Asking the Right Questions: Using Research to Build Your Arts Audience “Psychographics and the Customer Experience” Arts Engagement Exchange Learning Circle Series Session 1 27 October 2009
May 12, 2015
Asking the Right Questions:Using Research to Build Your Arts Audience
“Psychographics and the Customer Experience”Arts Engagement Exchange Learning Circle Series
Session 127 October 2009
Our Agenda
• Intro to “Asking the Right Questions” Series– Session 1: Issues I need to research – Session 2: Who I want to see more– Session 3: Wrapping up my plan
• Role of Research: Link Issues with Opportunity • Our Responsibility as Market Researchers• Applying in “real time” to my Organization
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“Asking the Right Questions”
• Our Learning Objective– What you asked us to teach– What we will NOT be covering
• How did we use the initial interest survey?– We built a Psychographic profile of this class
• What did we discover during the Audit?– Our #1 Challenge for the LC and possible solutions
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Who is attending today?
Our Organization Lifestages Organizations Types
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Link Research to Your Business Plan• It’s the first step in our Marketing planning cycle
– Focus on understanding the best, most practical business solutions– We call this “defining the research problem”
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Our Responsibility as Experts
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Rapid Cognition
• An art historian who correctly intuits that a sculpture is a fake despite the same sculpture having been authenticated after months of study by museum experts.
• A Behavioral expert who watches 15 minutes of videotaped conversation between couples and predicts with 90% accuracy who will stay together and who will be divorced 5 years later.
Snap judgments that get right at the truth of the question with no evidence
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“Insight is not
a light bulb that goes off
inside our heads.
It is a flickering candle that can easily be
snuffed out.”
Malcom Gladwell
Audience Research is Intuitive
Why Do We Use It?• Understand the other players in our arts and entertainment landscape
Complete category overview, levels of success and potential cross-over between and among audiences
• Get to know our audienceWho they are, preferences, frustrations, and attendance patterns
How Does It Help Me?•ID opportunities and solve problems• Improve organization management•Influence decisions on budgets, fundraising and promotion•Prioritize spending and seek funding•Identify potential new audiences• Predict future audience behavior
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Audience Research Types
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Research Should Focus on a Target
1. Pick a Target with Potential• Identifiable• Accessible• Sizeable• Stable• Unique Needs
• Identifiable• Accessible• Sizeable• Stable• Unique Needs
2. Group them into Segments• Segmentation Variables
(examples)– Descriptive
• Demographics• Geography
– Behavioral• Psychographics• Benefit Expectations
• What would you add?
• Segmentation Variables (examples)– Descriptive
• Demographics• Geography
– Behavioral• Psychographics• Benefit Expectations
• What would you add?
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John Steinbeck (U.S. Novelist)from How We Lead Matters: Reflections on a Life of Leadership by Marilyn Carlson Nelson.
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“Tourists are very valuable to the modern world.
It’s very difficult to hate people that you know.”
“Tourists are very valuable to the modern world.
It’s very difficult to hate people that you know.”
Pop Quiz: My favorite arts event…
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Why Psychographics? Philippe Ravanas, Professor, Columbia College Chicago held a learning circle in the Spring 2009 for AEE members.
Summaries of the participant findings reflect a powerful view at a new way to segment different Arts audiences based upon the needs pyramid developed by Abraham Maslow .
What Is Transformative in the arts?1.Ability to see the work in a new, meaningful way 2.Expand capacity for empathy for the other: heightened perception of your oneness3.A deeper recognition of yourself and your passion & capabilities4.An opening up & awareness of your own “emotional well”5.An appreciation for the purity & power of beauty
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Marketing Evolution:More Segments of Tribes
• Mark Rovner, a heretic galvanizing the mavericks of the nonprofit world to challenge the status quo.
• Tasmin Little, a noted violinist leading a worldwide quest to introduce classical music to children.
• Micah Sifry, a writer and editor who organizes and provokes political activists from both sides.
• Susan Sobbott, an American Express executive who spends her day (and her dollars) finding, leading, and connecting small-business owners.
A Tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea.
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“Marketing changed everything.
Marketing created leverage.
Most of all, Marketing freed and energized
The Tribe.
If the Tribe does not like the King, they are now
free to leave.”Seth Godin
You want to reach this audience? Yes.Understanding how they are influenced will change your current plans.
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Is Your Marketing Plan Ready?
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Your Research Plan: Factors that Matter MostIf you are attempting to define a new path to new audience members, then these need clear planning definitions.
How Do I get Started?1.Identifying the top marketing challenges is job #1.2.Then, translating those challenges into research questions to qualify and quantify solutions is next. 3.This will require focus and alignment.
A Jump Start on 2010We took a look at your plans and are ready to offer a few suggestion that will set your team up for success.
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MARKETING PLAN MISSING LINKS Our pre-workshop audit results
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Frame Your 2010 Foundation
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Does My Marketing Plan Include?
What Is Going On?• Vision Statement & Goals• Assessment of Current Conditions
– Macro – economy, governmental, social– Market / Category Analysis– Consumer Analysis – Internal Situation – company mission and
vision statement, corporate, financial, long term objectives, resources, financial, etc
• What’s Working vs What’s not Working for us?
• Competitive Analysis• SWOT or Summary
What I Am Doing About It?• Brand Experience Objectives• Marketing Strategies• Marketing Tactic Mix
– Product – Placement– Price – Promotion
• Shifts in Implementation
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Translating Marketing Issues into Research Questions
Easy as 1.2.3. Type of Research Options
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Your Turn. Give it a Try.
Part 1• What are Your Marketing
Challenges today?– My organization– My competition
• Use your current plan to define the #1 issue for 2010– Pick ONE issue only
• This is the MOST important question for impact on 2010
Part 2• Translate those challenges
into research questions for my best target in 2010.– Create ONE question per
organization. • This is the MOST important
question for impact on 2010
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RESEARCH PLAN CONSIDERATIONSOur pre-workshop audit results
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Your Research Plans Are Evolving
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A Fork in the Road
The Right Question Defines… A Unique Target
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Qualitative: “Why”
Topline Target Considerations
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Quantitative: “Who” and “What”
Topline Target Considerations
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A Survey Deep Dive?
• This is a high area of interest for many of you
• We will cover this in greater detail with in-class workshop on 11/3
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Make copies ofSurvey
25
Your Turn. Give it a Try.
Part 1• What is your #1 challenge
as a research questions for my best target in 2010.– Pick ONE question per
organization. • This is the MOST important
question for impact on 2010
Part 2• What types of research
should I do today to get that answer?– Need to do now– Nice to Have Later– Hurdles to Overcome– Possible solutions
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APPLYING TODAY’S KEY LEARNING TO THIS CLASS
Our pre-workshop audit results
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How would you describe your organization's lifestage?
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Infancy Teenager Newlyweds Parents The GoldenYears
Frequency
Lifestage vs. Ask Audience Opinion
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
100%
Infancy Teenager Newlyweds Parents The GoldenYears
Frequency Rarely
Occasionally
Regularly
Frequently
Ask Audience Opinion vs. Information Used
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
100%
Frequ
ently
Regular
ly
Occ
asion
ally
Rarely
Frequency Advocacy/Activism
Personal Satisfaction
Purchase behavior
Demographic
*select all that apply
If You Remember One Thing…
• Many types of people make up an audience• Understanding how to segment that audience
and research “who, “what” and “why” can make organizations profitable and happy
• It just takes practice.• And, practice leads to confidence.
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Homework? Yes.Discover1. My psychographics approach to audience segments that I plan to use to focus my
2010 Marketing Plan priorities2. #1 business challenge for my #1 target – what is the solution worth in revenue?3. The best research methods to define the solution options for my target?
Debate• Set time to connect with your team to review your POV prior to class• Prepare this SINGLE slide overview in ppt to outline your organization’s plan
Deliver• Send that ppt to Kelley and Brenda by noon on Monday, November 2 via email in
preparation for your share out during class
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Stay Connected to Your Learning CircleSee you at our next session on 11/3 in this same room from 9am-noon.
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