As I mentioned this morning, About Face is in dire straights. When I signed on to Facebook this afternoon, I saw a video of one impassioned plea for support. There is a call out for videos on About Face's website as well. They should be applauded for using the best that the web has to offer for stating their case. I'm curious to see what develops and how they use this work further.
This morning I caught up on Kris Vire's blog and noticed that Kelly Kleiman had received a call from Bob Falls. Kelly's take on the conversation is on her blog at WBEZ's website, very interesting.
Rob Kozlowski made an excellent observation regarding the discussion on his blog. Check it out here.
As you were.
February 26, 2009
Shows to See...
There's a lot of theater going on right now. I have been bad about going out to see it, February was a busy month. And who wants to go out in January? It's too bad, given that I am a regular theater consumer, what about those that are not as avid fans?
So here's my list of shows to see:
Beer
The Neo's with Metropolitan Brewing
Closes this weekend, so if you're interested go see it soon (I'm going Saturday)
More info here.
Rose and the Rime
The House Theatre's show at the Chopin
Last November and December the House got a lot of bloggers going with their save theater end of year campaigns. Kris Vire discussed it here.
Regardless, they do good work and need support of the community that they helped create. Even if, in my opinion, they aren't doing a great job marketing the show right now.
Seeing it Sunday, get your tickets.
Stupid Kids
About Face Theatre became the first Equity company in Chicago to have massive budget problems. Yesterday they launched a $300,000 "Save the Theater" campaign, after canceling their last show of the season. I suspect the community, especially the LGBTQ section of it, won't let them fold. But just in case, go see the currently running show before it closes!
Get tickets and read more about the appeal.
So here's my list of shows to see:
Beer
The Neo's with Metropolitan Brewing
Closes this weekend, so if you're interested go see it soon (I'm going Saturday)
More info here.
Rose and the Rime
The House Theatre's show at the Chopin
Last November and December the House got a lot of bloggers going with their save theater end of year campaigns. Kris Vire discussed it here.
Regardless, they do good work and need support of the community that they helped create. Even if, in my opinion, they aren't doing a great job marketing the show right now.
Seeing it Sunday, get your tickets.
Stupid Kids
About Face Theatre became the first Equity company in Chicago to have massive budget problems. Yesterday they launched a $300,000 "Save the Theater" campaign, after canceling their last show of the season. I suspect the community, especially the LGBTQ section of it, won't let them fold. But just in case, go see the currently running show before it closes!
Get tickets and read more about the appeal.
February 19, 2009
The arts won, sorta
Check out these articles for ongoing debate regarding the NEA stimulus money.
Wall Street Journal: The Arts Need Better Arguments
NY Times: Count the Arts In
Of course, there are still people saying that the theater industry did a good job. See the League's blog. I'd hazard a guess that the letter writing campaigns did not elevate the NEA above the other issues. It is more the personal contacts that were used in the last week that actually had sway. That's slightly similar to what lobbyists do, right?
If you encountered someone in the business world that refused to use e-mail, is that an excusable idiosyncrasy? Doubtful.
What about a PR professional who didn't read blogs?
You have to stay relevant in relation to the world you engage in. Is letter writing, even if delivered through e-mail, consistent with what other people lobbying our national government are doing? I don't think so.
It's time to re-evaluate our engagement with our audience, including the government.
Wall Street Journal: The Arts Need Better Arguments
NY Times: Count the Arts In
Of course, there are still people saying that the theater industry did a good job. See the League's blog. I'd hazard a guess that the letter writing campaigns did not elevate the NEA above the other issues. It is more the personal contacts that were used in the last week that actually had sway. That's slightly similar to what lobbyists do, right?
If you encountered someone in the business world that refused to use e-mail, is that an excusable idiosyncrasy? Doubtful.
What about a PR professional who didn't read blogs?
You have to stay relevant in relation to the world you engage in. Is letter writing, even if delivered through e-mail, consistent with what other people lobbying our national government are doing? I don't think so.
It's time to re-evaluate our engagement with our audience, including the government.
Making art like soup
As a child, like most children, I refused to eat cauliflower. It was weird. Vegetables weren't meant to be white. I doubt that I was unique, especially given that my roommate still doesn't eat cauliflower.
In the last few years I have learned to like a lot of edible things including cauliflower. Especially cauliflower soup. So when the man-friend got a couple heads of cauliflower I determined I would make some soup.
On epicurious.com I found a recipe for cauliflower soup with cumin and lime. Interesting enough as it is, but there was one additional hook. The cauliflower was purple.
I'm not sure if this head of cauliflower is like the varicolored carnations you see, in which the carnations are just put in a solution of dye and change colors or if there is a natural variety of cauliflower that happens to be purple. There are purple carrots and potatoes so I guess it is possible.
The long and short of this metaphor is that my soup turned out bright purple.
I think that purple soup might entice a number of people to try cauliflower. It was quite exciting. And if you trick someone to eat something that actually is a mild vegetable that is just a little off-putting on one level is that a bad thing?
Food is something enjoyed on many different sensory levels; taste, texture, smell, and look. Art is enjoyed in the same ways.
Why not camouflage serious art with a little color to introduce people who are scared to it? Kind of like the gateway drug that high school musicals and Broadway in Chicago does for theater?
In the last few years I have learned to like a lot of edible things including cauliflower. Especially cauliflower soup. So when the man-friend got a couple heads of cauliflower I determined I would make some soup.
On epicurious.com I found a recipe for cauliflower soup with cumin and lime. Interesting enough as it is, but there was one additional hook. The cauliflower was purple.
I'm not sure if this head of cauliflower is like the varicolored carnations you see, in which the carnations are just put in a solution of dye and change colors or if there is a natural variety of cauliflower that happens to be purple. There are purple carrots and potatoes so I guess it is possible.
The long and short of this metaphor is that my soup turned out bright purple.
I think that purple soup might entice a number of people to try cauliflower. It was quite exciting. And if you trick someone to eat something that actually is a mild vegetable that is just a little off-putting on one level is that a bad thing?
Food is something enjoyed on many different sensory levels; taste, texture, smell, and look. Art is enjoyed in the same ways.
Why not camouflage serious art with a little color to introduce people who are scared to it? Kind of like the gateway drug that high school musicals and Broadway in Chicago does for theater?
February 12, 2009
The debate rages on
Are arts professionals - artists, fundraisers, janitors, ushers, and the list goes on - actually employed? Are those 'real' jobs? That is the question raised by the $50 million allocated for the NEA in the stimulus plan.
The latest report from the NY Times is that a deal has been reached on a $789 billion dollar stimulus plan, read the article here. Leaving out the proposed NEA funding.
Chris Jones' article has sparked an ongoing debate with two pages of very interesting comments. Check it out again and read through what has been said. I believe that Luke is being sarcastic, unfortunately his comments do nothing to further the argument that the arts have a relevant argument for receiving stimulus money.
Andrew Taylor had a great view on the argument, read it here.
LA's Culture Monster blog had an interesting post regarding Senator Tom Coburn which sparked debate regarding 'artistes' and navel gazing.
The can of worms that has been opened with this debate is at the core of the issues debated during the National Performing Arts Convention. We will not increase federal funding or support if we cannot collectively advocate for $50 million to stave off incredible job losses (at the heart of what the stimulus plan is supposed to do).
As arts professionals continue to debate this issue, I don't see anyone raising more effective tools for galvanizing support other than writing letters. I guess there are those wonderful Americans for the Arts ads... In times like these, are letter writing campaigns effective?
The auto industry poured millions into lobbying for a bail-out. I'd be curious to see if the total spent lobbying comes relatively close to the $50 million earmarked for the NEA.
Who is lobbying for the arts? How are our advocacy organization - American for the Arts, TCG, etc. - furthering our cause in the national press and with law makers?
There is a lot of traffic right now regarding the role of government funding in the arts and its role in society. Over the next few posts I am going to take some time framing my own arguments for support.
The latest report from the NY Times is that a deal has been reached on a $789 billion dollar stimulus plan, read the article here. Leaving out the proposed NEA funding.
Chris Jones' article has sparked an ongoing debate with two pages of very interesting comments. Check it out again and read through what has been said. I believe that Luke is being sarcastic, unfortunately his comments do nothing to further the argument that the arts have a relevant argument for receiving stimulus money.
Andrew Taylor had a great view on the argument, read it here.
LA's Culture Monster blog had an interesting post regarding Senator Tom Coburn which sparked debate regarding 'artistes' and navel gazing.
The can of worms that has been opened with this debate is at the core of the issues debated during the National Performing Arts Convention. We will not increase federal funding or support if we cannot collectively advocate for $50 million to stave off incredible job losses (at the heart of what the stimulus plan is supposed to do).
As arts professionals continue to debate this issue, I don't see anyone raising more effective tools for galvanizing support other than writing letters. I guess there are those wonderful Americans for the Arts ads... In times like these, are letter writing campaigns effective?
The auto industry poured millions into lobbying for a bail-out. I'd be curious to see if the total spent lobbying comes relatively close to the $50 million earmarked for the NEA.
Who is lobbying for the arts? How are our advocacy organization - American for the Arts, TCG, etc. - furthering our cause in the national press and with law makers?
There is a lot of traffic right now regarding the role of government funding in the arts and its role in society. Over the next few posts I am going to take some time framing my own arguments for support.
February 11, 2009
Google Reader
Ok, I was out last night with a friend who works in the marketing and communication field. She admitted to not knowing what Google Reader is.
Access Google's getting started guide here and start using it! The Reader is a brilliant way to organize all of the blogs you are reading or should be reading. It allows you to keep updated in a very short period of time.
Do it.
Access Google's getting started guide here and start using it! The Reader is a brilliant way to organize all of the blogs you are reading or should be reading. It allows you to keep updated in a very short period of time.
Do it.
The perverse incentive
This is something I've been ruminating over for the last week and a half, based on a post from Andrew Taylor. Read his post here.
Andrew defines a perverse incentive as 'a policy that is intended to promote one outcome, but that instead creates the opposite, or fosters a countervailing negative effect.' Immediately the applications for this phrase within marketing departments and budgets for theaters came to mind, which I commented on when I first read the blog and want to elaborate further.
Marketing is the under-appreciated sidekick of theater. I have seen many organizations with marketing budgets so minuscule that they can barely mail to all of their mailing list. And those budgets keep getting trimmed in deference to the art. Unfortunately that is a downward spiral, as most companies don't then trim income projections for ticketed income and individual giving. Marketing directly contributes to those bottom line numbers.
So a case study:
Problem, you can't balance your budget. You're a theater company and the prevailing attitude is to protect the art at all costs. So you trim from the marketing budget, because for some reason the a large portion of the theater profession does not embrace the connection between marketing and a ticket buying audience. It's the art that brings people in the door, right?
Your marketing director creates a plan for utilizing whatever meager budget they have and praying for enough media coverage to make up the difference.
Marketing is the game of hitting a receptive audience with multiple messages and reminders, driving them to eventually purchase tickets or donate money (when coupled with a fundraising ask). Adam Thurman posted a great case study of the White Sox's season ticket campaign here.
Now of course, some of your existing audience can be classified as a fanatic consumer. They will get that season brochure piece and purchase tickets immediately, filling in their calendar at once. That's a small segment of your audience. The rest will put that on the table or in a pile and forget about it, because everyone receives hundreds of marketing messages a day - even the fans.
To attract the rest you need to hit them with reminders. One way you do this is through press. Though at this point, print is shrinking. You can't count on getting your show reviewed any more, let alone getting that preview article to goose early ticket sales.
Without any money for advertising, what's a good marketing professional to do? Well you turn to e-mail and social networking - aka "free marketing tools." Which are free in the monetary sense for the most part, but extremely time sensitive (aka $$). Not only are they time sensitive, if you haven't laid the ground work you aren't going to get a ton of success.
Seth Godin blogged about the saturation point of the internet a little while ago. I can't find the post right now, but his point was this: Although the internet is unlimited in scope, your audience has a limited ability to take in new messages. To combat their saturation of content you have to provide year-round relevant and interesting content. As a theater consumer, interesting content is not that your tickets are on sale. I stop reading those messages there are too many of them.
Ultimately, what ends up happening is you do not bring back as many of your past ticket buyers as you should. Not because they aren't interested in your work, but they simply miss your message in the hundreds of other messages they have received. You also, without advertising, press, and targeted street marketing efforts, don't attract as many new audience members.
This effects your ticket income. And unfortunately your individual contributed income as well, as the development ask at the end of the year is only effective if these individuals have received relevant and interesting messages throughout the year. In the coming year you face even lower income projections and often you trim your marketing budget again.
See the cycle?
Now, how do you break it? As a company, you choose shows that are well known and bring in a lot of new audience members and you trim other budgets in order to maintain a level earned income.
Andrew defines a perverse incentive as 'a policy that is intended to promote one outcome, but that instead creates the opposite, or fosters a countervailing negative effect.' Immediately the applications for this phrase within marketing departments and budgets for theaters came to mind, which I commented on when I first read the blog and want to elaborate further.
Marketing is the under-appreciated sidekick of theater. I have seen many organizations with marketing budgets so minuscule that they can barely mail to all of their mailing list. And those budgets keep getting trimmed in deference to the art. Unfortunately that is a downward spiral, as most companies don't then trim income projections for ticketed income and individual giving. Marketing directly contributes to those bottom line numbers.
So a case study:
Problem, you can't balance your budget. You're a theater company and the prevailing attitude is to protect the art at all costs. So you trim from the marketing budget, because for some reason the a large portion of the theater profession does not embrace the connection between marketing and a ticket buying audience. It's the art that brings people in the door, right?
Your marketing director creates a plan for utilizing whatever meager budget they have and praying for enough media coverage to make up the difference.
Marketing is the game of hitting a receptive audience with multiple messages and reminders, driving them to eventually purchase tickets or donate money (when coupled with a fundraising ask). Adam Thurman posted a great case study of the White Sox's season ticket campaign here.
Now of course, some of your existing audience can be classified as a fanatic consumer. They will get that season brochure piece and purchase tickets immediately, filling in their calendar at once. That's a small segment of your audience. The rest will put that on the table or in a pile and forget about it, because everyone receives hundreds of marketing messages a day - even the fans.
To attract the rest you need to hit them with reminders. One way you do this is through press. Though at this point, print is shrinking. You can't count on getting your show reviewed any more, let alone getting that preview article to goose early ticket sales.
Without any money for advertising, what's a good marketing professional to do? Well you turn to e-mail and social networking - aka "free marketing tools." Which are free in the monetary sense for the most part, but extremely time sensitive (aka $$). Not only are they time sensitive, if you haven't laid the ground work you aren't going to get a ton of success.
Seth Godin blogged about the saturation point of the internet a little while ago. I can't find the post right now, but his point was this: Although the internet is unlimited in scope, your audience has a limited ability to take in new messages. To combat their saturation of content you have to provide year-round relevant and interesting content. As a theater consumer, interesting content is not that your tickets are on sale. I stop reading those messages there are too many of them.
Ultimately, what ends up happening is you do not bring back as many of your past ticket buyers as you should. Not because they aren't interested in your work, but they simply miss your message in the hundreds of other messages they have received. You also, without advertising, press, and targeted street marketing efforts, don't attract as many new audience members.
This effects your ticket income. And unfortunately your individual contributed income as well, as the development ask at the end of the year is only effective if these individuals have received relevant and interesting messages throughout the year. In the coming year you face even lower income projections and often you trim your marketing budget again.
See the cycle?
Now, how do you break it? As a company, you choose shows that are well known and bring in a lot of new audience members and you trim other budgets in order to maintain a level earned income.
February 9, 2009
YES!
The Chicago theater critics have a disproportionate number of Chris's. Time Out Chicago has two, Christopher Piatt (editor) and Kris Vire (his own blog is Storefront Rebellion). The Tribune has the impressive Chris Jones, who I don't always agree with but commands an impressive ability to sell out shows in Chicago.
Mr. Vire had a great post on Time Out's theater blog here.
Mr. Jones has joined the debate over the $50 million stimulus aid for the NEA. Read his article and join in on the great debate here. His thoughts are similar to what I said a little over a week ago.
Mr. Vire had a great post on Time Out's theater blog here.
Mr. Jones has joined the debate over the $50 million stimulus aid for the NEA. Read his article and join in on the great debate here. His thoughts are similar to what I said a little over a week ago.
Catching up...
So, I was berated last week for not posting. I apologize. There have been a lot of things I've been thinking about, so I will try to get caught up with the stuff in my inbox today and post a lot.
(For those wondering, I had 2 job interviews and applied for 4 more jobs last week.)
Seth Godin had an interesting blog over the weekend. He posted in regards to Learning all the time (read it here). It seems as though those reading this blog fall into the category of life-long learners - way to go! Seth included a link to a new book out, The 100 Best Business Books of All Time. Sounds like a great read to me! I'm going to see if the library is getting it and try to get my hands on a copy.
On Friday I came across a book store going out of business located at 309 W Washington, most of the paperbacks were $6.50. I picked up a couple of new fiction books to read and a non-fiction book titled "How To Talk So People Listen." Thus far it has been an interesting read. The first two chapters are dedicated to generational and ethnic differences in addition to discussing the effects of the television and technology revolutions on the way we communicate and absorb messages.
"Click" an internet marketing book that Oriana read and told me about came in to the library on Friday, I also have a book at Barnes and Noble that I ordered that has come in. More about those once I start reading them!
Maybe I shouldn't get a job until I finish all my reading...
(For those wondering, I had 2 job interviews and applied for 4 more jobs last week.)
Seth Godin had an interesting blog over the weekend. He posted in regards to Learning all the time (read it here). It seems as though those reading this blog fall into the category of life-long learners - way to go! Seth included a link to a new book out, The 100 Best Business Books of All Time. Sounds like a great read to me! I'm going to see if the library is getting it and try to get my hands on a copy.
On Friday I came across a book store going out of business located at 309 W Washington, most of the paperbacks were $6.50. I picked up a couple of new fiction books to read and a non-fiction book titled "How To Talk So People Listen." Thus far it has been an interesting read. The first two chapters are dedicated to generational and ethnic differences in addition to discussing the effects of the television and technology revolutions on the way we communicate and absorb messages.
"Click" an internet marketing book that Oriana read and told me about came in to the library on Friday, I also have a book at Barnes and Noble that I ordered that has come in. More about those once I start reading them!
Maybe I shouldn't get a job until I finish all my reading...
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