asking the right questions session 1

Asking the Right Questions:Using Research to Build Your Arts Audience

“Psychographics and the Customer Experience”Arts Engagement Exchange Learning Circle Series

Session 127 October 2009

Our Agenda

• Intro to “Asking the Right Questions” Series– Session 1: Issues I need to research – Session 2: Who I want to see more– Session 3: Wrapping up my plan

• Role of Research: Link Issues with Opportunity • Our Responsibility as Market Researchers• Applying in “real time” to my Organization

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“Asking the Right Questions”

• Our Learning Objective– What you asked us to teach– What we will NOT be covering

• How did we use the initial interest survey?– We built a Psychographic profile of this class

• What did we discover during the Audit?– Our #1 Challenge for the LC and possible solutions

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Who is attending today?

Our Organization Lifestages Organizations Types

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Link Research to Your Business Plan• It’s the first step in our Marketing planning cycle

– Focus on understanding the best, most practical business solutions– We call this “defining the research problem”

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Our Responsibility as Experts

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Rapid Cognition

• An art historian who correctly intuits that a sculpture is a fake despite the same sculpture having been authenticated after months of study by museum experts.

• A Behavioral expert who watches 15 minutes of videotaped conversation between couples and predicts with 90% accuracy who will stay together and who will be divorced 5 years later.

Snap judgments that get right at the truth of the question with no evidence

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“Insight is not

a light bulb that goes off

inside our heads.

It is a flickering candle that can easily be

snuffed out.”

Malcom Gladwell

Audience Research is Intuitive

Why Do We Use It?• Understand the other players in our arts and entertainment landscape

Complete category overview, levels of success and potential cross-over between and among audiences

• Get to know our audienceWho they are, preferences, frustrations, and attendance patterns

How Does It Help Me?•ID opportunities and solve problems• Improve organization management•Influence decisions on budgets, fundraising and promotion•Prioritize spending and seek funding•Identify potential new audiences• Predict future audience behavior

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Audience Research Types

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Research Should Focus on a Target

1. Pick a Target with Potential• Identifiable• Accessible• Sizeable• Stable• Unique Needs

• Identifiable• Accessible• Sizeable• Stable• Unique Needs

2. Group them into Segments• Segmentation Variables

(examples)– Descriptive

• Demographics• Geography

– Behavioral• Psychographics• Benefit Expectations

• What would you add?

• Segmentation Variables (examples)– Descriptive

• Demographics• Geography

– Behavioral• Psychographics• Benefit Expectations

• What would you add?

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John Steinbeck (U.S. Novelist)from How We Lead Matters: Reflections on a Life of Leadership by Marilyn Carlson Nelson.

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“Tourists are very valuable to the modern world.

It’s very difficult to hate people that you know.”

“Tourists are very valuable to the modern world.

It’s very difficult to hate people that you know.”

Pop Quiz: My favorite arts event…

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Why Psychographics? Philippe Ravanas, Professor, Columbia College Chicago held a learning circle in the Spring 2009 for AEE members.

Summaries of the participant findings reflect a powerful view at a new way to segment different Arts audiences based upon the needs pyramid developed by Abraham Maslow .

What Is Transformative in the arts?1.Ability to see the work in a new, meaningful way 2.Expand capacity for empathy for the other: heightened perception of your oneness3.A deeper recognition of yourself and your passion & capabilities4.An opening up & awareness of your own “emotional well”5.An appreciation for the purity & power of beauty

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Marketing Evolution:More Segments of Tribes

• Mark Rovner, a heretic galvanizing the mavericks of the nonprofit world to challenge the status quo.

• Tasmin Little, a noted violinist leading a worldwide quest to introduce classical music to children.

• Micah Sifry, a writer and editor who organizes and provokes political activists from both sides.

• Susan Sobbott, an American Express executive who spends her day (and her dollars) finding, leading, and connecting small-business owners.

A Tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea.

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“Marketing changed everything.

Marketing created leverage.

Most of all, Marketing freed and energized

The Tribe.

If the Tribe does not like the King, they are now

free to leave.”Seth Godin

You want to reach this audience? Yes.Understanding how they are influenced will change your current plans.

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Is Your Marketing Plan Ready?

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Your Research Plan: Factors that Matter MostIf you are attempting to define a new path to new audience members, then these need clear planning definitions.

How Do I get Started?1.Identifying the top marketing challenges is job #1.2.Then, translating those challenges into research questions to qualify and quantify solutions is next. 3.This will require focus and alignment.

A Jump Start on 2010We took a look at your plans and are ready to offer a few suggestion that will set your team up for success.

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MARKETING PLAN MISSING LINKS Our pre-workshop audit results

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Frame Your 2010 Foundation

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Does My Marketing Plan Include?

What Is Going On?• Vision Statement & Goals• Assessment of Current Conditions

– Macro – economy, governmental, social– Market / Category Analysis– Consumer Analysis – Internal Situation – company mission and

vision statement, corporate, financial, long term objectives, resources, financial, etc

• What’s Working vs What’s not Working for us?

• Competitive Analysis• SWOT or Summary

What I Am Doing About It?• Brand Experience Objectives• Marketing Strategies• Marketing Tactic Mix

– Product – Placement– Price – Promotion

• Shifts in Implementation

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Translating Marketing Issues into Research Questions

Easy as 1.2.3. Type of Research Options

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Your Turn. Give it a Try.

Part 1• What are Your Marketing

Challenges today?– My organization– My competition

• Use your current plan to define the #1 issue for 2010– Pick ONE issue only

• This is the MOST important question for impact on 2010

Part 2• Translate those challenges

into research questions for my best target in 2010.– Create ONE question per

organization. • This is the MOST important

question for impact on 2010

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RESEARCH PLAN CONSIDERATIONSOur pre-workshop audit results

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Your Research Plans Are Evolving

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A Fork in the Road

The Right Question Defines… A Unique Target

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Qualitative: “Why”

Topline Target Considerations

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Quantitative: “Who” and “What”

Topline Target Considerations

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A Survey Deep Dive?

• This is a high area of interest for many of you

• We will cover this in greater detail with in-class workshop on 11/3

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Make copies ofSurvey

25

Your Turn. Give it a Try.

Part 1• What is your #1 challenge

as a research questions for my best target in 2010.– Pick ONE question per

organization. • This is the MOST important

question for impact on 2010

Part 2• What types of research

should I do today to get that answer?– Need to do now– Nice to Have Later– Hurdles to Overcome– Possible solutions

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APPLYING TODAY’S KEY LEARNING TO THIS CLASS

Our pre-workshop audit results

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How would you describe your organization's lifestage?

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2

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Infancy Teenager Newlyweds Parents The GoldenYears

Frequency

Lifestage vs. Ask Audience Opinion

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Infancy Teenager Newlyweds Parents The GoldenYears

Frequency Rarely

Occasionally

Regularly

Frequently

Ask Audience Opinion vs. Information Used

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Frequ

ently

Regular

ly

Occ

asion

ally

Rarely

Frequency Advocacy/Activism

Personal Satisfaction

Purchase behavior

Demographic

*select all that apply

If You Remember One Thing…

• Many types of people make up an audience• Understanding how to segment that audience

and research “who, “what” and “why” can make organizations profitable and happy

• It just takes practice.• And, practice leads to confidence.

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Homework? Yes.Discover1. My psychographics approach to audience segments that I plan to use to focus my

2010 Marketing Plan priorities2. #1 business challenge for my #1 target – what is the solution worth in revenue?3. The best research methods to define the solution options for my target?

Debate• Set time to connect with your team to review your POV prior to class• Prepare this SINGLE slide overview in ppt to outline your organization’s plan

Deliver• Send that ppt to Kelley and Brenda by noon on Monday, November 2 via email in

preparation for your share out during class

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Stay Connected to Your Learning CircleSee you at our next session on 11/3 in this same room from 9am-noon.

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