soft sell Check up whether Check the box office

they went to any of records. Ask for
the shows you told feedback on the info
them about last. you sent.
Confirm their Just keep calling. Positively confirm that
continuing interest they still want to be
part of the scheme.
Develop their Always just tell them Suggest and

interests about things they recommend shows
already like. that you think they
might like.
Move people off the Call them forever. Aim to move 50%+
scheme! onto e-prompt info by
email. Suggest others
might be OK on own
two feet.
Try to deepen Limit the relationship Sign letters from the
relationships to occasional calls caller, invite members
about single shows. of the scheme to
open days and
special events, move
onto loyalty cards and
first time
subscriptions.
Evaluate Just monitor the Establish a ‘control’
scientifically bookings of those group’ of similar
called. patrons and measure
the ‘uplift’ caused by
TelePrompt.
Evaluate Just judge by Get feedback from

qualitatively statistics. staff who call - they
are listening to the
audience and you
can learn a lot from
these debriefs

16.4 Test-Drive the Arts
Empty seats are a precious resource
There are 6 million empty theatre seats each year. If sold, they would
be worth £80 million, unsold they are worth nothing.
There are more than 6 million potential attendees. We have not

managed to persuade then that attending will meet their needs.
What could be more persuasive than actually attending a

performance?
Giving these Cautious Gamblers free tickets for our empty seats
costs little from the marketing budget and nothing at the box office.
But this is not ‘papering’, it’s strategic.
The free Test-Drive is followed by rapidly decreasing discounts to

increase commitment. Typically,
• 30-35% return and pay full price.

• Over 40,000 people have been through Test-Drive.
• Over 13,000 have been retained.
• Many more say they may return in the future.
Most schemes make a profit within a year
16.5 Taking Test-Drive Further
Test-Drive was initially developed to attract the most likely potential

attenders into the arts. However at Buxton Opera House the scheme
has been tailored for the purposes of social inclusion. Using the
scheme 782 non-attenders from rural deprived communities were
given the opportunity to attend the theatre.
17 Test Drive The Arts

Practical Guidelines
Objective Don’t Do
Get the right people Broadcast free Screen potential attenders by
tickets offer - it phone to establish
alienates current qualification and genuine
attenders and interest. Consider explaining
attracts the scheme to current
freeloaders. attenders and ask for their
help.
Make them feel Assume new Give full directions, send a
welcome attenders know ma, give details of transport
where you are. ad parking, arrange parking.
Assume they Explain the format of the
understand the evening, timing, intervals,
routine and (even when to clap);
etiquette. remember basic things like
cloakroom and interval drinks.
Leave them to Set up a welcome desk or
fend for have welcome staff in the
themselves. foyer.
Devalue sense of Make them feel like VIP
occasion. guests with valuable tickets.
Reassure them Arrange ticket Send tickets out in advance
pick up on the with a personal letter.
door - they won’t
come
Assume they Send them a specially written
know the play, ‘Facts About Show’ sheet so
writer, actors etc. they know what they’re going
to get.
Choose the right play Offer tickets for Choose accessible ‘entry
the show even level’ shows even if this
regular won’t means you’ve only got a few
attend. spare ticket seats.
Choose the seats Sit them in the Give them the best available
gods. seats in the house.
Follow up promptly Let people’s initial Follow up with a letter and a
enthusiasm new offer.
wane.

Identify the best leads Try to retain Make offers that demand a
everyone - it commitment - e.g. ‘2 shows in
doesn’t work. 2 months for £6’ or a
reasonable financial outlay ‘£3
off next show’. These offers
will sort out the definites from
the maybes.
Give people a 2nd Assume failure to Make a 2nd offer to those who
chance take up first offer didn’t respond first time.
means no
interest.
Then cut your losses Give people a Spend your money on the
third chance plenty more fish in the sea that
have more potential.
Get feedback Assume you Ring a few up, send out some
know how people feedback forms, listen and
reacted. learn.
Make it viable Give them seats Set aside only the number of
you could have seats you know will be free.
sold - turning Just 10 seats at each
away current performance could be 1,500 a
attenders is the year.
opposite of
audience
development and
financial suicide.
Make it manageable Bite off more than Start small and grow if you
you can chew can. Test Drive is scaleable - it
with an over makes money with 10 or 1000.
ambitious
scheme.
Administrate it Let lists get out of Code respondents on the
properly hand. office box database and
manage the leads efficiently.

18 MARKETING PLANNING CHECKLIST
The steps to developing a marketing plan:

Market segment Market segment 2 Market segment 3

1
Name of Vocationals CVA interest Local people

segment gallery attenders
Description People working in Non-specialist People living within

the visual arts gallery attenders 3 miles of gallery
sector in UK and who like who may have
Europe contemporary art passing or on-
going interest
Quantification Estimate 5,000 of Estimate 25,000 in Estimate 30,000 of

whom we catchment area of whom we presently
presently reach whom we presently reach 5,000
1,500 reach estimate of
10,000
Needs and Straight forward Attractively Awareness and

wants factual presented information: feeling
information in information with welcome; child-
advance. Good background on friendly ambience
shop artists and their and facilities;
work and as much toilets and café;
endorsement as friendly customer
possible. Access care. Opps for
and facilities interaction
information.
Obstacle to Insufficient Lack of awareness Feeling that the

attendance advance warning and insufficient place is not for
enticement them and irrelevant
Objectives Attract at least Increase Develop 10%

another 500 penetration by 10% additional local
within next 2 within 2 years audiences within 2
years years
Strategy Market Market penetration Audience

penetration development
Product Continue with Continue with Continue with

programme programme programme
Price Free entrance Free entrance Free entrance

Market segment Market segment 2 Market segment 3

1
Place Introduce late

night opening on
Thursdays
People Train FOH staff in Train FOH staff in

customer care customer care
Process Introduce artists’ Increase amount of Introduce

talks on interpretation and childrens’ Saturday
Thursday nights train gallery staff in workshops; Art for
talking about the Terrified talks
exhibitions
Publicity Develop emailing Increase print-run Larger signs and

list and distribution. banners around
Re-design diary venue. Local
brochure. More leaflet drop.
information inside Posters in schools
and explanatory and local venues.
copy on front.

Planning Grid 1
Planning grid 2
Chart to tie communications and sales activity to objectives
Task Action Timing Budget Person

To raise Press conference Week 12 £200 Me
awareness Press release Week 12
Trailer leaflet Week 12 £1500
Distribution to bars/ clubs Week 11 £ 100
Posters around town Week 8
To encourage E- Mail trailer leaflet to Week 11 £200
advance sales following databases:….
Follow-up phone calls to Week 10 £150
following databases…..
To encourage Visit community associations Week 8 £100
positive word of
mouth
Planning grid 3 - Gantt Chart

Costed Action Plan
Task Week Week Week Week Week Week Week

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 etc
Brief designer
Write copy
Write press release
Design proofs
Print delivery
Follow-up press calls
Distribution

19 Measuring success
Control is a vital principle of Marketing Planning, from the setting of

initial objectives, through the planning and operation of a strategy and
individual campaigns, it can only be of long-term use and benefit if
the progress and activity is constantly monitored against the
objectives and time-scale. This is even more the case for outcome
focused organisations which are having to evaluate their success
against the outcomes they generate.
It does not matter so much if objectives are not achieved as long as

the reason for that under-achievement is understood and that
knowledge fed into future plans. Marketing management requires
monitoring procedures to be established and agreed before plans and
campaigns are implemented so that a controlling process is in place
at the start. This establishes a constant learning process which
informs future planning. Organisations gain from the accumulation of
intelligence, rather than received wisdom and gut instinct, on which to
base decision-making.
As well as monitoring the individual plan it is vital to evaluate the

success of the planning process – did it do what was intended. Was
everything covered?
19.1 Purpose of Monitoring & Evaluation
• Monitor performance
• Inform planning and decision making
• Evaluation in light of aims and objectives
• Evaluation of outcomes and impacts.
19.2 Mechanics
• Gather as much information internally / automatically as possible

• Include budget heading for market research
• Devise mechanisms for proper evaluation / feedback
• Determining Monitoring & Evaluation Needs
• What type of decisions are you regularly called on to make?
• What information do you need to make these decisions?
• What information do you have / get regularly now?
• What other information would you like to get that you are not now
getting?
• With what frequency do you need this information
• What specific topics would you like to be kept informed of?

• What do you think would be the three most helpful improvements
that could be made in the present information system?

Morris Hargreaves McIntyre is a creative and intelligent arts

management consultancy working in the interests of audience and
organisational development.
The company combines thorough project planning with incisive, deep

analysis, lateral thinking and detailed, intelligent strategic planning to
produce relevant, helpful and high quality reports with practical
recommendations.
Our services include:
• strategic analysis, planning and development

• product and service development
• feasibility studies
• market appraisals
• marketing audits, strategies and plans
• audience development strategies and implementation
• access strategies
• in-service training
• training needs analysis
• training programmes
• organisational development
• change management
Most of our projects are research-based.
We have a fully integrated market research service that undertakes:
• quantitative research
• qualitative research
• telephone marketing
• community consultation

1
Connor, Tom (2007) Marketing and corporate strategy – a response to ‘let marketers reclaim
corporate strategy’, Journal of Strategic Marketing, 15:4, 369-374
2 Kotler, P., Armstrong, A., Principles of Marketing, Prentice-Hall

3 Morris Hargreaves McIntyre, Ironbridge Branding Project, December 2001
4Morris Hargreaces McIntyre, Imperial War Museum Visitor Research, October 2003
5 Morris Hargreaves McIntyre, Ironbridge Branding Project, December 2001
6 The Research Practice, Results of Research into the Contemporary Visual Arts, Arts Council, May 1992
7 Dodd, J. and Sandell, R., ‘Not for the Likes of You’, MLA, 2001
8 Harris Research Centre, 1993 cited in Dodd J. and Sandell, R., Including Museums, op cite
9 Harris Research Centre, 1993, Mass Observation Study cited in Harland, J. and Kinder, K., Crossing The
Line: Extending young people’s access to cultural venues, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 1999
10 Desai, P. and Thomas, A., Cultural Diversity: Attitudes of Ethnic Minority Populations Towards Museums
and Galleries, Museums and Galleries Commission, January 1998
12 Robertson Bell Associates, The Views of Users and Potential Users, Nottingham City Museums and Art
Gallery
13 Robertson Bell Associates, The Views of Users and Potential Users, Nottingham City Museums and Art
Gallery
14 National Campaign for the Arts, 1999, quoted in Harland, J. and Kinder, K., Crossing the Line, op cite
15 PLB Consulting, New Audiences for the Heritage, Heritage Lottery Fund, April 2001
16 Moore, J., Poverty: Access and Participation in the Arts, Dublin: Combat Poverty Agency, 1997
17 Moore, J., Poverty: Access and Participation in the Arts, Dublin: Combat Poverty Agency, 1997
18 Trevelyan, V., ‘Dingy Places With Different Kinds of Bits’: An Attitudes Survey of London Museums
Amongst Non Visitors, London Museums Service, 1991

21 Harris Research Centre, 1993, Mass Observation Study cited in Harland, J. and Kinder, K., Crossing The
Line: Extending young people’s access to cultural venues, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 1999
23 Davies, S., By Popular Demand: A Strategic Analysis of the Market Potential for Museums and Galleries in
the UK, Museums and Galleries Commission, London, 1994
24 BMRB International, Cultural Diversity; Attitudes of ethnic minority populations towards museums and
galleries, MGC, 1998

26 ‘Representing Ethnic Minority Communities in Museums’ in Museum Practice, 8 vol. 3, number 2, 1998,
pp. 23-24
28 Morris Hargreaves McIntyre, Market Research Report for Manchester Art Gallery, 2001

34 MORI, Visitors to Museums and Galleries in the UK, Museums and Galleries Commission, May 1999
36 Fowle, K., quoted in Harland, J. and Kinder, K., Crossing the Line, op cite
37 Selwood, S. et al, An Inquiry into Young People and Arts Galleries, Art and Society, 1995
38 Selwood, S. et al, An Inquiry into Young People and Arts Galleries, Art and Society, 1995
39 Marketing in the Arts, Oxfordshire, 1998, cited in Harland, J. and Kinder, K., Crossing the Line, op cite
40 Harland, J. and Kinder, K., Crossing the Line, op cite

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Strategic Marketing and

Audience Development for

MORRIS HARGREAVES McINTYRE

Strategic Marketing and Audience Development for Cultural

© 2007 MORRIS HARGREAVES MCINTYRE

50 Copperas Street, Manchester, UK M4 1HS

MORRIS HARGREAVES McINTYRE 16/9/10 2

2 The Marketing Planning Process 13

3 Marketing and corporate strategy 6

7 Implications for Marketing Strategy 45

8 Developing the right product 56

14 References Error! Bookmark not defined.

MORRIS HARGREAVES McINTYRE 16/9/10 3

Marketing as a term stimulates much debate and a good deal of

The fact is that marketing has increased in importance as

It is the recognition of this dependence upon the market for the

Marketing is three things:

A management concept that provides a process of analysis,

A functional activity which offers a variety of tools from selling,

1.1 Definitions of Marketing

There are many definitions of marketing.

Marketing is a management process whereby the resources

MORRIS HARGREAVES McINTYRE 16/9/10 4

Marketing is the management process responsible for

Marketing is a social and managerial process by which

Marketing is the process of planning and executing the

At its simplest, marketing can be described as:

A management process whereby we meet the organisation’s

MORRIS HARGREAVES McINTYRE 16/9/10 5

2 Marketing and corporate strategy

2.1 Corporate strategy

Strategy is the direction and scope of an

Or, more simply:

Strategy is the determination of long-term

Strategic management is then:

2.2 Role of marketing in corporate strategy

While marketing might be an overall philosophy of the organisation, it

MORRIS HARGREAVES McINTYRE 16/9/10 6

Ultimately, marketing connects the organisation to its audience.

Marketing provides the sensitising antennae…

The purpose of marketing is to understand

2.3 The evolution of marketing in cultural organisations

While it does operate on three levels, marketing is often seen by

In understanding what marketing means as a management approach,

The diagram on the following page charts the evolution of marketing

Philip Kotler in his book 'Principles of Marketing' describes the

The Product Concept holds that customers will

MORRIS HARGREAVES McINTYRE 16/9/10 7

Most service industries and particularly the arts industries have

Marketing in this context is primarily about information and promotion;

The Selling Concept holds that

The assumptions here are that:

In this scenario increasing resources are devoted to marketing and

There is increasing awareness of the need for market knowledge –

The Marketing Focus

Having experimented with and achieved some limited successes with

customers’ needs remains limited. The next stage of development is

The assumptions here are that:

In this scenario marketing is about the medium rather than the

There is increasing emphasis on communicating efficiently with

More resources are devoted to marketing. Resources begin to be

The Product and Selling concepts focus on the needs of the

The Audience Focus