Over at his blog, Chad Bauman did an excellent post on how Marketing Directors kill new work. He's talking about the theatre world, but I think his observations could apply to any art form.
Here an excerpt:
"Marketing directors are like anyone else; we are creatures of habit. If we have been in the job for awhile, we start to develop systems for marketing products. We know how to market musicals, new plays, African-American work, political satire, etc. But what happens when the Artistic Director brings us something that we can't pigeon hole?"
"Well, I guess that depends on the person sitting in the marketing director's chair. Some of us get excited as it presents an opportunity to learn and grow, and a chance to build our audience base. Others might be daunted, and instead of facing the challenge, they retreat to the comfort of the known."
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Marketing Directors, for better or worse, are more important to the process then ever.
Why?
Well this Crain's Chicago article helps to explain a lot. It talks about how theatres are more and more reliant on ticket sales. It's becoming more and more difficult for arts organization to fundraise effectively and many of them feel like they have to rely on ticket sales to pick up the slack.
Again, the article focuses on Chicago theatre, but it could apply to any art form in any town.
So if you put Chad's post and the Crain's article together you get a pretty clear picture of the arts world right now.
Arts organizations are becoming more reliant on selling tickets, which puts increased power, pressure and responsibility in the hands of marketing directors.
I think there are four vital lessons to take away from all this.
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Lesson 1 - For marketing directors
It's crucial that we define the relationship we are going to have with our organization. At my day job I feel like it's my responsibility to say "Yes" to whatever choice the AD makes. I'm never going to tell him that I can't find an audience for a play.
But that doesn't make me a rubber stamp. Another part of my responsibility is to make accurate financial projections about what the work will bring in.
I'll never say I can't market a show but I'll ALSO never inflate (or deflate) what the work will bring in via ticket sales.
So that's my particular relationship with my arts organization. I don't question the choices. I set accurate financial projections and then I work like hell to beat those projections.
A different marketing director may choose a different path . . . that's fine. What matters is that you know and can explain what that relationship is.
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Lesson 2 - For organization leaders
It's also important that organizational leaders create environments that empower marketing directors. A commenter on Chad's blog explains the situtation some people find themselves in:
At the end of the day, the number-one metric by which these Marketing Directors are measured is dollars earned, and they're rewarded or punished based on whether they make their budgeted goals. And at the companies I know, these same Marketing Directors are woefully under-resourced, both in terms of marketing dollars and the staff needed to do some of the innovative audience development work necessary to properly build an audience for a new work.
Too many marketing folks are given high expectations on one hand and very little money, staff, autonomy or real power on the other. I'm fortunate enough not to be in that situation, but a lot of other people are and the organization suffers because of it.
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Lesson 3: For emerging arts organizations with inexperienced/new marketing staff
Every couple of days I hear from a person who was essentially thrown in the marketing role out of necessity.
Maybe it's an artist who is currently performing with the organization but now has to take over marketing as well.
Maybe it's a former intern who is now handling marketing because there is no one else around to do it.
You get the idea.
It is vital that an organization give these people the training and skills they need to be successful at their jobs.
I can't stress this enough . . . . MARKETING IS NOT EASY. It is incredibly unfair that we take these new or inexperienced people, throw them into the choppy waters that are arts marketing and expect them to swim on their own.
There are a lot of ways to give them the help they need. Of course I would remiss if I didn't mention that I coach a lot of marketing directors. I'm working with two of them as we speak.
But there are other choices. You can buy them some books on marketing. You can enroll them in a few marketing classes at a community college.
Either way you (the organization) MUST invest in making these people successful.
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Lesson 4 - For everybody
Reliance on ticket sales/earned revenue is not necessarily a good thing
A healthy arts organization, particularly a nonprofit one, has to be able to get revenue from ticket sales and donations. It's REALLY difficult to be overly reliant on ticket sales AND make strong artistic choices.
It's not impossible. I've seen it done. But it's tough.
I know we are going through a hard time for fundraising and every Development Director in the country has my sympathy. I wouldn't trade jobs with them.
But long term, a healthy arts organization needs both audience and donors to make it.
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