Complex relationships abound

Heather Maitland discovers that most research into brands is case-study based and here she explains why

Branding is well researched: Google Scholar comes up with over 6,000 books and articles published in academic journals with ‘brand’ in the title. Mark J Kay1 points out, though, that much of the research into successful brands is based on case studies. These case studies have shaped the way that brands are managed, emphasising the importance of differentiation and consistency. In effect, many researchers and commentators are saying to us, ‘This is self-evidently a strong brand. This is what the company did so we should do it too.’ But often, we have very different products, customers and contexts that make the specifics of the case study irrelevant. Mark J Kay says what is missing is a coherent theory that explains the processes managers and marketers can apply to ensure their own brands are different and consistent.

So why the emphasis on case studies? Much of the research focuses on the complex relationships customers have with brands. Franz-Rudolf Esch and his colleagues2 say most brand managers spend considerable resources on measuring brand awareness and brand knowledge (i.e. what the customer associates with the brand name). They argue that brand managers should focus on the brand relationship as this is far more important in the long term. Brand relationship, they propose, is based on satisfaction, trust and attachment – all emotional factors. Both researchers and brand managers talk about creating ‘emotional truths’ and ‘brand enthusiasm’. Dori Mellitor, for example, says: ‘getting at the subconscious drivers of consumer behaviour required a whole new approach that transcended the traditional sphere of sales data and focus groups. A more strategic approach – one that divines consumer behaviour and infuses it with intuition and imagination – was required…

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On the trail of the missing hordes

Walk-ups, advance bookers and non-bookers: a study commissioned from Cultural Intelligence by the Arts Councils of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

My first reaction to this recently published research was to congratulate the box office staff at the 23 venues that took part. On average, they capture the names and addresses of 80% of their ticket buyers. And that includes 58% of walk up bookers (that’s defined as people who buy tickets less than an hour before the performance). What an achievement! On behalf of marketers everywhere: we’re very, very sorry for ever having doubted you.

These data capture rates are important because many marketers have been worrying that when they analyse their box office data they get a misleading picture of their audiences. After all, this data can only tell us about the people who buy the tickets. It can’t tell us about the people who come to the event with them. And what about the ticket buyers whose names and addresses we don’t manage to collect? What if all these missing people are really different?

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Making ‘sold out’ mean success

When an arts organisation has been successful at attracting audiences, the problems don’t stop there. Heather Maitland looks at ways of managing success.

A couple of weeks ago I visited a small arts centre mid-morning and couldn’t get through the front door. The coffee shop was packed, the queue for the box office snaked right across the entrance and Mini Music Makers had just ended so the place was knee deep in toddlers. So why, when I finally fought my way upstairs to the admin office, was the team looking glum? “Doing so well is really bad for business.” they explained.

So many of the events were selling out within days that people who didn’t book as soon as they got their brochure were being turned away. A perception was growing that the Arts Centre was “always sold out”. But several events had plenty of seats left. The team were worried that these seats were becoming impossible to sell once the initial booking frenzy was over…

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More for Less

Heather Maitland reflects on what arts marketers can do to introduce new ideas and practice

How open are you to new ideas for developing your audiences, visitors or participants?

For many of the arts marketers I meet, this is a pointless question. They don’t have time even to think about doing anything new. Colleagues involved in training or consultancy tell me that they too often have their carefully thought-through recommendations for getting bigger and broader audiences greeted by something very like panic. This raises two questions. Why do these arts marketers feel under so much pressure? And what can they – and their managers – do about it?

The problem is that there are so many tasks that marketers could be doing to get people involved in an arts event or activity. And there are so many events. Marketers feel guilty that they aren’t doing every activity for every event…

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Heather Maitland provides an overview of the key elements to consider relating to branding

How it works
Everything about your organisation contributes to its identity – your name and address, the way you answer the telephone, the prices you charge, the building from which you operate, your letterhead, your publicity material, what the press say about you and much more. our organisation’s identity must spring from a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging, not just a logo or a slogan. Its artistic work, the buildings in which it works and performs, the way it tells people about what it does and the attitude and behaviour of its staff must all reinforce this sense of purpose and belonging.

Your organisation’s identity must be so strong that people feel that they know what to expect when they see a show, meet a member of staff or visit your office. This means that it can work for you or against you. This kind of strong identity, which creates a set of perceptions in people’s minds, is also known as a brand. An effective corporate identity will help you to get your message across to those around you: funding bodies, potential sponsors, other arts organisations and, of course, your potential audience. It is also a potentially powerful way of communicating what your organisation is all about to people who have no direct contact with your activities. Most importantly, it will tell everybody what makes you different from all the other arts organisations around…

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