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Dinner anD a show toolkit

Contents

Foreword, by Alan Davey 3 Preface 4

1. Introduction 52. The segment 83. Segment characteristics 94. The engagement cycle 11 Identify 13 Understand 13 Audit 21 Plan 21 Deliver 25 Evaluate 25

Appendix 1: Hotspots maps 26 Appendix 2: Case studies 35

Case study 1: Rambert Dance Company at The Lowry 35 Case study 2: Grundy Art Gallery – Mass photography: Blackpool through the camera 36 Case study 3: On Your Doorstep – Warrington’s Cultural Quarter 39

1. Introduction 2. The segment 3. Segment characteristics 4. The engagement cycle

Dinner and a show toolkit 3

One of the Arts Council’s 10-year goals is for more people to experience and be inspired by the arts. We know excellent work is being created all over England and that more people than ever are engaging with the arts, but we think there is real potential to attract even bigger audiences, reach even more people and make sure those who engage with the arts do so more regularly.

We want to work with arts organisations across the country to enable them to have an even-stronger focus on building audiences – so that they remain central to the communities they serve. Our aim is to ensure that people, wherever they live and whatever their background, have access to excellent art and that we break down the economic and social barriers that stop people enjoying the arts.

ForeworD

The first step towards achieving this goal, is to understand why and how different people engage with the arts in England. The Arts Council’s Arts Audiences: Insight research identified 13 distinct audience segments and looked at how the arts fit into the lives of these groups, their engagement with and attitudes to the arts, and how they spend their leisure time. It also considered socio-demographic factors, media consumption and lifestyles. You can read more about this research by visiting www.artscouncil.org.uk/audienceinsight

This toolkit concentrates on the segment we call ‘Dinner and a show’, which accounts for about 20% of the English adult population. It aims to help arts organisations attract this particular section of the population to their work, setting out the characteristics of this group and providing a six-point process for encouraging them to experience the arts. The toolkit also provides case studies from organisations that have undertaken pilot projects aimed at attracting this audience segment.

I’d like to thank &Co, All About Audiences and Audiences North East who have worked alongside us on these toolkits, and also all the organisations that volunteered to be case studies for this research.

I’m sure these toolkits will be really useful to organisations across the country as they look to attract new audiences to the arts.

Alan DaveyChief Executive, Arts Council England

Thirteen audience segments were identified in the Arts Council’s Arts Audiences Insight research. For information on Audience Insight segments, please visit www.artscouncil.org.uk

For the purpose of these toolkits, we chose to focus on the two segments that together make up approximately a third of the population. Both segments already engage in the arts and have a high propensity to engage further. There are two toolkits available: one for the ‘Dinner and a show’ segment and the other for the ‘Family and community focused’ segment.

This toolkit includes resources, guidance and ideas to enable arts and cultural organisations to engage more effectively with the Dinner and a show segment. The toolkit can be worked through in chronological order or, alternatively, individual sections can be used in isolation.

PreFaCe

This work was developed in the North of England by the audience development agencies: &Co, All About Audiences and Audiences North East in partnership with the Arts Council.

During 2011, All About Audiences undertook three pilot campaigns that aimed to test different approaches to engaging the Dinner and a show segment. The learning from these pilot projects, which features in the toolkits, is transferable and has national relevance.

Organisations selected to take part in the campaigns were chosen as they are situated in an area where there is a high concentration of the Dinner and show segment, and/or had a programme which was suitable to test with this segment.

The organisations that took part in the pilot campaigns were: The Lowry (Salford Quays), Grundy Art Gallery (Blackpool), Warrington Museum & Art Gallery and Pyramid & Parr Hall (Warrington).

We would like to say a special thanks to the organisations that volunteered to be case studies for this research, and hope you find these toolkits useful in enabling your organisation to reach out and engage with specific audience segments.



‘Segmentation’ is a market research method whereby a given market is broken down into distinct groups that behave in similar ways or have similar needs. It can help organisations understand their markets, identify groups of consumers they would like to target, and develop products and communications that anticipate the needs of those particular groups.

The Arts Council’s Arts audiences: insight segmentation is based on an analysis of the patterns of arts engagement and attitudes towards the arts. It breaks down the English adult population into 13 segments, based on their engagement with the arts. These are shown in the table on the next page, with percentages showing the estimated proportion of English adults in each segment. They are divided by their engagement with the arts into three categories: highly engaged, some engagement and not currently engaged.

1 introDuCtion




Key findingsThe analysis identified 13 distinct arts consumer segments among English adults. The percentages show the estimated proportion of English adults in each segment.

Highly engaged

Some engagement

Not currently engaged

Urban arts eclectic3%

Fun, fashion and friends16%

Mature explorers11%

Dinner and a show20%

Family and community focused9%

Time-poor dreamers4%

A quiet pint with the match 9%

Traditional culture vultures 4%

Bedroom DJs 2%

Mid-life hobbyists 4%

Retired arts and crafts 4%

Older and home-bound11%

Limited means, nothing fancy3%

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Each segment displays similar behaviours and attitudes towards the arts. Understanding these behaviours and attitudes allows you to:– develop and refine your product so it is likely to appeal to your target segment/s– position your organisation and events in ways which are likely to be perceived positively by your target segment/s– understand local populations and how people within your catchment area are likely to perceive and engage with your organisation– find out the likely attitudes and motivations of your current audience – understand how to introduce different types of products to current audiences and potential audiences– understand more about the media consumption and information channels accessed by your target segment/s, so that you can develop more effective communication campaigns – understand more about how your target segment/s spend their leisure time – thus identifying the competition



This toolkit focuses on engaging the Dinner and a show segment. It draws on the original segmentation research, supplemented by findings from focus groups with members of the Dinner and a show segment and findings from pilot projects aimed at engaging the segment. These focus groups and pilot projects were led in 2011 by the three north of England audience development agencies – All About Audiences, &Co and Audiences North East.

Why engage with Dinner and a show?The segment is the biggest of the 13 segments and represents 20% of the English adult population and is important in both urban and rural locations. This segment already attends certain arts events occasionally – so there is a propensity to attend that can be built upon.

2 the segment

The segment represents a broad range of ages and life stages – offering plenty for arts organisations to create opportunities around. Many of the Dinner and a show segment are comfortably off and can afford to visit the arts. Many lead active, sociable lives and are confident and able consumers.



Dinner and a show are a mainstream group consisting of a significant proportion of young and middle-aged people. With two-thirds employed and a third comfortably off, this group has disposable income to spend on leisure activities. Young or young at heart, they enjoy life – eating well, socialising and going on outings related to music.

Their demographics– about the same proportion of women as men– most are aged 25–64– includes married and single people, with two-thirds having no children living in the household– most are working and a third feel they are comfortably off

Their leisureThis group are very interested in music; their main activity is attending (mainstream/pop) music concerts and gigs, and a few go to music festivals as well. They enjoy spending time with friends and family and socialising both online and offline. They are more likely to use social networking sites and eat out regularly in fast food or pub restaurants.

3 segment CharaCteristiCs

They tend to be social drinkers. The majority have been to pubs/bars in the last 12 months, typically visiting frequently in the evening for a drink or a meal. Occasionally, some go to quiz nights.

This segment makes few regular cultural outings unless they are music related. When they do go out for the day, they are more likely to go to theme parks and zoos/safari parks. Over a third have been to the theatre in the last year.

Their arts– the arts do not play a key role in the everyday life of this group, and attending arts events is an infrequent or special occasion. They are likely to participate in or attend only one or two artistic activities over 12 months– they are most partial to attending music events, specifically live music events. Other activities include visiting the theatre, but they have low levels of interest in other types of arts events

Arts patronage, charitable giving and volunteeringSocially and environmentally aware, a small proportion of people in this group volunteer their time and money, but overall this segment does not volunteer. If they do give money it is certainly not for the arts, but typically goes to cancer research or the RSPCA.

Most important media for this groupRadioThe majority listen for two hours or less per day. Preferred stations include the Heart Network and the Big City Network. They are more likely to listen to music shows and showbiz/entertainment shows. Typical shows they enjoy include the Chris Moyles Show, The Scott Mills Show, The Official Chart Show and The Big Top 40.

InternetThe majority have used the internet in the last month with over half accessing it daily. A large proportion of this group visit auction sites, cinema/theatre/concert listings sites, travel sites, shopping sites or price comparison sites. They are more likely to use online



social networks, especially Facebook, and also ITV and Channel 4 websites.

CinemaDinner and a show are light-to-medium cinema goers, typically going twice a year or less. They favour romantic comedies, action adventure and thrillers.

OutdoorOver half see advertising on buses or bus stops or on the side of roads or buildings. A fifth notice adverts in clubs or pubs, which is above average.

Less important media for this groupNewspapersJust over a third read a daily paper. They are more likely to read newspapers for entertainment; preferred topics include celebrity news and gossip, new product reviews or articles about beauty and hair. More than three-quarters also read for news information.

MagazinesA majority read between one and four titles a month, about a third are women’s magazines or general entertainment such as Boots’ Health & Beauty, Heat, Glamour, OK!, FHM and Sky Magazine. They are more likely to read about topics such as entertainment, beauty and celebrity news.

TVThese are medium users, with almost half watching 20 hours of TV or less a week. Over half watch BBC One and ITV1. However, they are more likely than average to watch Sky Sports, Sky Sports News and Dave. They display an affinity with general entertainment and reality TV programmes including Britain’s Got Talent, The X Factor, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, The Apprentice, Come Dine with Me, Dancing on Ice and The Simpsons.

Word of mouthWord of mouth is less important for this group. However, a large proportion of them do talk about a variety of products with other people.

[From Arts audiences: insight, Arts Council England, 2011]



The engagement cycle describes the six-step process that can be used to drive engagement with the segment.

1 Identify– profile your local area– profile your own data

2 UnderstandUnderstand the segment by reading through the following sections of the toolkit:– the segment– segment characteristics – understand: – primary reason for engagement – secondary reasons for engagement/expectations – decision-making factors and barriers to attendance

4 the engagement CyCle

3 AuditAudit your activity by using the guidance in the audit section, in order to assess your current and potential position with regard to attracting the segment.

4 PlanDecide on your overall strategy and approach using the Ansoff Matrix.

Draft your action plan using the action plan pro forma, covering the following:– objectives– tactics– timescale– lead responsibility– resources required (human and financial)– monitoring and evaluation methods

5 DeliverCarry out the activity outlined in the plan. During delivery, make sure you are following the evaluation methods outlined in the action plan to gauge the success of your activity.

6 EvaluateUpdate your action plan with the results of your activity. Take stock of your successes and failures and use that information to consolidate your knowledge of the segment and inform your future engagement with it. Repeat the cycle, updating each element as you progress through the process.



IDENTIFY

PLAN

AUDIT

UNDERSTANDEVALUATE

DELIVER

Figure 1: The engagement cycle



1 IdentifyProfile your local areaTo find out where the Dinner and a show segment live in England, take a look at the hotspot maps in Appendix 1. Maps show the Dinner and a show segment as a percentage of the total adult populationin each area. Contact an audience development agency if you would like a more detailed map of your local area’s population of Dinner and a show or other Arts audiences: insight segments (visit www.audiencesuk.org for contact details).

Profile your own dataIf your organisation has audience postcode data – this might be from your box office system or visitor surveys – it can be segmented using the Arts audiences: insight software, telling you what percentage of your audience fall into which segment. This service is available from audience development agencies. Visit www.audiencesuk.org for contact details.

To profile your audience using Arts audiences: insight you must collect the whole postcode – the first part of a postcode is not enough to identify the likely segment into which someone falls.

Further resources to support you in getting the most out of your audience data can be found at: www.audiencesuk.org/data-and-resources/resources

2 UnderstandThe 13 Arts audiences: insight segments each have different reasons and motivations for attending the arts. To understand the Dinner and a show segment, consider the reasons why they visit the arts, their expectations, and the decision-making factors and likely barriers to attendance.

The one primary reason why people in the Dinner and a show segment visit the arts is to see a specific event or performer.

Following on from this, there are three main secondary reasons or expectations from a visit to the arts:– a memorable and special experience– a social experience– a high-quality experience in every area

Key decision-making factors and barriers to attendance include:– price – important where an event is unfamiliar and they are taking a risk– perception of quality – whether or not the offer is perceived as high quality by the segment– prominent marketing – members of the segment are infrequent arts attenders and suitable marketing messages need to reach them effectively– online experience – as regular internet users, online experience is likely to influence their decisions




PRIMARY REASON FOR ENGAGEMENT:TO SEE A SPECIFIC EvENT OR PERFORMER

SECONDARY REASONS FOR ENGAGEMENT/EXPECTATIONS:

PROMINENT MARKETING

DECISION MAKING FACTORS AND BARRIERS TO ATTENDANCE:

PRICE – WHERE THE UNKNOWN IS CONCERNED

ONLINE EXPERIENCE PERCEPTION OF QUALITY

A SOCIAL EXPERIENCE

A HIGH-QUALITY EXPERIENCE IN EVERY AREA

A MEMORABLE AND SPECIAL EXPERIENCE


All quotes used in this section are taken from Dinner and a show focus group participants.

Primary reason for engagement: To see a specific event or performerThis segment’s primary motivation for visiting the arts is to see a particular event or performer. They are confident consumers, they know what they like and are happy to spend quite a bit of money to see something or someone they want to see.

The most popular type of event with this segment is live music. They also visit the theatre, but have low levels of interest in other types of arts events. Dinner and a show segment members can be quite unadventurous in their arts attendance, tending to visit familiar and known events.

Tips– review your artistic programme to identify shows and events that may appeal to the segment– think about how your programme and marketing could appeal to the less-adventurous side of the segment and how you could link with familiar factors, eg well-known names or reassuring messages– emphasise the ‘entertaining’ side of your offer through the copy and images in your marketing materials

What the segment says ‘Price would not enter it, you’re gutted if you’ve missed something.’

On marketing materials ‘If the main image was a bit weird or not very appealing I’d probably turn away from it and not even read it… It just takes one image to get you intrigued.’

Secondary reasons for engagement and expectationsOnce they have identified a show or event of interest, the Dinner and a show segment have the following expectations from their visit:

A memorable and special experience A visit to an arts event is an infrequent investment in what is guaranteed to be a memorable and special experience for this segment. A sense of value and a memorable experience could include: a large-scale visual spectacle; an event that they are moved by emotionally; getting away from day-to-day life to go to something different; or a socially rewarding experience.



Tips– a memorable and special experience means different things to different people in the segment. Think about whether your organisation can offer any of the following: – big, spectacular production, the ‘wow’ factor – a sense of occasion – a moving experience – expanding horizons – experiences in unexpected places – a shared experience of the arts with friends and family – a relaxing experience – an escape from day-to-day life

What the segment saysBig, spectacular productions, the ‘wow’ factor

‘It lifts your spirits, it’s that euphoria, you’re singing the songs as you’re going home – and for a month!’

‘It’s not just Take That, it’s like going to see a circus too, fire eaters and acrobatics – it’s just that real wow factor.’

A sense of occasion

‘Memorable experience – you can associate a birthday with that event.’

‘It’s the big occasion, you’re really looking forward to a night at the theatre, you plan what you’re going to wear and all that kind of thing as well as actually getting there.’

A moving experience

‘These things are, I wouldn’t say disturbing, but you come out feeling moved and you want to have that feeling again.’

‘You can learn something, have a touching experience. It’s not just going for a meal or going for a drink.’

Expanding horizons

‘I think it’s about broadening horizons. When you speak to people you don’t know you can converse through events sometimes.’

‘It’s about expanding your mind without it being a necessity – not like education.’

Experiences in unexpected places

‘Make art accessible in that it is not just in an art gallery.’



‘[Unusual venues are] something you’d want to talk about.’

A shared experience of the arts with friends and family

‘I’ve introduced my partner to some new things – she enjoys going now – I feel like I’ve brought someone else into it.’

‘I’m all about the music, it’s all about this camaraderie and getting together and “we’re all loving this”.’

‘You can share those moments together.’

‘With my age and not working, it gives you a bit of a buzz, a talking point and I think if I was stuck in the house all the time, I’d just rot.’

Relaxing and escaping day-to-day life

‘It’s relaxing to do these types of things. If I’m just working and coming home I just don’t get that.’

‘It’s escapism for me, when I’m sat in the theatre with some nice soft music, I think this is heaven, just relaxing and doing these different things.’

A social experienceVisiting an arts event is important socially for the segment. Whether it’s sharing the experience with friends, partners or family, or meeting new people, having the time and space for social interaction is most important. The segment spans a wide range of ages and includes people who may be looking for different types of social experience.

Tips– establish what your organisation can offer to enhance the social experience of a visit and, if needed, how this could be improved

– emphasise the social experience people can expect when they visit your venue or events through the copy and images in your marketing materials– the segment spans a wide range of ages and life stages – think about which of these you can already offer a desirable social experience to– is there a good bar, café or restaurant at your venue? If not, then look into developing partnerships with local organisations in order to provide such services– offer a ‘meal and show’ package deal or other offers on food and drink – think about the total cost of a ‘sociable’ day or night out at your venue or events and make sure it’s value for money– review the opening times of your café, bar or restaurant – look to extend these to enhance the length of the social experience– think about new ways in which you could enhance your social offer – such as singles’ nights, longer intervals or launch events



What the segment says ‘I like to have a meeting place, get the chat out of the way first.’

‘It’s important that there are places to eat/drink nearby.’

‘I’ve been to a venue that is out in the sticks and it was a bit just going there and coming back… it’s not a night out.’

‘I like package deals, especially if it’s a meal before the show.’

More sociable when it’s outside, maybe start chatting to people when you’re watching a performance.’ ‘I can meet up with friends from other parts of the country. We have a big get together – like for the Rocky Horror Show we always have a house party afterwards.’

A high-quality experience in every aspect As well as the quality of the show or event itself, factors such as parking, transport links, catering, customer service and atmosphere are also important. Dinner and a show are confident consumers, able to choose how they spend their leisure time, so they won’t settle for a sub-standard experience.

Tips– ensure your offer is up to scratch through regular audience research– mystery shopping is a particularly good way of assessing the standard of service people receive when they visit your venue or events– ensure your communications include up-to-date information about the practical aspects of a visit, such as parking and transport

What the segment says ‘Parking, that’s quite a big concern – I like to park my car and know it’s safe.’

‘Often the way in which things are presented doesn’t live up to the performance. With some of the more old-fashioned theatres, half the time it’s like a rugby scrum – you can’t get to the loo or anything.’

Decision-making factors and barriers to attendanceA number of factors may influence the decision of the segment to visit an arts event:

Price is important for unfamiliar events People in the Dinner and a show segment are willing to spend a lot of money visiting familiar arts events where they know the experience will be right. They can be wary about investing in unfamiliar events, but might be more inclined to take a risk if the price is low. They tend to seek out offers, though these must be convincing and genuine.



What the segment says ‘[Theatre] is too expensive for the risk. I need to know I will have a good experience.’

‘I don’t want to be gambling £44 on something that could be the best thing you’ve ever seen, but could also be a pile of pretentious sh*t.’

‘I take loads of risks with the cinema because it is cheap. You can walk out if it’s not for you.’

Tips– make significant offers on ‘challenging’ events in order to attract a Dinner and a show audience who visit your more mainstream events– multi-ticket offers, such as ‘3 for 2’, which combine mainstream and more adventurous events, reduce financial risk and could encourage the segment to try something new– team up with other organisations to make multi-ticket offers across a range of venues to create value for money for a particular artform or across a range of artforms in a specific area

– develop a loyalty scheme with a range of discounts on tickets and/or other parts of your offer such as your café, restaurant or shop

Prominent marketingDinner and a show are not frequent attenders and the arts are not a big part of their lives, so most are probably not actively seeking information about what’s on in the arts world on a regular basis. Even if you’re a prominent organisation, don’t assume they’re aware of you or understand what you do.

Tips– radio, internet, cinema and outdoor advertising are the most important media for the segment– newspapers, magazines, TV and word of mouth are also significant– ensure you have effective mailing list data capture mechanisms in place so that you can keep in touch with your Dinner and a show customers directly– develop tailored communications aimed to appeal to the motivations and preferences of this segment

– ensure you have a complete profile of your audiences and use a customer relationship management system to make tailored suggestions of things they might like to attend– target print distribution in Dinner and a show hotspot areas– look at developing partnerships and brand endorsements with familiar and mainstream organisations and brands



What the segment says ‘Not advertised enough – have to seek it out. Only see if passing the theatre or look on web.’

‘What I hate is when I don’t find out about things until they’ve happened or sold out.’

‘You either live off the internet or you’re in a particular social network so you get to know about things, but if you’re not in that network, you don’t know about it… Knowledge is everything.’

‘Something really plain I wouldn’t look at – a bit of colour catches your attention more.’

‘Get some things through the post but only because I sign up. If you didn’t, you’d not know.’

[On radio] ‘Not really listening but it goes in, you have a second thought afterwards.’

Online experienceOver half of the Dinner and a show segment use the internet daily, so their experience of accessing information about the arts online is likely to influence their decision-making. Many like to book tickets online, but high booking fees can be a barrier.

What the segment says ‘…takes ages and it times out. If it’s something you were not that bothered to see, then you’d probably just think “forget it”.’

Tips– ensure your website is up to date and engaging, with information relevant to the motivations of the Dinner and a show segment– where possible, remove or reduce online booking fees and communicate this change in your marketing materials– develop your presence on other websites, such as listings and special interest sites. Ensure you are providing regular up-to-date information to these sites

– develop your social media presence, making sure you are regularly posting up-to-date information that appeals to the motivations of the Dinner and a show segment. Facebook is particularly important for this segment– use all available opportunities to promote your social media offer and to sign people up to your email list– use email to remind people of your forthcoming events

Perception of qualityThe segment recognises quality and members are confident consumers. Communicating quality honestly is important. If they don’t perceive quality they’re unlikely to visit, and if they don’t get what they expect, they’re unlikely to come back.

Tips– ensure that your marketing materials emphasise the quality of the product and experience that you offer– be appropriate and honest – emphasise quality in those areas where it genuinely exists



3 AuditHaving now gained an understanding of the Dinner and a show segment, the next step is to carry out an audit of your current activities. This is a two-step process.

First, put yourself in the position of a member of the Dinner and a show segment. Taking into account your overall offer, including your marketing channels and messages, consider:– whether your current offer addresses the motivations, expectations and influencing factors important to the segment– whether there is potential for your offer to address the motivations, expectations and influencing factors important to the segment

Second, having considered whether your offer currently or potentially caters for this segment, work through the reasons for engagement, the decision-making factors and the barriers presented in the last section, assessing:

– current activity and offer– changes and development required to meet the needs of the segment– activity and development planned for the future– areas where it’s not possible to meet the needs of the segment

4 Plan Decide your strategyOnce you have completed your audit, the next step will be to decide on a strategy to develop your Dinner and a show audience. Your strategy may focus on:– developing a new offer– communicating your existing offer differently– reaching new audiences or visitors– encouraging more engagement from existing audiences or visitors– a combination of some or all of the above

The Ansoff Matrix may be a useful tool to decide on your strategy. Plotting your ideas and opportunities for developing the Dinner and a show segment on the matrix can help to establish what type of strategy is most appropriate. Plot your ideas and opportunities in the relevant section according to whether they relate to:– using your existing offer to reach existing audiences/ visitors – top left section– using your existing offer to reach new audiences/ visitors – bottom left section– developing a new offer aimed at existing audiences/ visitors – top right section– developing a new offer to reach new audiences/ visitors – bottom right section




Offer

Existing

Market penetration: Strategy focuses on using incentives or targeted marketing to encourage more frequent attendance at your existing offer/events by your existing Dinner and a show audience.

Market development: Strategy focuses on attracting a new Dinner and a show audience to your current product by developing targeted marketing channels and messages to reach and appeal to the segment.

New

Product development: Strategy focuses on developing new product or add-ons which will change your offer to encourage more frequent attendance or loyalty from your existing Dinner and a show audience.

Diversification: Strategy focuses on developing new product or add-ons to appeal to the Dinner and a show segment and developing targeted marketing channels and messages to reach a new Dinner and a show audience.

Existing

New

Audiences /visitors

The Ansoff Matrix


Action plan Following a decision on your overall strategy, use the action plan pro forma to draft your action plan, covering the following:– objectives – specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, timetabled– tactics – specific actions to be undertaken to achieve objectives– timescale – dates by which actions should be completed or reviewed– lead responsibility– resources required (human and financial) – team members, partners, financial costs– monitoring and evaluation methods – set dates and methods for monitoring and evaluation, eg ticket sales, visitor surveys, attendance levels, promotional offer returns

Writing an action plan will ensure that:– all relevant information is in one place– there is an appropriate assignment of responsibilities– new team members can quickly get up to speed on activity– time commitments are planned into staff workload– a limit is set on financial costs– progress can be monitored– evaluation methods are determined by which the success of the activity can be measured




Action plan proforma

Objectives

Example

To get 100 new people to sign up to the Grundy Art Gallery’s email newsletter via the Mass Photography exhibition blog site. At least 20% of these to be from the Dinner and a show segment.

Tactics

Example

Create an email newsletter sign-up form on the Mass Photography blog site – to include name, email address and postcode fields.

Timescale

Example

Sign-up form to be created by 16 September 2011. Objectives to be met by the end of the Mass Photography exhibition – 5 November 2011.

Lead responsibility

Example

Head of Evidence and Engagement, All About Audiences

Resources (human and financial)

Example

Two hours to create sign-up form. Half a day to assess and analyse results.

Monitoring and evaluation methods

Example

Count numbers of people signed up and collate postcodes from WordPress stats. Analyse postcodes to identify Arts audiences: insight segments.


5 DeliverNow that you have your action plan, carry out the activity outlined in the plan.

Successful audience development needs buy-in from across an organisation, but the person with lead responsibility should be the driving force behind the activity – ensuring that there is effective communication between team members (both internal and external) and that progress is being monitored in accordance with the action plan.

During delivery, make sure you are following the evaluation methods outlined in the action plan in order to keep your activity on track and gauge its success.

6 EvaluateBuilding effective monitoring and evaluation into your project plan is important. Think carefully about the type of data you need to collect in order to measure the success of your project in line with your aims and objectives. Common evaluation methods include surveys, postcode analysis, web analytics and focus groups.

Update your action plan with the results of your activity. Take stock of your successes and failures and use this information to consolidate your knowledge of the segment and inform future engagement. Repeat the steps in the engagement cycle, updating each element as you progress through the process.



Dinner and a show hotspots – East region

aPPenDix 1: hotsPots maPs



Dinner and a show hotspots – East Midlands



Dinner and a show hotspots – London



Dinner and a show hotspots – North East



Dinner and a show hotspots – North West



Dinner and a show hotspots – South East



Dinner and a show hotspots – South West



Dinner and a show hotspots – West Midlands



Dinner and a show hotspots – Yorkshire and Humber



Case study 1: Rambert Dance Company at The LowryActivityThis pilot campaign focused on attracting the Dinner and a show segment to performances by Rambert Dance Company at The Lowry in September 2011.

The Lowry is a major venue in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester. In two main theatres and a studio space, the Lowry presents drama, opera, ballet, dance, musicals, children’s shows, popular music, jazz, folk and comedy. In its gallery spaces, it shows the works of LS Lowry as well as contemporary exhibitions.

The Dinner and a show segment does not usually attend dance. The campaign aimed to see if it was possible to attract the segment to the Rambert performances through a mailing list campaign. This set out to present Rambert in a way that was likely to appeal to the segment’s motivations as identified in the Dinner and a show toolkit:– a significant ticket offer was made to reduce the financial risk of trying something new (£21 tickets were offered for £7.50)

aPPenDix 2: Case stuDies

– an offer of 25% off in The Lowry’s restaurant was made to encourage the social element of a trip– a flyer was created that aimed to emphasise the memorable experiences that audiences should expect, as well as the quality of the dance company

The campaign used The Lowry’s own mailing list. Those people who had booked tickets for dance performances in the previous two years were excluded from the list. All About Audiences then segmented the remaining mailing list by postcode, so that only those living in Dinner and show dominant postcode areas were targeted with the mailing and offer.

Impact and learningA total of 4,992 addresses were mailed. As a result, 82 tickets were sold, at a value of £722.50 (ticket cost at £7.50 plus booking fee). Although this represents a relatively low return in numbers, specific factors and circumstances of the campaign make for interesting consideration:– the campaign was targeted at addresses in Dinner and a show dominant areas. Almost none of the segment attend dance and none of the people

mailed had booked tickets for a dance performance at The Lowry in the previous two years– the campaign was therefore trying to attract people who were likely to be resistant to dance – it could be considered that the odds were stacked against success– there was success in attracting a number of people despite these obstacles, suggesting that with the right price and positioning, the Dinner and a show segment can potentially be attracted to new artforms– the restaurant offer proved fairly popular, being taken up by 76 people. This significantly increased the income brought into The Lowry as a result of the campaign. It also emphasised the importance of the social element of a trip to the arts for the Dinner and a show segment– due to timescale restrictions affecting the campaign, the mailing arrived on people’s doorsteps only about two weeks before the first show took place. Making a similar offer to the segment further in advance may greatly increase take-up rate



Organisational impactThis campaign supported The Lowry’s aim of encouraging audience crossover between different artforms and types of show at their venue. The venue is particularly interested in increasing attendance at dance and shows in its Studio Theatre from audiences attending other shows and exhibitions.

This Dinner and a show campaign allowed The Lowry to work with Rambert for the second time on an audience crossover campaign. This took a new approach and was the first time The Lowry had used Arts audiences: insight segmentation as the basis for a campaign.

Following the campaign, The Lowry is interested in building on partnership marketing with the restaurant to offer discounts. This was the first time The Lowry had offered a discount for the restaurant via a mailing list campaign, although they had previously made an offer of free car parking for people booking into the restaurant.

People booked the restaurant offer directly with the restaurant, which meant it was not possible to track the extent to which those taking up the restaurant offer were the same people taking up the Rambert offer. In future, The Lowry would want to ensure that restaurant offers are booked via the box office to enable more effective monitoring in relation to artform.

Case study 2: Grundy Art Gallery – Mass photography: Blackpool through the cameraActivityThe exhibition ‘Mass Photography: Blackpool through the camera’ was the focus of a pilot campaign with Grundy Art Gallery in Blackpool. The campaign aimed to engage the Dinner and a show segment, which has a higher-than-average presence in much of the Blackpool area.

The campaign took place from early September 2011 to the close of the exhibition on 5 November 2011.

Grundy Art Gallery presents a programme of contemporary visual art exhibitions that feature the work of established and emerging artists from the UK and abroad. It also puts on exhibitions featuring historically important artworks loaned from major UK institutions and objects from its own permanent collection.

Mass PhotographyMass Photography was devised by Grundy to appeal to a wide range of audiences; the gallery knew from past programmes that the exhibition’s focus on images of Blackpool over the past century would be attractive to the town’s residents and visitors seeking nostalgia. To attract arts audiences and the media, the gallery employed artist Nina Könnemann, a respected international artist working in film, to curate the exhibition. She produced a strong and focused survey of photography, which included some of Britain’s greatest documentary photographers alongside lesser-known photographers who have lived or spent much holiday time in the resort.



How did this campaign relate the exhibition to the Dinner and a show segment?The campaign focused on the motivations of the segment as outlined in the Dinner and a show toolkit, in particular:– it aimed to take away the risk factor of the ‘unknown’, drawing on familiar elements more likely to appeal to the Dinner and a show segment, such as the local focus of the exhibition– the campaign had an online and social media focus, in line with the segment’s high internet and social media use

The tactics used in the campaign were:– development of a blog site in WordPress (massphotography.grundyartgallery.com) showcasing images from the exhibition in an online gallery. This aimed to reduce the risks of the unknown by allowing people to experience some of the exhibition online. The blog site included a form to subscribe to Grundy’s email newsletter, helping to ensure that the gallery can communicate in the future with people reached through the campaign

– development of offers for exhibition visitors. A voucher available to download from the blog site offered 10% discount in Grundy’s shop. A partnership was built with the new Empress Grill Room restaurant in Blackpool Winter Gardens and an offer of 10% off the bill agreed for visitors to the exhibition, which was promoted through the blog site and press advertising. This aimed to provide a good value social addition to the experience and an incentive to visit the exhibition– dissemination of information about the exhibition and blog site via local websites such as listings sites and Blackpool Council’s intranet, further developing the online presence of the campaign– advertising in the Blackpool Gazette – both the newspaper and the Gazette’s website – to raise awareness of the exhibition and blog site, and increase the reach of the campaign locally– setting up a Facebook page for Grundy and regular posts about the Mass Photography exhibition linking through to the blog site

– supporting Facebook and Google advertising campaigns (paid for with alternative funds secured by Grundy and delivered by All About Audiences). These linked through to the blog site and included a competition to aid data capture and encourage subscription to Grundy’s email newsletter

Impact and learningBlog siteThe blog site had 6,293 views between its creation on 9 September 2011 and the end of the exhibition on 5 November 2011, representing a significant online engagement with the Mass Photography exhibition. A total of 84 people subscribed to Grundy’s email newsletter via the blog site and 110 signed up to the related competition run as part of the Facebook and Google advertising campaigns. The biggest proportion of people subscribing to the email newsletter and entering the competition accessed the blog site via the Facebook advertising campaign.



Based on postcodes provided, the dominant Arts audiences: insight segment of those subscribing to the email newsletter and/or entering the competition was Dinner and a show at 21%.

Grundy Facebook pageBetween its creation on 20 September 2011 and the end of the Mass Photography exhibition on 5 November 2011:– 141 people ‘liked’ the page– reflecting the range of ages in the Dinner and a show segment, the ages of the majority of people ‘liking’ the page were spread across a wide range, from 25 to 55+– there were 16,888 post views– there were 77 post feedbacks

OffersThe offers were less successful. A handful of vouchers for the shop were downloaded, but only one was redeemed. The Empress Grill Room offer may have been negatively affected by the duration of the project, the time restrictions on the offer, the level of discount

and the location of the restaurant in relation to the gallery. However, Grundy expressed an interest in maintaining a relationship with the restaurant and exploring how it could develop more successfully in the future.

Overall visitor figuresAfter an initial peak around the opening, the visitor figures for the exhibition fell and then picked up again following the launch of the online campaign and accompanying advertising in the Blackpool Gazette. Other marketing activity was also taking place so it is not possible to draw a decisive link, but the timing of the campaign and the timing of the increase in visitors suggest that it was an influencing factor.

Organisational impactGrundy aims to engage a wide range of audiences. It is aware of the importance of balancing work targeting harder-to-reach groups, in particular deprived communities, with activity targeting more confident groups.

This campaign was the first time Grundy had used the Arts audiences: insight segmentation. Working with Dinner and a show, as a confident mainstream segment with some propensity to visit the arts, was of particular interest to the gallery. It was especially interested to find that the segment is most prevalent within Blackpool itself, rather than in the wealthier surrounding areas. This highlights the importance of using data to understand arts attendance patterns and to challenge assumptions before embarking on an audience development campaign.

The Mass Photography exhibition was a large-scale project for Grundy and had additional marketing resources allocated to it. The Dinner and a show campaign, along with other extra resources, allowed the gallery access to specialist support and the rare capacity to work with several messages for an exhibition, aimed at different audiences.

Following the support given by All About Audiences and the campaign funding, Grundy has a fuller understanding of what extra staffing and resources can



achieve in terms of extending audience reach and now feels more able to quantify this in funding bids, etc. Although a positive outcome of the campaign, this does highlight the challenges faced by organisations without core marketing staff in proactively developing audiences in a sustained way.

The gallery staff also feel that this campaign has raised their awareness of the importance of their whole offer, not just their cultural offer, when trying to attract new audiences.

Case study 3: On Your Doorstep – Warrington’s Cultural QuarterActivityOn Your Doorstep was a pilot campaign in Warrington working with Pyramid & Parr Hall and Warrington Museum & Art Gallery. The key aim of the campaign was to test out ways of positioning and raising awareness of Warrington’s Cultural Quarter, in which both venues are situated, among the local Dinner and a show population.

Warrington is positioned between Liverpool and Manchester, and staff at the venues believe that people often travel to these cities to visit the arts rather than staying local.

The presence of the Dinner and a show segment is high in Warrington – 23 to 26% of the population in some areas, compared to the English average of 20%.

Pyramid & Parr Hall is a multi-arts venue presenting a wide range of performing arts events including music, comedy, cabaret, dance and drama, as well as community events and classes.

Warrington Museum & Art Gallery has a varied programme of changing visual arts and museum exhibitions which incorporate items from their collections and touring work alongside permanent museum exhibitions.

The campaign addressed the motivations of the Dinner and a show segment and their reasons for attending the arts as presented in the Dinner and a show toolkit, in particular:– the segment is motivated to see a specific event or performer, tending to stick with what they know, so the campaign aimed to present the offer at both venues in an accessible way, by drawing out familiar names and terms, and using accessible language and familiar imagery– the importance of a social experience from a visit to the arts is important to the segment so the campaign aimed to send out the message that the Cultural Quarter provides a sociable day or night out. Offers with local restaurants were negotiated to enhance this– the Dinner and a show segment needs prominent marketing. As they are infrequent arts attenders their awareness of the arts is likely to be low, so campaign leaflets were designed to bring together information about current and forthcoming events at both venues along with images, restaurant offers, and a sign-up form for an email list. These were



branded with an On Your Doorstep logo and the strapline ‘Enjoy a great day or night out on your doorstep in Warrington’s Cultural Quarter!’– All About Audiences identified Dinner and a show hotspot areas in Warrington, where 23–26% of the population falls into the segment, and these areas were targeted for a door-to-door leaflet drop of 4,000 houses. Other leaflets were distributed via the two venues, local shops, cafés, etc, and via direct mail to local adult groups– price is important where the unknown is concerned so the campaign emphasised the free offer at Warrington Museum & Art Gallery, and the restaurant offers aimed to create a better-value day or night out– online is important so a dedicated On Your Doorstep web page was created for the campaign. This included information about both venues, the restaurant offers and a form to sign up for the email list– people in the Dinner and a show segment seek a memorable and special experience from the arts, so the campaign aimed to communicate the great

day or night out on offer in the Cultural Quarter and emphasise various aspects of the offer at each venue that might create a memorable or special experience – such as the chance to escape day-to- day life, see big names on stage or experience something fun and entertaining

Impact and learningThis pilot campaign was set up with the intention of exploring how a sustainable campaign for the two partner organisations could work, taking an approach whose successful elements could be built upon in the future. This was the first time that a partnership approach like this had been taken in Warrington’s Cultural Quarter, and both positive and negative learning and impacts resulted.

Both venues, currently run by Warrington Council, are proposing going into a trust together in 2012. This work enabled a joint campaign to take place and set the scene for potential future marketing and audience development collaboration.

On Your Doorstep brandingThe campaign highlighted issues around the pros and cons of aligning branding for joint campaigns. It was decided at the start of the campaign that the On Your Doorstep brand should be created as a sub-brand of Pyramid and Parr Hall’s own brand. This was seen as a step towards the two venues working more closely together in the future and potentially aligning their very different branding.

However, anecdotal feedback has led Warrington Museum & Art Gallery to believe that, due to differing perceptions of both venues, the alignment of the On Your Doorstep brand with Pyramid & Parr Hall’s brand may have created barriers to people engaging with the gallery. This highlights the importance of understanding perceptions of different organisations and the strengths of individual brands before embarking on partnership work involving a common brand.



Cultural Quarter conceptConcerns were expressed from both venues about the Cultural Quarter concept. Prior to this campaign, the concept had been introduced through signage but not further developed as a recognisable brand. There were also concerns about the connotations of ‘culture’ within Warrington and the Cultural Quarter concept provoking a ‘not for me’ perception for some people.

Despite these concerns, Warrington Museum & Art Gallery reported a good pick-up rate of the campaign leaflets from the venue, suggesting that people already engaged with them might be open to the concept of the Cultural Quarter. However, Pyramid & Parr Hall’s box office staff anecdotally noticed some confusion around the campaign leaflets, with people unsure what they were about and whether or not they had to pay to sign up.

This highlights the importance of undertaking research to understand perceptions of concepts and terminology that may affect the success of an audience development campaign.

CateringNeither venue has a café or restaurant at the moment. Partnerships with local restaurants were established as part of the project for people attending Pyramid and Parr Hall. These links were not created in relation to Warrington Museum & Art Gallery, but the venue feels they now have a better understanding of how a restaurant partnership could add value to their offer in the future.

Group mailing listAs part of the campaign, a mailing list of adult groups in the area was researched and created by All About Audiences. Neither venue had developed such a list or relationships before the campaign, and therefore value the fact that the list is now available for them to use in the future. This highlights the importance of building time into campaigns to fully research contacts, which can help to save time in the long term.

Resources and timescalesThis campaign was run with limited resources and within tight timescales. If the campaign was being run

on a larger scale, additional time and resources would be beneficial in order to:– research local perceptions prior to the project– develop a wider range of communication channels– adapt and respond to findings as the campaign developed

Organisational impact Warrington Museum & Art GalleryWarrington Museum & Art Gallery has limited marketing resources – limited financial resources and no dedicated marketing staff, with the marketing role added to other positions. This campaign came at a difficult time for Warrington Museum & Art Gallery due to pressure from other projects, and it was the specialist support and time from All About Audiences and project funding that enabled them to take part. This reinforces the challenges faced by organisations with small marketing resources and no dedicated marketing staff in effectively reaching new audiences.



Warrington Museum & Art Gallery believe the campaign increased their understanding of the Dinner and a show segment and has enabled them to see how this segment (and others) could fit into a longer-term audience development plan.

As part of Warrington Council, the gallery had previously focused on the three targets set by the council: families; repeat visits; and inner Warrington wards. This campaign highlighted the importance of other types of audience and the need to focus more on who is being marketed to and what motivates different segments to visit. It also brought about recognition that investing time in targeted work in the short term can save time in the longer term.

The gallery felt the campaign gave them a useful insight into how links could and should happen within the context of the Cultural Quarter and town centre identities – highlighting where the problems and the options are.

Pyramid & Parr HallPyramid & Parr Hall valued the opportunity to work with Warrington Museum & Art Gallery and the additional opportunities that this presented.

The campaign started during the summer and Pyramid & Parr Hall felt that their reduced programme during this time limited collaborative opportunities with Warrington Museum & Art Gallery. They also expressed concerns that the campaign needed more resources to be a bigger success. These points highlight the importance of timing campaigns appropriately and allocating sufficient resources in relation to the scale of a campaign.

Pyramid & Parr Hall is keen to explore how the future of the On Your Doorstep brand might work. In particular, they are interested in how On Your Doorstep fits with the competition from neighbouring Liverpool and Manchester and how they can move forward with a plan to try and keep people in Warrington. This includes conversations with a local transport provider with a view to expanding the brand to include transport.

The venue had planned to develop relationships with local restaurants prior to the campaign, and value the fact that the campaign speeded up this process. They intend to build on these relationships and explore ways to increase take-up of restaurant offers in the future.



Arts Council England14 Great Peter StreetLondon SW1P 3NQwww.artscouncil.org.ukEmail: [email protected] Phone: 0845 300 6200Textphone: 020 7973 6564 Charity registration no 1036733

You can get this publication in Braille, in large print, on audio CD and in electronic formats. Please contact us if you need any of these formats. To download this publication, or for the full list of Arts Council England publications, see www.artscouncil.org.ukISBN: 978-0-7287-1516-5 © Arts Council England 2012 We are committed to being open and accessible. We welcome all comments on our work. Please send these to Executive Director, Advocacy & Communications, at the Arts Council England address above.

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