Log Book & Collection

Arts Marketing

Log Book & Materials Collection

Teresa J. Arnold

Log Book Entry 1Entry: Define and describe your cultural product. List and describe the unique challenges of marketing your cultural product.

We keep hearing that DIY is the new wave of job creation for our generation, we see culture now as participatory rather than as a group of observers being fed information, and we see more and more products and information be-ing made available online. Though I think this will be a tricky subject to tackle initially, understanding how people move from putting content on the web to becoming leaders in providing information to large audiences that follow your content will help me understand how the DIY culture functions - what makes it work?

Description: * blog about places, restaurants, vendors, landmarks, products relative to traveling * my particular concept - travel blog of a couple that includes * some of their own story * tips for couples traveling * deals * couple activities * getting along while travelingChallenges of Marketing a travel blog: * How many thousands of blogs already exist? How can this one be special enough to get a following? * Targeting audiences online - how do you redirect the web navigation of someone to lead them to your blog? May need better understanding of peoples behaviour patterns when surfing the web.

Log Book Entry 2

Entry 2More brainstorming on how to go about the marketing plan led me to decide upon Etsy.com, rather than on a travel (or related type of) blog. I am interested in electronic mediums, because I am under the impression that they can be extremely useful in business for both profits and non-profits if used correctly. Etsy is an interesting example of a model that supports handmade crafts by allowing crafters to set up their own shops online and share them with the world. How easy it will be to find the actual demographic spread of their audience may be a challenge however.

Because Etsy deals with all sorts of crafts, from kitch to elegant to bohemian to musical, identifying it’s audience is a bit ambiguous. However, on a broader level, the target audience consists of anyone that believes in purchasing handmade items over mass produced ones. The site has strong initial appeal towards femininity - many of the prod-ucts sold will have much more appeal to women than men. However, items like hand carved and engineered bass guitars are multi-gendered, and perhaps lean towards a male audience. Many of the items are categorized for the household, like decorative chairs, pictures, shelves, tables, etc. While renters may have just as much interest in these items (myself being a good example), serious decorative nesting can lend itself towards homeowners and home decorators.

Competition for the audience includes boutiques that sell their wares both online and off, and large chains that sell mass produced yet attractive items for the person and home. Craft fairs and local outdoor markets with craft vendors may also pose a potential threat in grabbing the attention of the Etsy shopper. However, the sheer variety of items on Etsy allows it to be more of a one stop shop for all things uniquely crafted (it has the potential for a much greater marketing mix than the local craft fair). Additionally, the electronic medium makes it happily accessible to younger crafters, such as the Portland Oregon types with more bohemian type wares. Both crafters and consumers can en-gage in the Etsy world, which differs largely from the large stores that sell factory produced items. For anyone willing to spend a little more to support artisans they appreciate instead of corporations, Etsy has a lot to offer.

Log Book Entry 3

Entry 3:

Consumers of Etsy products may face risks such as:

* their unique product arriving and being the quality they had hoped for * not being able to return the product * something about the item varies from their expectation * cost may be more than they are willing to pay * there is too much variety to choose from

Strategies for reducing risk, or managing it, may include

* a well organized platform for locating items * Etsy policies could include a suggested return policy to their vendors * Value of handmade items, related education, may help consumer to feel good about spending a little more than they may otherwise

Log Book Entry 4Entry 4:

Organizational and product stakeholders, outline of prioritized target markets that you will address in your plan:

Focusing on Maude Kerns - Art and the Vineyard (as opposed to Etsy, since I’ll be able to use work on Maude Kerns to assist in marketing assessment for Event Management)

Stakeholders include event goers, event vendors, and the Maude Kerns Art Center as well as its Board of Directors. Guest artists and local wineries are also vested in the successful outcome of the event. Target markets include the Eugene Community, Holiday travelers, wine lovers, arts enthusi-asts, arts consumers, wine consumers, gallery owners, and families.

Sponsorship opportunities may include wine magazine producers in the region, or regional radio stations that could provide in kind donations that would reach the targeted audience. Knowing the demographics of who listens to what radio stations and radio shows at what time would be one way to go about choosing radio stations to approach. High end local arts institutions may also be able to benefit from being a sponsor of this type of event.

Log Book Entry 5

Logbook: Please note and comment on the marketing research presentations, listing and describing new information and marketing strategies that interest you.

There was quite a wide variety of topics in this weeks research presentations. From marketing to specific groups (Patricia on marketing to Latinos) to new emerging tools (Alyssa on marketing with Twitter), the breadth of information that falls under the marketing category umbrella was evident. Prior to taking this class, I considered marketing to be somewhat second nature - just make your product appeal to people who might want it. The presentations revealed the detail within every sub-topic of marketing. For example, Sara discussed social marketing that seeks to influence behaviours while Gretchen’s topic explored how April fools marketing can take advantage of deceiving people to create a memorable impression. Several people chose to research Guerilla marketing, which to me seems impossible in our already overly laden, image rich environments. Ultimately, the range in nature of the marketing topics that all serve to influence consumer led me to think that marketing professionals should double as psychology majors in their college educations.

Log Book Entry 6

Logbook Entry: List considerations for pricing your product. Consider promotional activity and discounts. When, where, and how will these be implemented? List or describe possible in-kind and partnering organizations that will assist with resource development.

Having Switched gears and now focusing on the Maude Kerns Art and the Vineyard event, I have the privilege of drawing on some not very detailed inside knowledge. Knowing that the event has approximately 20,000 visitors annually, with an interest in making $20,000 more in revenue, it seems clear that the event need only raise their entry price by $1/ticket. An alternative to this may be leaving ticket prices the same but raising them for the Fourth of July, since this particular day of the event offers great musical performances and fireworks on site. These are immediately imple-mentable. Some other ideas might include developing a tiered pricing structure, where a more expensive ticket includes wine tastings, and an even more expensive ticket includes wine tasting and a discounted membership to Maude Kerns. This would double as a way to connect the event directly back to increasing the number of Maude Kerns members and visitors. I do think keeping the price low is important, as the timing of the event can serve as a barrier itself - there is generally a slew of activities, both formal and informal, surrounding this holiday.

Log Book Entry 7

Logbook Entry: Describe audience development programs that would integrate into your plan in-cluding permission marketing and customer escalation methods.

Opportunities abound for Maude Kerns to use the Art and the Vineyard event as an access point for engagement with Maude Kerns itself. There is also an opportunity to escalate visitors to the level of event sponsors. Selling advance tickets to the event online could be combined with an option to become a sponsor, with a variety of sponsorship levels available and benefits of each level listed. People will naturally visit the event website for details about vendors and entertainment, miss-ing out on potential sponsorships being created in this medium seems like a missed opportunity. I personally don’t seek out ways to give money, but rather consider giving to organizations whom I know provide programming that I enjoy or serve a cause I believe in, and that I am somehow al-ready engaged with.

Log Book Entry 8

Logbook Entry: How will you use marketing and the strategies explored in this course with your career as an artist or arts administrator?

Indirectly, a big take away from this course is that multiple brains are better at producing ideas than just one - so having a group of creative thinkers that can help keep the think tank of marketing ideas full is a general take away. More specifically, understanding the depth to which knowing your market can help generate the revenue you need and the growth you desire in audience numbers. Throughout the course, Iv’e been aware of the tension between cultivating new audiences (which often means younger audiences that will remain loyal) and keeping the members you’ve got. While it’s intriguing to lure people with low fares and discounts, Raychel’s discussion about creating value is an important factor to remember in generating the audience you want - the one that will give in bigger ways over time. This needs to be reconciled with the ethics of art being accessible to all people, but could potentially be addressed through a variety of programming choices.

News-printMarketing Materials Collection

I rarely read a newspaper - why pay for the sub-scription when everything I could want to find out is online? That’s not say I don’t enjoy the tangibility of newspaper, the history embedded in each one...This particular article, about Art in Chicago being more unique thatn the trendy stuff presented on the coast (does not sound like thorough investigative reporting) reminds me of the video we watched in class. In it, what is not trendy, by labeling itself so, subverses itself into becoming exactly what it critiqued. I haven’t been to Chicago, so I can’t comment on it’s art scene. But I can say I’ve seen some pretty great and unique stuff on both coasts.

When it comes to newsprint, marketing is all in the title. If you lose your reader there, the article has no purpose. I would skim this article. I’m not overly thrilled with the image and content of it - seems to per-petuate that old school image that is becoming less relevant (in my opinion) - the image of wealthy white folk displaying intelligence through an ability to recognize aesthetics and the money to own items that capture their definition of aesthetic. Maybe this does a good job of speaking to the people that in fact do, still, read the newspaper.

Love the picture! Tell me more about that! Oh, wait, is this article more about the millionaire and his collec-tion than it is about that great image somebody really creative made? Ugh. Well, maybe this guy is really cool, he has interesting taste in art, and maybe I want to go see that collection....I wasn’t planning to trek into the cave that last millionaire put his art in!

Though the title here focuses on the fact that a million-aire has made his collection available, the included image draws attention to the actual collection content.

Magazine Ads

Seems to me this one pretty much speaks for itself. Surprising image, interest-ing use of it to insert a business card, with a clever theme. It really takes to heart the idea of going big or going home - way to use the full spread!

A clever primary image draws the viewer in, and as they discover that this woman is vomiting from her ear, they must investigate further to find out why! Why would someone be so revulsed, why has the illustrator done this? Looking further we see there is some rowdy music playing going on. The style of the ad, the clothing and the apart-ment, the content - all speak to a sort of “adultes-cent” target group. I would pull this spread out of a magazine and use if for a collage.

A slew of tattoo ideas! I like this image, it’s attractive, the tattoos are great, the red shoes are shiny. At this day in age I, for one, don’t really consider tattoos to be altogether too deviant. I suppose they are a metaphor for the other ele-ments of a lifestyle someone with a body covered in tattoos may engage with. Clearly this ad demonstrates sexuality as part of that lifestyle.

Handbills

Lovely Image, simple and effective even without the word “peace” or “music”. I would definitely want to go to this, I’m under the impression from the handbill that this event promises a friendly and social atmosphere. I can also clearly see the what, when, and where of the event.

I don’t know much about the details here, the lan-guage barrier can be problematic! However, if I knew who these people were, chances are I’d have an interest in seeing them do whatever they do, which I’m guessing is something to do with music based on the musical notes. The varied expressions on each of their faces leaves me wondering if the event will make me sleepy, happy, angry, or dissatis-fied with life.

An interesting combination of type and image, the or-ganically driven nature of this event is illustrated well in the hand holding, dancing, and sometimes nude figures. Such distinct image is a clear way to reach your target audience - it also filters out those who are not intrigued by “hippie dippie” type occasions, which can help or hinder the marketing, depending on specific goals related to audience development.

mailers

Extra points for the non-traditional size! The bright colors and word “zoom” are playful and fun, definitely appealing to a hip crowd. I believe this mailer is an ad for a graphics company, and I’m not so sure it succeeds in overall appeal. It’s bright color use and youth-ful, vibrant design apply more to younger adults than any other group, though I enjoy the amount of energy the piece has, regardless.

What a great way to combine the suggestion of seeing the sights with an art theme and helpful guide. The figure is made of a collage, the background doubles as an indica-tion of a map of streets and a wall like structure (say the exterior of some great art venues or a brick facade). Super successful in it’s mes-sage, I’d say.

Singles dating club? A really nice invite from a secret admirer? A group luncheon ad from an organization I’m involved with? NO! A promotion to get me to order my meals to come to me on wheels. I’ll put that one on the burner for my more convalescent days.

brochures

Nice use of a standard brochure layout. It’s not too heavy on the text, the colors are engaging. The piece is targeted to students. Since too much text can turn a viewer away pretty quick, I appreciate the cover providing just major title and detail info, with a schedule and bios of guests inside.

Never before has pink been so digni-fied. Good thing this car appears in black, too - don’t want to stop the men from purchasing the vehicle. This bro-chure is clever in that it unfolds to an overall image rather than 3 panels of information. I’d say that would have a stronger impression initially than the standard format. I don’t think I’ve actu-ally ever seen this car on the road, but I like this piece.

A whole brocure for essentially one particular, specific product. Not sure how this worked out for the artist who makes the product, since yard chimes are not an essential item. Though it’s good to know that if I did purchase one, it would in-trigue my cat.

Newslette

rs

Online media offers such a range of possibilities in appealing to our audiences. This online newsletter looks similar to one you’d see offline, and very well may be the same as the print version - that’s handy! Making newlsetters available online is a great way to save paper and reach audiences like me that recycle paper items sooner than reading them.

The thing about newsletters is that if you aren’t a part of the orga-nization, there’s not much draw for reading them - so how do you engage non-members with your news? I’m not sure, but pre-senting it powerfully, like there’s some question being answered or observed that you should know more about, might be a tactic. I’m drawn in by the giant title, the word “monumental” and the fol-lowing question - “Is anybody out there?”

Perhaps one of the great things about providing your newsletter online is that it’s free, and free regardless of how many colors you use. This one sings of Autumn and harvest and farmers markets. It’s easy to iden-tify whether or not I want to read this simply by the organization title placed prominently at the top - “Slow Food UK”. I’m either interested in this or I’m not, and the only other option is that I don’t know what it means.

Radio Announcem

ents

:20 radio station scriptsScript #1: Did you know that cigarettes are the number one cause of home fire deaths in the U.S.? It’s better tosmoke outside or at least use deep ashtrays. If you smoke, Put It Out. All the Way. Every Time. This message isbrought to you by the United States Fire Administration, your local fire department, and this radio station.

Radio as a marketing platform has a variety of functions, the one represented in this transcript is a PSA. The tran-script came from a page of like-themed PSA’s, all with the phrase “Put it out. All the way. Every time.” Repetition of a phrase seems to be an important aspect of driving a point home through this audio medium.

3 to 1 rule

SFX (sound of a gas pump clicking higher and higher)

Sam Elliott-type announcer

Hear this? It’s the sound of gas that’s over three bucks a gallon!

SFX (sound of road construction, trucks beeping as they back-up, etc.)

Sam Elliott-type announcer

Hear that? That’s major construction taking three lanes down to one!It’s time to follow the three-to-one rule with rideshare. When gas is over three bucks a gallon and road work re-duces lanes to one, go to rideshare dot wi dot gov and find some carpool buddies. Rideshare saves you money, reduces traffic, and helps make work zones safer.

This transcript is another PSA from a set of like-themed srcipts that would appeal to a variety of people. This one is unique in that it addresses drivers - and naturally one place where radio is most likely to be listened to is in the car. A clear con-nection between the marketing of the message and the medium is present in this example.

Radio Transcript: A half million women in Pennsylvania suffer from Osteoporosis. One in five people with hip fractures end up in a Nursing Home. Osteoporosis is a serious disease that causes bones to become brittle and break. Osteoporosis shat-ters women’s lives. Change it! Help yourself with three serv-ings of dairy everyday. Call the Pennsylvania Commission for Women at 888-615-7477 to find out more. In partnership with Pennsylvania’s Dairy Farmers.

Another PSA style radio announcement, delivered in a sort of urgent - you could be at risk manner. I’d rather hear this type of advertisment than the type that are integrated into the narrative of the radio show host - those are a quick way to lose my respect and interest in a program.

PSAs

These are a few fun ads that promote art as a nutritional compo-nent of a balanced lifestyle. “Raisin Brahms” and “Van Goghurt” promise to make your children smarter - these must have been made after some major research culminated about the arts im-pact on children’s learning ability. Maybe the more graphic way to say the same thing would involve depicting troubled angry youth being destructive, versus troubled angry youth making some angry music - everyone needs an outlet for expression, and music making is a collaborative process! Anyway, these exam-ples shown here get the job done clearly and quickly.

A spoof on the arts, meant to depict how lost the characters would be without them. I bit sarcastic and not my cup of tea, but gets to the point I was mentioning in the previous post on the nutritional art.

Using recognized characters as a way to send a message is a quick and easy way to engage an audience you’ve already got for the pur-pose of sharing some important messages (or selling something). There is something ironic, though, about Pee Wee Herman telling kids not to do crack.

TV Commercials

Not if you’re Hindu. But I guess the rest of the market is covered in this ad.

Another clever superbowl ad - beer flavored Doritos, a funny message presented to a huge chip eating crowd. Doritos has got this advertising thing down!

McDonald’s isn’t the only thing more western about Japan these days - this ad uses an attractive young woman to sensually indicate the desirability of low grade beef, with no beef present. She is presented as a take on the popular Ronald McDonald icon.

Posters

Lots of exciting things happen in the intersec-tions of conversations, as demonstrated by the colors red, blue, and yellow in the word cloud ven diagram in this poster. Not sure I understand why the event is called Coffee “Mornings” but occurs at 5pm, but I am sure that question is what those quotation marks are addressing. I also haven’t captured what crowd I’m going to have to engage with if I attend one of these coffee “mornings”...

This seems like it’s aimed at an insider, someone who knows about this place, understands what it means to be “moo-ged out”. Quite a fun illustration, like an individual spaghetti factory churning out amplified good times.

I’m loving the flying artichoke, and despite only two words being presented in English, they are the two words I need in order to know what this is all about: an art show! If I can figure out the date, I’m there!

Web/electronic

I dicovered this blog in my bookmarks, though I don’t re-call ever putting it there. It’s a quirky little blog, aimed at fantastical and nostalgic things with a vintage feel, appro-priate for the Portlander, or those who hinder on intersec-tins of life and whimsy, reality and romance.

Anyone who lived in CT while the Hartford Whalers were there has an unexplicable loyalty to the memory of those times, as evidenced by this facebook page for a team that no longer exists. (I think they moved to another state, and were no longer the “Hartford” Whalers). Apparently the name Whaler is offensive, because a less professional team has been reintroduced to CT - the CT Whales. Just doesn’t have the same ring to it. At any rate, social media allows for the members and supporters of various organizations to interact with one another, and provides a community based expereince that generates an on-going related experience, beyond memories or single events.

An ad agency website, that hasn’t been updated in awhile but demonstrates the never-death aspect of web material. I thought the site was pretty fun to play with for awhile, but seems to serve no purpose. If it were a funcitoning website, I would suggest this type of model for a salon (try on different hairstyles and colors) or as a fun component to something else - like Conan O’Brien’s “If they mated” bits.

Signs

The previous ad does a great job of using it’s setting, bright colors, and an innovative com-bination of canvases to make a striking visual you can’t miss. This one has a landmark quality to it - if it were in Rhode Island and you stopped for diretions, your advisee would surely say “At the Circus Liquor Clown, con-tinue for one block...”. It’s easy to see and the outlandish sign sets it apart in terms of memo-rability, but let’s face it - that clown is a little freaky looking.

A sign to counter the purpose of signs, the message behind which quietly rests in knowing all those other signs want something of you. All this one wants is for you to know you have everything you need without having all that other stuff those other signs demand you identify as necessary. The context of the setting adds to the cre-ativity of this one, there is no road, just land, sky, and sea.

Billboards

A clever take on the way we use refrigerator exteriors - clever is key in making an impact.

Love the idea here - a car so small it comes in a box! An-other example of the way context can be used to really make a point - in this case the cardboard box with the ribbon torn off, among a pile of other garbage - easy to walk by, but memorable if you notice it. I do wonder if the mini could actu-ally fit in the box, or if they are just making a point.

One way art can be made accessible to everyone, and why not! Also, a great way to let people know a great show is in town, might just require a follow-up bill board with some info.

Banners

Oh dear. What is going on here? Young asian women, wearing protective face masks, with glittery pink all around them. I don’t know what this ad is for, and something makes me think I don’t want to know. However, the contrast in the content (the face masks versus the girliness of everything else) is effective at making a visual impact.

I’m drawn to this banner because it let’s the art be the focus, and simply lists where it can be seen. The image is large enough to see clearly from afar if needed.

This banner is playful and intriguing, though I’m not exactly sure what the Chicago Art Project is all about based on this. I would be willing to find out, however!