The Mission Paradox Blog

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Arts Marketing 101: Breaking Your Own Marketing Rule

If you're a long time reader of this blog or if you have my e-Book then you know that I'm not a huge fan of the "we are awesome" approach to arts marketing.

(Sidenote:  Get my darn e-Book people.  It's the best $12 you'll spend this week)

The "we are awesome" approach is where we use reviews, accolades, awards and the promise that the art will be an incredible, mind blowing, experience to market the work.

I don't like the approach because it's so widely used.  When so many theatres, painters, dance companies, etc. rely on that method it becomes difficult to get your individual voice heard through the symphony of the same.

So that's my own rule, try to avoid bragging about the quality of your work.

Now let me tell you why I broke it.

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First, a bit of background.  When I'm not doing the whole Paradox thing, I'm the Director of Marketing and Communications for a fairly large, established theatre in Chicago.

The theatre has been in the midst of a pretty impressive run of shows.  The last six productions in a row (dating back to June 2009) have received very strong reviews from a variety of critics and had stong ticket sales.  Obviously this is a credit to the artistic team and I have been in the biz long enough to know that such a strong run is a rare and it needed to be leveraged in some way.

So give the circumstances I figured that we could go with a "we are awesome" marketing campaign that people may actually believe.  If the theatre had just done 1 or 2 good shows in a row I wouldn't have tried it because . . . let's be honest . . . a lot of people can do A strong show, or have ONE strong art exhibition.  That isn't nearly as impressive as some would have you believe.

But the big thing I want you to remember here is that this marketing strategy was a response to a situation. 

When it comes to effective marketing it is CRUCIAL that you understand your own situation. 

Marketing becomes extremely difficult when people either don't understand what they are actually selling, or they are pitching it to the wrong audience.

In marketing, awareness is key.

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Alright so we have the idea.  The key was trying to figure out the execution.  How could we deliver the "We are awesome" marketing message, which is still a very common message, in a way that would make it stand out? 

I decided that the best way to do it would be by going way over the top.  We weren't going to imply that the work was good, we were going to scream it and hit people over the head with a visual sledgehammer.

That's why we created this print piece for possible new subscribers, take a look:  Download Theatre Brochure 

It was a piece designed to be folded so the third panel you see is the front cover.  The stuff on the second page is the inside of the brochure.

You can see it wasn't very subtle.  The front cover has 14 quotes from critics, we slapped so many stars on it that it looks like a small universe.  I figured it was the best way to keep the message across.

The piece isn't perfect, for example, I'm not in love with the order form (it's too complex) and I'm working on fixing it but I do think it's an decent example of turning an idea into something tangible.

Any questions or feedback leave it in the comments.  Otherwise I'll see you Monday.

 

 

Another Paradox

Courtesy of the Standford Social Innovation Review, I give ya The Nonprofit Paradox.  See if it describes where you work.

And a bonus link from Derek Sivers on value and art

Pressure Point: Part 2

I'll tell you my own pressure story.

I started Mission Paradox right after quitting my job as an arts administrator.  I had no Plan B.  I was either going to make Mission Paradox work or I was going to lose my home, my car and eventually be back in my mother's basement.

So there was a bit of pressure.

During the first six months of the whole thing the hardest part was resisting doing dumb things because of that pressure.

Dumb things like making promises to clients that I knew I couldn't keep because they had a check for me.

Dumb things like chasing clients I really didn't want to work with because they could pay me.

Now you have to understand that doing the actual work of my consulting practice wasn't the hard part.  When it was time to do the workshop, give the speech, or sit down with a client I handled those moments pretty well.

The hard part was managing all the times I wasn't doing the work . . . the moments in between projects and opportunities.  That is when I would feel the pressure the most.  That's when the desire to do dumb things was at the peak.

In hindsight, I entered the world way too focused on my skills.  I thought if I had the skills necessary to help people then everything else would work itself out.

But making a living outside of the grid of a typical 9-5 is about a lot more then skill.  It's equal parts skills, strategy, luck . . . and your ability to handle pressure.

 

Pressure Point

Pressure.  It is sort of a taboo subject.

Professional sports is one of very few areas where it is ok to say that a player missed the shot or dropped the pass because the moment was too much to handle.

But pressure is a huge factor in the arts as well.

It's one of the reasons that I advise people to use caution before they try to make a full time living through art.

There is a huge difference between the group of friends putting up a play for fun/beer money and the group putting up a play and trying to make enough money to pay rent or buy groceries.

They are entirely different things.  And the difference is pressure.

The reality is that you can be a talented artist that simply can't handle the pressure that comes with trying to pay bills through art.

That isn't a character flaw.  It doesn't make you a bad person.  It just makes you human.

Before you even consider trying to make art a career you have to consider how you handle pressure.  If you work with a team, you need to consider how all of them handle pressure.  This is a moment for extreme honesty.  You can't let your ego get in the way of the analysis.  You've got to look at your own history and your character and REALLY think about it.

Because if you can't handle pressure, this isn't a land that you should depend on for paying bills.

 

Budget Re-do

One of the best things to make sure your values align with your budget is to do a bit of post show/event evaluation.

Here's what I mean:  Take a copy of a budget for a recent show and pretend you are building it from scratch.  Given what you know now, what would you have done differently?

Would have spent more in one area?  Less in another?

Would you have spent money on an entirely different area that you didn't even consider before?  Did money spent on some area go to waste?

All too often we move on to the next thing/show/event a little bit too quickly.  Pull out some old budgets, take a step back and see if what you have done before makes sense with your long term goals.

 

 

 

Budget Values

Your budget - what you do (and don't) spend money on - is a reflection of what you value.

If you value writers pay for their work and some infrastructure to support them, even at the expense of other things.

If you value dancers, then try to pay them even if other production elements have to suffer.

Everything doesn't have to be funded equally.  You can spend more (or less) on certain things than your colleagues.

It's all about showing the world what you believe.

The department of clear thinking

Who has the job of cutting through the clutter?  Who has the responsibility for helping people know the difference between what's urgent (which gets a lot of attention) and what's important (which is often ignored)?

We all need people who can help us overcome our resistance/fear and see the world as clear as possible.

They can be formal mentors, your Board of Directors, an advisory board, or just friends who have a good sense of perspective.

In this environment the ability to stay calm, think clearly and be brave is so damn valuable.  Seek out people who can help you and your team get to that place.

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Alright, quick side note.

I try to plan out my speaking/workshop/consulting plan in six month blocks.  Over the last six months I did workshops at places like here and here, helped groups like this one come up with a marketing plan and wrote that e-Book I keep shamelessly promoting.  BUY IT!

So the next six month block of time is upon me which means that I am officially looking for:

1.  Arts service organizations that would like me to do a speech or workshop

2.  Arts organizations that could use some short term but damn effective help

3.  Individual artists who want more long term (but also damn effective) help.  This sort of coaching can be done remotely so I can help you wherever you are.

You can learn about the services here, grab a few testimonials here and if you are ready to talk email me at mission.paradox@Yahoo.com

 

 

 

 

The Biz v. The Art

At the Culture Future Blog, there was a response to a post I did last week.  In that post I offered a quote from Anthony Bourdain.  Here again is the quote and the response from Culture Future.  The response is in bold

If there's a new and lasting credo from the Big Shakeout (the economic crisis) it's this: People will continue to pay for quality. They will be less and less inclined, however, to pay for bullshit.

- Anthony Bourdain: "Medium Raw"

"Really? It seems to me that Mr. Bourdain is placing faith in the rational consumer, that beast whose existence is getting increasingly disproved in this decade. Will people continue to pay for quality? Or does it put more pressure on them to favor the McDonald's dollar menu over cooking at home?

It's true that people will be less and less inclined to pay for what they consider to be bullshit, but is what they think bullshit actually bullshit? My fear is that to the average American, the arts are bullshit. It appears that for state governments, for instance, the arts are bullshit."

 

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Couple of things.

 

First, I'm not sure who exactly an average American is, but I'll use the term anyway.  Also, pointing out what the average American does or doesn't do ignores the fact that millions of people attend live theatre, museums, concerts, etc. each and every year.

 

I know we wish that number was higher.  I know many of us also wish those people came to see/buy our stuff more instead of that crap the other guy makes.  But we shouldn't let the fact that we are an complex industry, with complex challenges mask the fact that people do come to see what we do.

 

We should also consider that the level of participation in the arts is still pretty decent.  People paint, sculpt, produce and edit their own films, form community choirs, produce their own plays, etc.  I'm certainly not the first one to note that technology has liberated the tools necessary to create and distribute art.

 

So I think art in general is in good shape.  There is a lot of really fantastic stuff out there.  Yes, there is also a lot of bad stuff but that's unavoidable.

 

But the "business" of art . . . well that is not so great.  Getting a film made is easier than ever.  Creating a film that is distinct enough to attract a sizeable audience without the backing of "Big Hollywood", well that is hard.

 

Starting a theatre, easy.  Finding competent to good actors, scripts, etc, that can be done.  Bringing in enough revenue so that people can make theatre a living . . . much harder.

 

So often we equate "I can't make a living doing my art" to "the arts are in crisis".  One thing can be true without the other being true.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easy to do

It's easy (and fun) to rip every idea to shreds.

It takes zero skill to question the motives of every arts funder, declare the death of an art form, or bash a stylistic choice.

Anybody can sing the virtues of their small (but ultimately powerless) artistic clique and snicker at everyone else.

That's 101 level stuff.  Easy to do.  Easy to spread. 

But it takes real courage to try and make ideas work in the real and messy world.  It takes heart to face the difficultly and possible ridicule that comes from trying to make something happen on any significant scale.

When you are thinking about who you want on your team avoid those who do the easy stuff, the bashers and cynics.  Place a value on that small (but vital) group of people who take the risk, fail but ultimately get stuff done.

 

 

The link

I love a good waiter.  I always get a kick out of interaction with one that is great at his/her job.

A strong waiter understands that they are the link between the chef and the guest.  Take, for example, the moment where a waiter explains the food they just placed on the table.

Why do they do that?  You've got eyes.  You can see what you are being served right?

But that's the thing, you can't really see the whole thing.  A really well prepared meal has layers so complex that they could shoot right past you.  So a good waiter describes the food in the hopes of improving your experience.

When I'm marketing art I also try to put myself in the role of that waiter.  I'm always trying to figure out what tools could be used to help people enjoy and appreciate their experience.

It's irresponsible and maybe a little mean to just sort of throw art at people without doing what you can to make the experience better.

And no, just doing the art isn't enough.  If just making the dish was enough then we wouldn't need waiters and quality customer service right?

How would things change if you decided to use every tool in your toolbox to enhance and improve the experience of the people currently engaging in your art?