smArts & Culture | your arts marketing edge

Your Cultural Clipping Service

maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:00:26 PST

Stuff I liked, stuff you might have missed.

Kudos to the NEA for streaming its roundtable discussion of its 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. Sunil Iyengar presented highlights of the survey, similar to the highlights published a while ago. If you read the highlights, you already know that the news isn't good, especially for classical music and jazz. (Something weird that jumped out at me during the presentation: arts education has been declining, and yet 18-to-24-year-olds are very much engaged in creating. Hmm. Have not finished reading the report.) There’s a note on the NEA’s blog that says the video of the discussion will be posted next week in the research section of the site. In the meantime you can download the PDF here. Search #NEAcast on the twitters to see what folks like @createquity, @artfulmanager, and @TCG had to say.

Breaking news from Greg Sandow: The League of American Orchestras, in response to the NEA's study, commissioned their own with McKinsey, which apparently supports the NEA's findings -- that the classical music audience is getting smaller and growing older more quickly than the U.S. population as a whole. So the League is now admitting what many people including Greg, of course, but not so many in the mainstream, have been saying for some time: We've got to let go of the myth that, as people get older, they magically transform into classical music lovers who, in turn, start patronizing their local orchestras. That the classical music audience has "always been old." Now maybe we can start moving forward.

Interesting piece in the Financial Times on the decline of MySpace after acquisition by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Back in 2005, MySpace was adding 70,000 users a day, according to the article by Matthew Garrahan. By 2008, MySpace was missing target ad revenue, letting staff go, and closing offices around the world. Salon’s Andrew Leonard sums it up well: “MySpace always had a cheesy feel. Facebook offered a better user experience, and for the fundamentally fickle Internet masses, that's all it took.”

Just wanted to share with you the work of Matt Neff. I let one of his sugar chandelier prints go at the Print Center auction last weekend when the bidding went over my imaginary budget. I never have buyer’s remorse, only cheapskate’s regret. I console myself with the thought that someone bought it and that’s good for the Print Center. (Art and other goodies are still for sale online at the minimum bid price, if you’re interested.)

Something I’ve wanted to look into for some time, since I have audio and such to download: if you use Google Analytics to pore over your web traffic, you can use this how-to to track downloads as if they were page views. Yes!

Have I told you about the Makeup Museum? It’s all about cosmetics design -- cosmetics as design object, in the context of contemporary design – she often compares motifs from a fashion designer’s collection to its corresponding makeup line – and in the context of design history. Love.

If you sound different, will they come?

maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:18:22 PST

You know how you expect a certain tone of voice? A letter from your bank will never sound like an email from your best friend, for instance. At least I hope not.

Well, I really admire Fabeku’s voice.

I met him through hanging out online with Havi and a bunch of other marvelous people. Fabeku does sound healing. It’s not likely that I would be attracted to sound healing. I may do Dance of Shiva, but I’m not too far along on the hippie woo-woo continuum.

But I am someone who’s attracted to his writing voice.

Why?

It’s unexpected. Would you expect this post from someone who specializes in helping work out your problems with drumming?

Joey Ramone is my Life Coach

That’s right. He heals with sound and he’s inspired by the Ramones. Also, the Sex Pistols.

He has a free download called Sound Shifts Stuff, whose accompanying graphics depict B-movie ninjas. In fact, he’s been known to use the term ‘ninjarific.’

The point is, if Fabeku doesn’t sound like the stereotypical new-age guy – humorless, calm, and a little superior. He sounds just the opposite.

In other words, instead of talking to the hoards of people who are predisposed to look for help of this kind, he’s talking to a particular group of them. A group for which cartoon ninjas, punk rock, and chocolate resonate.

His tagline is ‘Less stuck. Less struggle. More awesome.’

He explains his process by comparing it to baking a cake, with frequent loving asides to butter.

It filters out the people who don’t get him, who wouldn’t be a good fit.

If Fabeku didn’t let his personality shine through in everything he did, he wouldn’t be a good fit for me. I have no particular interest in sound or healing or sound healing. And yet I look forward to reading his blog – it’s a treat. If I were moved to hire someone to make things better with mysterious rhythmic music, it would be Fabeku, no question.

Is this something you could do -- experiment with not sounding like all the other dance companies or theaters or galleries in town? Even a little?

I know it’s scary to think you might alienate some of your audience. It’s scary for me, too. But if all the ways you talk to people – your web site, your email, your postcards – whatever – if they all were undeniably You, how would people feel about hearing from you?

Your Cultural Clipping Service

maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:18:21 PST

Stuff I liked, stuff you might have missed.

Behold.

Putting names to things. Anne Midgette defends the use of labels in talking about music, even if they may be inaccurate or inadequate. (What do you think, Ed?) Personally I would have been very happy if, when working for the awesome Chamber Music Now a few years ago, I had use of a label that helped convey what it was all about. Alt-classical? Contemporary classical? New music? (And by the way, who else but CMN would title a concert program “I did not have sex with that woman”? (via @gsandow)

Take a look at the amusing first chapter of Museum Legs by Amy Whitaker (scroll down to download the free PDF). Recognize your local museum's after-hours scene? Kind of wish you didn’t? I just ordered the trade paperback. (Not sure why the PDF is a pre-order but I didn’t want to wait.) (Thanks @susan_marie! You’re right. This is so up-my-alley.)

UPDATE: Just wanted to say that -- holy crap! I just ordered the book on Friday and it arrived today, Monday, from Tuscon, with no special shipping. Thank you, Hol Art Books.

Rebecca Krause-Hardie has painstakingly compiled a list of arts organizations on Facebook – how they rank in terms of fans. Congratulations, MoMA. She asks “what’s better – more fans or deeper connections with fewer fans?” and notes that the Louvre has managed to get the love of 58,071 without posting a single update! So, what does that actually mean?

I am not much of a fan of David Byrne, but this project is kind of amazing. Byrne has turned an empty building in the UK. Favorite parts: he purposely makes all the mechanics of sound-making visible in the space, and his assertion that no one can play it better than anyone else – no one can be a virtuoso on this instrument. (via @fabeku)

If you’re in the Philadelphia region this weekend and you love prints and photos, you might drop by The Print Center annual auction, cheekily titled “Between the Sheets.” $25 in advance, and $35 at the door gets you access to a superb silent auction and the pleasure of rubbing elbows with some fabulous party people. $100 for Champagne preview with some kind of chocolate magic from artist Virgil Marti and Naked Chocolate. If you’re not around Philly but you still love prints and photos, you can bid online. Last time I took home a spirit photography piece that I looooove, by Matt Pruden.

Facebook, framing, and self doubt

maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:18:58 PST

So, I’ve been working on a Facebook thing.

And by “working,” I mean procrastinating letting you know about it.

Reason being, I’m not sure if you want it.

Sure, I think it would be helpful for you. Facebook has just hit 350 million users. Research shows that more and more people are using their social networks -- in the U.S. this means Facebook -- as a one-stop-shop for sharing links, video, and photos, and being in touch with their circle.

But just because I think a Facebook thing – okay, a class – would be good for you, doesn’t mean that you agree.

It’s kind of like when we all fall into that trap of, everybody could benefit from listening to classical music, or everybody could benefit from regular museum visits. Doesn’t mean they think so.

Oftentimes it’s how you frame it. Presenting art as ‘good for you’ automatically turns off a lot of people. Rock climbing is fun and challenging. Stair master is a chore. Both are undeniably good for you.

A couple of weeks ago, I sent out a VIP article on the changes Facebook has made to their news feed. It got forwarded a lot. I got offers to reprint it (which I couldn’t accept because I promise VIPs that their stuff is exclusive.).

So maybe you want a Facebook thing? I’m still not sure.

Being more You

maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:52:53 PST

Is there a way to be more You?

Huh? What do I mean by that?

I mean getting closer to the essence of what your organization’s about. And when I say You, I mean You, the Organization.

Watering down what you are, hoping to appeal to a broader audience rarely works. I know it feels like you need to get more people involved. And your mission statement probably says something about reaching a wide audience.

I'm sorry. You are not Dancing with the Stars.

The people who love you don’t want a watered-down You. It’s better to have smaller numbers (without being exclusionary) and a bigger sense of commitment.

This has been on my mind lately. That’s because I’m having a shift in how I think of smArts & Culture and how I think of writing for you. What we talk about when we talk about marketing.

Back to being more You.

What does that mean? How can you be more You than you already are?

You could start by embracing your niche-i-ness, for one. Most arts organizations are fairly niche when you think of them in the context of anything else people might decide to do.

Are you doing an audience talk-back because it’s really You, or because every other theater in town does it? Is there a way to do it that’s more You?

Is bringing challenging music to your neighborhood your reason for being? Programming sure-fire hits out of fear of losing numbers can push away those people who would be loyal audience members otherwise. Is it worth sacrificing them?

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My heart kind of soared when I heard about the Étant donnés show (now closed) at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Étant donnés was created by Duchamp specifically for the museum in secret! No matter what you think of Duchamp, you’ve gotta love that. The show features preparatory sketches, photos, collages, and other objects related to the piece.

That the show is so Philadelphia Museum of Art to me. It’s Duchamp, and our museum has lots of Duchamp. The much-loved late director Anne d’Harnoncourt, who is so indentified with the museum, was a Duchamp scholar and instrumental in the installation of Étant donnés and building the Duchamp collection.

The show didn’t feel like a crowd-pleaser. I saw it on its last weekend and the gallery was not mobbed, thankfully. There were certainly people intently studying the notes and objects, and people enjoying Duchamp’s particular brand of humor. There was a guard enthusiastically explaining the Large Glass to visitors hovering around it. But there were also people clearly puzzled or dismissive of images and casts of Étant donnés’s headless, splayed nude.

You could make the argument that the museum could have worked harder to engage these people, or you could say, that’s okay, it was an intriguing show that was not for everybody.

The point is, it felt very particular to our museum, very PMA. It warmed my little heart and gave me happy feelings about the museum.

That’s what you’re aiming for.

It’s hard not to be superficial

maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:57:53 PST

Sometimes I hate this blog.

I hate the way I write, all scold-y or expert-y. I hate that I fall into the trap of doing the kind of posts that experts are supposed to do. Top ten lists, how to this-or-that. The kind of posts I hate. The kind I avoid reading.

I didn’t want this blog to be like that, and yet it is. I get more traffic when I write headlines I hate and posts that bloggers like me are supposed to write.

I hate that I can fall into a voice I like to call promotional-ese (maybe Ed has a better name for it). It has the tone of phony empathy or enthusiasm. When I have workshops and such, it’s because I believe they could help you. But it can be hard to write that from the heart.

Do you have that problem sometimes?

I feel that quality in a lot of what I see on Twitter or Facebook from arts organizations. I know the people doing the tweeting believe in their institution. And I know the organizations are fine ones, too. But when I see that kind of writing or hear that kind of talk, I get a queasy feeling about the organization, despite what I know about how fantastic they are.

I want to say to these organizations, ‘Hey – you’re better than that! You know you are. Just be yourself.’

It’s tough to keep that in mind all the time, to notice when you’re putting up a shiny professional barrier between you and the people you talk to.

You can call me on it, I’m okay with that.

Two audience problems and no answers

maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:16:55 PST

My husband is angry at music.

Well, technically, he’s angry at a libretto. But it ruined the whole piece for him.

We were at BAM for the new Philip Glass piece, Kepler. And, you know, it was kind of disappointing. But there the music was interesting at times, and the performances all around were excellent.

But, yes, the libretto was wanting (or perhaps the translation). The ideas of the day – what is science, what is theology, what is heresy, and what, exactly, are we observing in the heavens? – are so interesting. And Johannes Kepler was an interesting guy – his account of people he hated and people who hated him, as well the moving draft of his own epitaph were the most engaging parts of the libretto

So, yes, I was disappointed.

But my husband was fuming! He hated the triteness of the libretto and the lack of drama or narrative.

It’s not the first time. He was extremely angry and frustrated when we left the Met HD broadcast of Orpheo ed Euridice. The simple plot along with the repetitive nature of the libretto and music bored him so much he needed to vent through the whole walk home.

We talked about it a bit after Kepler. It sounds like there were two things going on: first, expectation. He wasn’t alone in the expectation that there would be a narrative – when we went out for drinks afterwards, everyone in our group echoed the same expectation and said they didn’t know anything about the work before seeing it.

I had looked into Kepler beforehand. I got in touch with our dear friend Wikipedia and read up on Kepler, the man (did you know his mother was tried as a witch?!). It was harder to get any concrete information on Kepler, the work, though. It premiered in Linz in September, but I couldn’t find any reviews. The best I could come up with was a video BAM provided of Glass talking about the work, with excerpts as background music, and a review in the New York Times a day before seeing it.

I was disappointed in the piece, but I still got something out of it. I also expect that sometimes cultural experiences will disappoint, and it doesn’t bother me when that happens.

But here’s the problem with the first problem, the problem of expectation: it would be ridiculous to require that people study up before going to a concert. Sure, performing arts organizations provide patron education leading up to the show, but you know who attends? Your most loyal patrons, not new or casual patrons. As she took her seat in front of us for Kepler, a woman confessed enthusiastically to her friends that she didn’t even know what she was seeing that night. That's not something unusual to hear.

I don’t have an answer.

Some material is going to be challenging for some of your audience. You can’t force people to prepare, and some people are just not going to be engaged by the piece regardless.

The second problem is: feeling trapped. I doubt that my husband is alone in feeling that he has no choice but to sit through something that’s boring or irritating the hell out of him.

It’s not true. If he had told me he was having an awful time, we could have left and joined our friends later.

I know people are going to hate on me for this, but if I’m really not getting anything at all out of what I’m seeing and I'm not going to disturb anyone, I’m inclined to leave. Life’s too short.

Usually, I stay longer than I should – I always think stuff’s going to get better and sometimes it doesn’t. And there are lots of situations where I’d stick it out. But if it’s awful and I can get out, I do.

I know you don’t want to see your theater empty out before the performance is over. I know you feel it would be rude to the performers and everyone else responsible for what’s happening on stage. But I wish it were easier for people to leave without feeling guilty. Is it better for seats to be filled by people who are bored and frustrated?

It’s so much easier psychologically to leave a concert in a pop music venue. No one gets offended. Why is it no big deal in that situation?

I don’t have an answer.

Test how your tagline measures up

maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:08:23 PST

Does your tagline give the reader or listener that “aha” moment about your arts organization? Or is it a generic dud?

Do you have one at all?

If your institution bears a vague title, or one that’s similar to your competitors’, a tagline can make all the difference in connecting with people who care about what you do.

A 10-point tagline evaluation is just one of the must-have tools you’ll find in Nancy Schwartz’s free Nonprofit Tagline Report: An In-Depth Survey and Analysis – Building Your Brand in Eight Words or Less. How does your tagline measure up?

The free Tagline Report combines results from a 2008 survey and the 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Awards. It’s packed with advice and examples that will help you craft an effective tagline and avoid common pitfalls.

And since 61% of arts people surveyed reported their taglines to be ineffective …

Here’s what else you’ll find:

8 Key Findings on Taglines that Work

10 Have-Tos: Your One-Stop Checkup for Powerful Taglines

5 Should-Dos for Even Greater Impact

4 Main Tagline Types and a Million Variations on the Theme

The 7 Deadly Sins

The 9 Snores

The 5 Best Ways to Antagonize Your Audiences

Nonprofit Tagline Trends

Verbatim comments from Tagline Award voters

Nonprofit Tagline Award Winners, Finalists, Entries, and Survey Respondents

I’m no different from you.

When I created my business, I give it a deliberately vague name that referenced the arts. That’s because I didn’t know if my services would be narrow or broad. Would it help to use “marketing” or “communications” in the name if I eventually offered development and strategic planning consulting, too? I did lots of public relations consulting at the beginning. Now? None at all (by choice).

As smArts & Culture evolved, I’ve played around with different taglines. When I realized that I wanted to focus on people -- arts managers – rather than institutions, I changed my tagline to reflect this move.

Want to know how your tagline (or lack of one) stacks up? Go download the Nonprofit Tagline Report now. It’s free.

Your cultural clipping service

maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:38:20 PST

It’s an all-classical edition of the Cultural Clipping Service. That doesn’t mean these bits aren’t relevant to museums and dance companies, too. Some stories you might have missed, well worth taking a look.

Janis, a reader and commenter on Greg Sandow’s (@gsandow) fascinating blog on the future of classical music, has a genius idea. If you’re only going to read one of these clippings, make it this one. It takes some explanation, so I’ll just say: Star Wars Uncut meets Beethoven’s 9th.

Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser wonders if his student is right: is the symphony orchestra model just not viable in the U.S.? (Not sure, but I think this is via @LaceyH.)

Nice, personal donor cultivation: after the Met noticed her large donation in 2000, they kept in touch with British opera lover Mona Webster, Rather than just sending her Met-centric gifts, they sent the avid bird-watcher books like Red Tails in Love: A Wildlife Drama in Central Park. Knowing that she didn’t own a CD or DVD player, the opera company sent LPs to Ms. Webster. According to the New York Times, Scottish and English newspapers report her bequest to the Met to be $7.5 million.

Philadelphia Inquirer classical music critic David Patrick Stearns waxes optimistic about George Steel’s leadership at City Opera.

Dutch public relations guy Marc van Bree (@mcmvanbree) gives you a peek into a class on search engine optimization as it relates to symphony orchestras. I rarely hear anyone in the arts talk about SEO, so it’s heartening to see Marc’s posts. Read Marc van Bree on SEO in Part 1 and Part 2. (And by the way, I wrote and formatted this item in such a way that it help's Marc's own SEO.)

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Does the idea of a Facebook Fan Page set off your ick?

maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:39:41 PST

I’m working on a Facebook Page. Bleh.

Not for me. For smArts & Culture.

I finally faced up to the fact that, since Facebook has exploded, lots of the people I want to help can be found there. Putting smArts & Culture on Facebook is going to make it easier for some people to get the arts marketing help they need. It’s not the only channel, but it’s an important one at the moment.

But it was really hard to get over the idea that I would be asking people to become fans of my business. Ew. Is that ego-centric or what?

And I wonder, if you’re the founder of an arts organization, or maybe the sole employee, are you having the same reaction to the idea? Does it feel a little icky to directly invite people to be fans of what you do?

Famous social media blogger Chris Brogan had a similar reaction. He deleted his Facebook Page, even though it allowed him to expand his reach there past the 5,000-friend limit the social networking site imposes on personal profiles. It didn’t feel right to him.

Okay.

But it does feel right for him to use a Facebook Page to create a community around his new book, Trust Agents. It’s as much for people who resonate with his message as his personal Fan Page would have been, it’s just a step removed.

In the cultural world, your organization can become a big part of your sense of self, especially when you’re the founder. It’s similar with a small business like mine.

I had to own up to the fact that smArts & Culture isn’t me. It might be driven by me, but it won’t be that way forever. It’s really about the people I can help. If it’s easier for them to get help from smArts & Culture on Facebook, then it’s on me to make that happen.

It would help if Facebook Pages weren’t called Fan Pages. But that’s what we’ve got to work with.

So if you’re hesitating to create a Page for your cultural group because it feels a little arrogant to invite people to be fans, try to remember that you are not your organization. People who love your institution are probably on Facebook, and you can make relationship-building easier by being there.

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