The Mission Paradox Blog

The "AM" Factor

Right now at the day job, we have a potential hit on our hands.

Hit shows are a ton of fun and as the marketing director, I have people within the organization coming up to me asking the all important question . . .

"How did this happen?"

I also chuckle when I hear that question because I know the real question is

"How can we make this happen ALL THE TIME?"

Whenever I answer the question I talk about a few things:

1.  The marketing strategy - Long story short, we created promotional materials early and started selling early

2.  The marketing message - We simplified what could be a very complex show into a few key messages we wanted patrons to have

And then I also conclude by saying, and then there's the magic factor.  I call it art magic (or AM) for short

I've never been a part of a hit artistic performance that wasn't based on some measure of magic/luck, whatever.

In fact I almost see it as an equation:

Quality of art + marketing strategy + AM = Success of the Performance

So the better the art and the stronger your marketing, the less magic you need.

But you always need it.

Ready for The Good?

Many of us in the arts world have a ton of plans for when things don't go well.

We let actors and dancers know they might not get paid . . . just in case tickets don't sell.

We rant about how pop culture is killing the arts . . . so we won't be disappointed when people don't come to our arts exhibition.

But I have a question for you.

What if things go well?

What if things go REALLY well?

Are you ready for that?

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In poker there is a term called "flopping the nuts".  

What it basically means is that based on the first three cards (the flop) that the dealer gives out, you now have an unbeatable hand.

As you can imagine, this happens doesn't happen often.

When a poker player gets "the nuts" he or she has one simple goal, get as much money out the hand as possible.

So if a poker player whens $1,000 in a hand, when he could have won $2,000 if he played the hand a little different, then that player has made a mistake even though he won money.

In fact, one of the things that separates bad players from good players is that good players know how to maximize their successes

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As it is on the poker felt, so it is in the arts.

We all know that hit shows, hit art exhibitions, etc. come along rarely. 

When they do come, are you prepared to maximize that success?

Do you have a plan to move your dance recital to a larger venue if sales are going well?

Have you prepared your actors that the show you are doing could extend?

Have you thought about extra promotion you could do around a "hot" show?

Have you given any thought at all to the idea that something really good may happen?

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Many artists and arts org I know have become some accustomed to a perceived lack of success that the idea that they may actually do well is almost impossible for them to ponder.

This is a tragedy.

Every time you plan an artistic event, have at least a vague idea of what you will do if things go well.  You may not need that plan often, but when your moment comes you'll be glad you were prepared.

An Open Letter to the OtherShore Dance Company

Dear Brandi and Sonja,

I just saw in today's New York Times that you started a dance troupe called OtherShore.  Let me join the ranks of many by offering my congratulations.  I make my living in the theatre world, but I have always been a bit of dance groupie, so I'm excited to see a new one being created.

I know you are less then a month from your debut so things are pretty busy but I hope you wouldn't mind a bit of unsolicited advice as you begin your journey.

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1.  Remember the beginning - Take that NY Times article on you and frame it.  Every once in a while, go back to it as a reminder of why you started this thing in the first place. 

2.  Plan for the end - If you haven't already, it's time to start thinking about what you want OtherShore to be 10 years down the line.  I know that seems like a crazy idea when you haven't even done your first show but trust me on this one, the decisions you make in the next 24 months are vital.

Here are a few things you can ponder

-  Do you even want OtherShore to be around in 10 years?  There's no shame in making that answer "no"

-  Do you guys still want to be affiliated with OtherShore years down the line?  If so, in what capacity?

Again, I know these questions may be the last things on your minds right now.  You are performers and I can imagine that you want to devote most of your energy on that.

But here's the thing . . . what if you two are starting something big?  What if you are (maybe unintentionally) creating the next legendary dance company?  Then answer those questions become crucial.

3.  Define your competitive advantage - Don't roll your eyes.  I'm serious.  What separates you from the other dance troupes in NYC?  I know you said you will be doing interesting work, but everyone says that.  What else ya got?

May I be so bold as to suggest a possible competitive advantage I saw from reading the article?  I noticed you said that in the dance world you guys would be considered "old".  We all know how ridiculous that notion is, but I understand how it goes.

Perhaps that is part of your competitive advantage, that you specialize in doing performances featuring dancers in the age range (say early thirties to mid fifties) that many other troupes would disregard.

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For all I know, you may have already thought of all of this and a ton of other things.  But just in case you didn't, I thought would be good to bring it up.

One more thing, with that article in the Times people are going to be watching you.  Your success will not only improve your lives, it will encourage other people not to be afraid to start their own artistic organizations.

So for all those reasons, I wish you the best.

Adam

 

The Great Myth: If Only They Could See Me

If only they could see my art.

Have you ever thought that?

If only they could see my work people would come see more of it, people would donate money to support it . . . if only they could see it.

Has that thought ever crossed your mind?

One of the hardest grasp for many artists and arts org is that in order to be successful long term they are going to need the support of people who may have never, nor will ever, actually see their work in person.

They may need the support of someone who hasn't seen their work in years.

The more arts orgs or artists reside in the town you live in, the more true those statements are.

Need a few examples?

I'm thinking of one organization that got a local elected official to get some state money to rehab a building they planned on doing art exhibits in.  The official had never seen the work before they got the money, she had only heard of them.

I have seen major foundations make funding decisions on organizations based on just the quality of the grant application, a few press clippings and a comment from someone who last saw a performance their seven years ago.

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The reason I talk so much about the importance of effective marketing is because marketing is what gives your work a public face.  Sometimes that public face is all people will ever see.  It has to be strong enough to make a positive impression, even if the person seeing it never engages in your art.

Once again, I'm misunderstood

A few people took my post yesterdayto mean that people who run arts organizations need to "kiss ass" and "brown nose" (their words) in order to get ahead.

I'll ignore the spin on my words and state my point a slightly different way . . .

There are a lot of reasons an organization may have challenges.  One of the biggest is that too many of them are insular.  They are their own little kingdoms.

That may work for a while, but eventually you tap your little kingdom's resources and you need to go outside the gates to survive.

And if the first time you go outside the gates, you start asking for money, people are going to tell you no.

Because they don't know you.

Making Friends

I'm thinking about two arts organizations.  Both of them recently had a financial crisis and needed a significant amount of money fairly quickly.

Organization A got the money.

Organization B didn't and had to close down.

What was the difference?

One big one was that Organization A had spent years making themselves a part of the town they performed in.

You also saw them at workshops learning more about the business of art. 

If someone needed some advice about something, they could always call Org. A

They spent years meeting and talking with potential donors, even when they knew it wouldn't result in any money.

Long story short, Org. A made friends.

What did Org B do?

They just produced art.  They spent most of their time talking to their small group of friends/peers about their work.

Org. B never reached out beyond their small world.

So when the sh*t hit the fan, Org. A had a whole network of people they could reach out to and ask for help.

Org. B just had themselves.

Which orgnization are you?

The Flip Side To Good Public Relations

Read my other posts on public relations here and here

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Take a look at this.  It is an article about an upcoming production the day job is doing.

And it is an example of what good PR can do for you.

Now let's be clear.  I didn't get this article placed.  We have a fantastic PR team that handles it.

So when I read that I thought two things:

1.  Great job for PR and that is good news for that particular show.

2.  That article is also bad news for the show that comes after it because it probably will not get good press.

It's an unavoidable fact of public relations life that the press is always reluctant to give any arts organization too much good coverage.  There may be a few exceptions to that, but generally that is how it goes.

So if a dance company produces 8 performances in a season, maybe three will get a decent amount of press

And if a musem does 20 exhibitions a year, maybe 5 will get good press

The lesson here is that a smart artist or arts org DECIDES IN ADVANCE what shows they want/need to get covered by the press and then works to get those shows noticed.

Yeah, you may decide you want/need every show to get covered . . . but remember that isn't likely so it is better to pick and choose.

The pick and choose process can be as simple as writing down all the performances you plan on doing in a year and deciding, "our press efforts will be directed toward Show A and C".

Trust me, deciding in advance can save you a ton of time because nothing is worse then trying to get the press to pick up on a story that has zero chance of being covered.

The Power of Small Words

Decades ago, a shampoo marketer doubled the sales of shampoo by adding a single world to the bottle.

Before the instructions on the bottle said:  Lather, rinse.

After the marketer got to it the bottle said:  Lather, rinse, REPEAT.

Sometimes a few small words can make all the difference.

Here's another example, this time in the arts

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Like any good marketer, I send out emails to our list, promoting upcoming shows.

When we would design the emails, I would list the dates and times of upcoming shows.

So the email would say something like:

UPCOMING SHOWS

Sept 11 - 7:30pm

Sept 12 - 8:00pm

Sept 13 - 8:00pm

Simple right?

Now let's remember that the purpose of the email is to get people to call and buy tickets.  That's the action we want them to take after reading the email. 

I was thinking about ways to do that.  Then I remembered the power of a few small words.

My next email I sent out looked like this

UPCOMING SHOWS

Sept 11 - 7:30pm   LIMITED AVAILABILITY

Sept 12 - 8:00pm  ALMOST SOLD OUT!

Just adding a few words to create a sense of urgency around the email led to a significant increase in sales.

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Sometimes effective marketing is about big changes.

Sometimes it is about small changes.

And one of the quickest changes you can make to your marketing is changing the way you talk about a particular artistic event/product.

So here's something you can do today.  Find one piece of copy that you use.  Maybe it's a blurb you use on your website to discuss an upcoming arts exhibition.  Maybe it's a tag line you use in a print ad.

Then change the copy.  If it was formal, make it informal.  If it was designed to be funny, make it serious.

Don't worry, you can always change it back if it isn't working for you.

But you may be surprised at the impact a few words can have.