All we have to offer

The customer is not always right... no matter what he says

Those who stress negotiated meaning argue that the meanings of texts are neither completely predetermined nor completely open, but are subject to certain constraints. Some commentators refer to influences on the process of making meaning such as 'a preferred reading' - which may be represented in the text as 'an inscribed reader' or may emerge in 'interpretative communities'. Individual readers may either accept, modify, ignore or reject such preferred readings, according to their experience, attitudes and purposes.

We are all familiar with concepts which urge us to prioritise the user/audience member. User-centred design is hugely popular in digital media projects, web projects and consumer goods. More and more the role of the consumer in the construction of meaning, and value, is coming to be acknowledged and even prioritised. Web 2.0 technologies, and emerging interaction techniques and practices open up the possibilities for communication which is direct and deeply personal to our consumers. But with these possibilities come dangers.

As arts marketers we are often responsbile for constucting, modifying, incubating the expectations of our audiences. There exists a bond of trust between artists, marketers and audiences as each contributes distinct elements to construct the transactions which occur in cultural consumption. A play may only last 60 minutes, but if a person booked their tickets 3 weeks in advance they have had three weeks with an idea that you (the marketer) and they made together - it is unique to them, was constructed with your help, and with the ideas that the artist gave you about what they should expect.

We lay the foundations for individuals to build complex relationships with the organisations we represent. The foundations will be more accessible to some individuals, and similarly more fertile ground for discreet segments. But by thinking in terms of foundations. By understanding that we are building the schemata of relationships, the skeleton, which the attender will apply meaning we fully understand the potential for personalised approaches.

The schemta which we construct begins and ends in brands - which I will talk about in more detail next week as I describe a shift from an acquisition mindset, where we are trying to communicate a simple, monologic message, to a series of unique relationships, as we induce attenders to climb a ladder of trust, commitment and ultimately meaning.

Constructivist arts marketing

I believe that the meaning which defines the relationship between the attender (consumer) and the venue is constructed by the attender, in partnership with the marketer. The meaning emerges from the interplay between the text (the brand, marketing and promotional activity) and the desires, beliefs and attitudes of the audience member.

The next few posts will describe the process whereby arts marketers can:

Use the schemata of brand to build interactive relationships with attenders which are highly personalised.

Why did you ask me that?

There are substantial dangers to asking the wrong question at the wrong time, and I'm not just talking about proposing here. Developing audiences is like a courtship, a finely tuned ballet in which stages are involved, stages of trust and engagement. You wouldn't propose on the first date, you might never tell your partner your pin number, some information is dear, but its also valuable. Building the relationships possible to earn this information, and the trust needed to illicit it, is one of the primary roles of arts marketing.

Each arts proposition is essentially a new product launch, and we have limited ways of knowing where best to appeal to find an audience. We need our audiences to tell us, before they know anything about it, whether they are going to enjoy what we have to offer. This is like asking someone a question without being able to tell them why you want the answer, and not being able to ask the question in the first place. It's tough. But there are ways to meet this challenge.

How did you hear about this event?

I once saw this question asked on a questionnaire. It is not, of essence a bad question, and may yield useful intelligence about penetration of varying channels into different segments. It might tell you where to put your limited ad money in the future. The problem with the question though was that it was proceeded by a list of 26 different options. This is truly terrible - but it teaches us a lesson, and highlights a potential tool.

The results for the answer were mixed. There is some evidence to suggest that people interpreted it slightly differently. Some people imagined it meant "How did you first hear about this event" and ticked only one option. Others obviously read it as inquiring about every channel they had been exposed to.

But lets leave alone the issue of false memory and recall inaccuracy and the slightly ambiguous wording. The 26 item list killed this question. It was the first one on the questionnaire, took up an entire page on its own and I think left those being asked it bewildered, strained and tired. Even reading the list was an effort, let alone scanning the memory to try and remember any possible exposure. And this is where we hit upon the useful lesson.

There is a problem with all research, that the act of observation will prejudice the results. This is most serious in longtitudinal studies where we're hoping for impartiality, we want accuracy and don't want what we're doing to throw our results out. But that's when we're just researchers. Researchers are annoyed when if after asking people at the start of a study period if they've heard of the UN, this very question sensitises them to the existence of the UN. Now it becomes difficult to accurately judge when any changes to the UN's PR strategy has had an impact on public perception. But as marketers we're cock-a-hoop at this. Just by asking people a well structured question we can sensitize them to our messages. Don't think of blue. Don't look for something blue in the room in which you're currently sitting. Don't sit up straight. If any of that made you think for just one second of the thing I wasn't even telling you to do, then imagine what we can achieve when we start to think more carefully of what impact we can achieve from even traditionally non-impact marketing techniques such as researching.

We have to know what questions to ask, we want to know what answers we might get, and we need to imagine what else we could achieve in the asking.

Arts Marketing: special, not different

It's probably said too often. And too often "different" is meant as a pejorative. Arts marketing can be different. It can be good and bad. But when we start to think of arts marketing as special, rather than different, and see its challenges and opportunities we begin to develop specific strategies to make it even more successful.

Each month a new article concerning arts marketing theory and practice will appear here. Please subscribe, join, visit, tell your friends, contribute, or find another way to make a difference and be happy.

Multiple Blogs, new blogs, old blogs...

By default, b2evolution comes with 4 blogs, named 'Blog All', 'Blog A', 'Blog B' and 'Linkblog'.

Some of these blogs have a special role. Read about it on the corresponding page.

You can create additional blogs or delete unwanted blogs from the blogs admin.

Skins, Stubs and Templates...

By default, all pre-installed blogs are displayed using a skin. (More on skins in another post.)

That means, blogs are accessed through 'index.php', which loads default parameters from the database and then passes on the display job to a skin.

Alternatively, if you don't want to use the default DB parameters and want to, say, force a skin, a category or a specific linkblog, you can create a stub file like the provided 'a_stub.php' and call your blog through this stub instead of index.php .

Finally, if you need to do some very specific customizations to your blog, you may use plain templates instead of skins. In this case, call your blog through a full template, like the provided 'a_noskin.php'.

You will find more information in the stub/template files themselves. Open them in a text editor and read the comments in there.

Either way, make sure you go to the blogs admin and set the correct access method for your blog. When using a stub or a template, you must also set its filename in the 'Stub name' field. Otherwise, the permalinks will not function properly.

About evoSkins...

By default, b2evolution blogs are displayed using a default skin.

Readers can choose a new skin by using the skin switcher integrated in most skins.

You can change the default skin used for any blog by editing the blog parameters in the admin interface. You can also force the use of the default skin for everyone.

Otherwise, you can restrict available skins by deleting some of them from the /blogs/skins folder. You can also create new skins by duplicating, renaming and customizing any existing skin folder.

To start customizing a skin, open its '_main.php' file in an editor and read the comments in there. And, of course, read the manual on evoSkins!

Apache optimization...

In the /blogs folder as well as in /blogs/admin there are two files called [sample.htaccess]. You should try renaming those to [.htaccess].

This will optimize the way b2evolution is handled by the webserver (if you are using Apache). These files are not active by default because a few hosts would display an error right away when you try to use them. If this happens to you when you rename the files, just remove them and you'll be fine.

Clean Permalinks!

b2evolution uses old-style permalinks and feedback links by default. This is to ensure maximum compatibility with various webserver configurations.

Nethertheless, once you feel comfortable with b2evolution, you should try activating clean permalinks in the Settings screen... (check 'Use extra-path info')

This is a blog of Dan Ramsden. After completing an MA in Cultural Policy and Management he has worked in the arts sector, specilising in arts marketing. He lectures at Sheffield College and Sheffield Hallam University and is interested in the way a multidisciplinary approach can develop the ways artists and arts organisations build and sustain audiences for their work.

Third post

This is the third post.

It appears on blog B only and in a single category.