A Call for Audience-First Messaging in the Arts

Recognize AN Industry-Wide Shift

Data shows the need to put audiences first.

We’re all being led down separate paths to the same shift in strategy: arts marketers need to move from a product-first to an audience-first approach. Ruth Hartt is confirming this through Culture for Hire and the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra’s email experiments. Jim DeGood is studying it through his observations across the sector via Cultural Catalysts consulting work. I’ve been studying the connection between the vast data sets that Google Trends provides about what people are actually searching for—and connecting the dots to how inherently the arts answer so many of those calls. Start here or dive into the full series at the bottom of the page.

Culture builds connection. Show it.

Look more broadly and you’ll find IMPACTS Experience data honing in on why people actually purchase tickets — and you’ll notice that the vast majority of reasons listed have nothing to do with what’s on stage. They focus, instead, on interpersonal connection. You’ll hear from experts like Michael J. Bobbitt and Aly Maier Lokuta about the importance of arts in health and wellness, and how that connection needs to be formed more clearly at a business level from every angle: the medical industry, government programs surrounding health and wellness, and from arts organizations themselves in how we position our work as a public service. (And this list keeps growing.)

Very rarely in my career have I seen so many different hypotheses point to the same conclusion—especially one that presents such a vast opportunity for growth.

This feels soft. But it’s a call. And if we don’t respond to it, I fear that the “wellness” space and the “connection” void will continue living predominantly in the hands of products like supplements and hand sanitizer. So many brands currently use “connection” as a selling trait, with far less to back that claim up than the arts have.

How You Can Meet Audience Needs

You can read. You can write. You can explore exactly what it looks like to shift our creative strategy and positioning to meet what our audiences need, and not only focus on what our institutions want.

Start with one campaign. One message that speaks to why your audience needs this experience (not what the experience is).

As always, I’m not suggesting we stop sharing show titles, behind-the-scenes looks at our exhibits, or exciting casting news. Those play a key role in marketing — but over the years they’ve become the primary use of our ad dollars, and are most appealing to those already in the know. The work is in exploring what a new blend of messaging looks like at each organization. It won’t be one-size-fits-all in practice, but this shift is one that could reap incremental benefits across our entire industry, if we all take one step in that direction at the same time.

Dive Deeper

Here’s a list of audience-first arts marketing conversations to read, listen and follow along with as this concept continues to unfold throughout our industry. 

• The Audience in Our Heads vs. the People in the Seats — Jim DeGood
• Not All Innovation Sparks Growth — Ruth Hartt
• The Primary Purpose of Visit — Colleen Dilenschneider / IMPACTS Experience
• The Art of Relevance — Nina Simon
• AVP of Arts and Well-Being at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center — Aly Maier Lokuta
• Executive Director of Mass Cultural Council — Michael J. Bobbitt
• This Year’s Search Trends Are a Love Letter to the Arts — Aly Gomez

What Google Can Teach Us About Creative Strategy

Google search trends reveal what people are looking for in their daily lives, and it’s a goldmine of inspiration for your content. I stay on top of these trend reports so you don’t have to, translating them to actionable content ideas and messaging frameworks that will resonate with your unique audiences. Bookmark this page so you always have the latest posts at your fingertips.

Explore the trend reports below.