Part II: When Dubious Arts Leaders Nix Innovation
This is the second in a five-part series about working with arts leaders who stonewall marketing innovation. For a full introduction, click here to read Part I. Does your boss have a way of supporting...
View ArticleA Few Things Art Museum Virgins Should Know
If you’re a young person who’s thinking about visiting an art museum, here are a few things you should know that are not likely to be evident when you walk through the doors: The minute you step...
View ArticlePart III: When Dubious Arts Leaders Nix Innovation
This is the third in a five-part series about working with arts leaders who stonewall marketing innovation. For a full introduction, click here for Part I and here for Part II. If you don’t want to...
View ArticleContent or Data? Which Is More Important?
Here’s a little thought experiment: Imagine an arts organization that has accumulated reams of valuable market intelligence, used that intelligence to develop powerfully persuasive, audience-oriented...
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When Narcissists Look Out At Empty Seats
I just read about troubles at the Washington Ballet. Seems they’ve got a lot of empty seats. Followers of this blog know that when I read about troubled arts organizations I go straight to their...
View ArticleTwo Days To Respond To Ticket Requests?
In my last post I took issue with the troubled Washington Ballet for their narcissistic marketing content. Today I’d like to point out another sign of nonprofit foolishness in DC. On the Washington...
View ArticleWant Good Copy? Say It, Then Write It
I set out to find some truly dreadful arts marketing copy for this post, so I picked a respected LORT theatre at random, went to their website and clicked on a show. BINGO! Struck gold on the first...
View Article130 Selfies at Chicago Symphony Orchestra
I just read Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 2019/20 Season Catalog. The publication contains nearly 130 images and not a single one shows customers enjoying their time together at an event. Research...
View ArticleI’ve Been Wrong This Whole Time
This blog is about eight years old. If I were to sum up its contents in one statement, it would be this: With audiences in steady decline, traditional arts organizations need to stop broadcasting how...
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It’s True – Machines Write Better Copy Than You Do
Here’s some great news from the banking industry that offers fresh hope for ailing arts organizations. According to this article, the folks at a marketing firm called Persado have developed artificial...
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A Brilliant Example For Selfish Arts Marketers
If you’ve been thinking about making your arts marketing more about your customers and less about how wonderful and important you are, the video at the link below is a great example of how to do it. If...
View ArticleThe #1 Reason People Attend Arts Events
The NEA just released its latest survey of public participation in the arts. When Americans were asked why they attended at least one artistic, creative, or cultural activity during the last 12 months,...
View ArticleInteresting Downtime Reading for Arts Pros
This great commentary from WBUR in Boston came to my attention through Artsjournal.com. I recommend reading it. It describes exactly how marketing works in just a few short sentences – useful stuff for...
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Does L.A. Need Another Elite Arts Complex?
I’ve been following the LA Times’ classical music critic, Mark Swed, as he champions the development of an elite cultural complex designed by architect Frank Gehry and located next to Disney Hall, the...
View ArticleIs It Time To Professionalize Arts Marketing?
I read this great post by UK arts pro Michelle Wright at Arts Professional today. Wright makes a clear, well articulated argument for professionalizing fundraising. As you read it, feel free to...
View Article“A Museum Conceived at the Cocktail Hour”
Washington Post architecture critic Phillip Kennicott, in his review of the new “Planet Word” museum, recently said this: “Planet Word, which feels a bit like a museum conceived at the cocktail hour,...
View ArticleIs Your Arts Organization Humble Enough To Survive?
Doug Borwick published a great series of posts recently about connecting with communities. I think they’re essential reading for elite arts leaders who hope to recover from the pandemic. Doug says...
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Covid Could Accelerate Downward Audience Trends By Ten Years
Michael Vincent writes at Ludwig Van Toronto about a scary new trend in classical music: Orchestras that have seen incremental audience declines in recent years may be headed for a frightening fast...
View ArticleThree Survival Tools for Post-Pandemic Arts Leaders
Climbing out of the hole this pandemic has dug will not be easy. Arts organizations are likely to see sharp drops in audience participation, which will be compounded by a slow build toward a new...
View ArticleIs it a Brochure or a Text Book?
In a recent blog post on her Culture for Hire website, Ruth Hartt reminds us that it’s not a good idea to be overly didactic in arts marketing content. It’s useful advice for organizations that need...
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