tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33812369.post5837187901730122246..comments2024-03-26T00:47:18.382-05:00Comments on Arts Marketing: The Future of the Season BrochureChad M. Baumanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11006981818882000169noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33812369.post-38587341948199444362009-11-30T00:16:01.913-05:002009-11-30T00:16:01.913-05:00Chad, your thinking here is on track. I would lik...Chad, your thinking here is on track. I would like to reiterate a previous comment about how additional mini-brochures create additional expenses in design and small print runs. In addition, what I've found at the SFS is large and diverse amounts of product creates difficulties in pigeonholing a patron into just one segment. Often, a patron falls into multiple segments but putting them into more than one segment defeats the purpose of the exercise.<br /><br />Probably the "perfect" brochure will be created dynamically online for each individual patron based on buying and donation history. Until that time, direct mail it is!Joseph Burchhttp://sfsymphony.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33812369.post-20757392209708329952009-10-09T12:25:28.530-05:002009-10-09T12:25:28.530-05:00Great post Chad - I enjoyed hearing about this at ...Great post Chad - I enjoyed hearing about this at your presentation this week. This is what I like to call "mental gum."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33812369.post-48558469489876265422009-06-30T13:25:49.221-05:002009-06-30T13:25:49.221-05:00We too have been reducing the amount of printed ma...We too have been reducing the amount of printed mail pieces, but in favor of more e-marketing. As a symphony orchestra our demographics are not as diverse as some other arts orgs, but we have seen such a growth in our website visits and usage, that we have increased our e-marketing usage and our tracking system has shown a marked increase in turn. <br />We still do one big season brochure, but have reduced the number that we print and mail. We have been able to get rid of many of our smaller printed pieces that weren't garnering the response necessary to justify the expense.Barbara Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33812369.post-74386091928308167242009-06-26T16:24:58.033-05:002009-06-26T16:24:58.033-05:00We are doing this at the Alabama Shakespeare Festi...We are doing this at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. We began reducing the size and narrowing the focus of the season brochure last season, and save about $30K on printing. This year we will all but eliminate a season brochure and create a simpler piece focused on selling memberships (our new subscription). We will follow up wit targeted, specific direct mail and email campaigns. We don't have the luxury of segmentation data, etc, but we believe this is a more purposeful and responsible use of our marketing budget. Nice to hear that we are not alone.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14730296578675805178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33812369.post-1221237499697680972009-06-26T12:45:27.975-05:002009-06-26T12:45:27.975-05:00We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! We’re...We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! We’re so pleased to see the field considering and using what we’re calling 21st Century segmentation models. And Chad is spot on—data tells the story. At TRG we work with more than 400 clients in any given year, and our deep-dive into many of these organizations indicates that targeted messaging and specific offers make a difference in response. Especially in this economy. But it’s easy to detach ourselves and think only about brochures, offers, and response rates. Aren’t we really talking about how we engage our patrons in a way that makes sense to them? Aren’t we talking about developing loyalty? We think so at TRG, and we’re pleased to be working with Chad and Arena Stage to do just that. Good conversation, all. Keep up the dialogue!Jill Robinsonhttp://www.trgarts.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33812369.post-49000027710696827232009-06-26T11:18:57.066-05:002009-06-26T11:18:57.066-05:00I bet that we are all Millennials or on the cusp o...I bet that we are all Millennials or on the cusp of Gen X, because saying things like "don't peg me into a segment" is so us. <br /><br />However, my overall general philosophy when it comes to direct marketing is that the data will tell us. If our targeted pieces out perform our general brochure, then we will know that in this case segmentation works (as I have found it has in many previous campaigns). I think we have to remember that a majority of our patrons are most likely baby boomers, and have a different set of values and beliefs than we do.<br /><br />To Clay's point, being a good friend of Rick Lester and a TRG client myself, I am aware of the good work that is on-going in audience segmentation models. <br /><br />Thanks for the excellent points guys. And Clay--looking forward to seeing you in August when I come out to San Francisco to teach the National Arts Marketing Project Boot Camp!Chad M. Baumanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11006981818882000169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33812369.post-51048024229945366922009-06-26T08:05:50.298-05:002009-06-26T08:05:50.298-05:00I think the bloggy sphere and journalism in genera...I think the bloggy sphere and journalism in general has a tendency to promote generalities that are not useful - especially about marketing demographics and techniques. The techniques will vary widely form place to place and theatre to theatre.<br /><br />I also think that our sector is trading away salesmanship for consumer-pleasing. What creates a segment? It's a stretch to convince me that it's self-defining. Segmentation is a two-way street - I was no more born a specific segment than I was born knowing how to play the banjo.<br /><br />We're complicit in segmentation. Maybe segmentation isn't the best thing. Maybe we should start nurturing and promoting the commonalities in our diverse audiences instead of exploiting the differences to move more tickets.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14628283231255459657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33812369.post-8719891981047820182009-06-25T20:36:23.502-05:002009-06-25T20:36:23.502-05:00Chad, as I'm sure you know, there's a lot ...Chad, as I'm sure you know, there's a lot of new work being done by folks like Alan Brown and TRG to develop comprehensive audience segmentation models that go way beyond race, geography, or surface likes and dislikes (although that, in itself, is a big step). I'm looking forward to the moment when we start seeing some form of brochure that targets more deeply than basic demographics. Now, how to pay for it...Clay Lordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05368046512133086509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33812369.post-74518849645249643802009-06-22T14:55:47.630-05:002009-06-22T14:55:47.630-05:00This is an excellent set of observations. I would ...This is an excellent set of observations. I would only note that the author assumes that: 1. the data available to the theater is adequate to support the multiple market segments, and that 2. the market segments described are individually large enough to warrant the additional costs associated with smaller runs, additional design fees, and copy creation. The article will definitely have an impact on my thinking. Nice job.Neil Thackaberryhttp://actorssummit.orgnoreply@blogger.com