Kerry Ellis Byrne, Research and Audience Development Manager Audiences North East, presents an overview of marketing trends from outside the cultural sector and discusses their potential impact and application to the arts sector.
What was big in 2010 and what is the future for 2011. Looking around there aren’t many real ‘new’ trends as such but developments of what’s been before, activity moving from the margins to the mainstream or businesses just intensifying their efforts. In regards to applying them to the arts sector, well, one or two of the trends we’ve actually had the head start however we’re being caught up and over taken. Other trends I’m aware that some of you have already jumped on and making good use. At the end I’ll give you a chance to see what impact they might have on your org and how you can apply them or indeed have already applied them.
Just imagine if you could analyse every transaction and capture insights from every customer interaction in real time...? A lot of you don’t have to as ticketed venues have had this advantage for some time.Through box office systems the sector has had audience data available and while there are different degrees of using it, finally other sectors are catching up and even going beyond.
Data is flooding in as a result of greater access to customer data from public, proprietary, and purchased sources, as well as new information gathered from Web communities. These trends are broadly known as “big data.”Examples – web companies, retailNow becoming so prevalent, consumers if not expecting it, know that it is inevitable they will be segmented and targeted on an individual and personal level.Cultural example – specific offer, not only on genre taste but type of offer – family/2for1
Working collaborate is nothing new however with the economy still struggling it is a trend that is becoming necessary and we’ll see increase.
Partnering with complementary businesses will lead to reduced costs and increased exposure to new audiences.Examples – Nike/ipod & Alex Burke/Sure
Cultural example – Anlwick Gardens – family ticket promotions with Centre for Life and displayed exhibition drawings for Seven Stories
The ability for consumers to develop and support products has moved from the margins of business practice to the mainstream.
Thanks to social media, it’s become easier to ask your customers to contribute to product development or collaborate on other creative endeavors.Using it as an addition to traditional research is helpful for quick and continued feedback from the collective voice of consumers – usually digital on private communities, wikis, Communispace has been around since 2000 doing it.However important that organisations gain a high level of trust within a Web community to earn the engagement of top participants – respond and make it 2-way.QuoteExamples – Guardian & Tate
As social networking and media-exchange of information has increase, consumers have become more comfortable with their power to get the true story on products from friends and even total strangers. So it’s important that organisations are not only being part of creating WOM but creating positive WOM.
Following on from the idea of crowdsourcing organisations need to build and develop quality connections with those who are loyal to the brand and will spread your message. Hundreds/thousands of connections/followers won’t necessarily help with this as their engagement is likely to disappear after first interaction. Key is to build even a handful of reliable brand advocates that are out there and trusted by the ‘community’ but to give them the freedom to be independent.Those that need to be in control - important organisations monitor their reputation on the Web and respond accordingly. With dashboards and social media aggregators like Hootsuite and Spredfast, it's easier than ever for organisation to develop, nurture and track their stature online.Cultural example – use those who are ‘Friends’, get to know your social network engagers/cultural sector communities, following up negative WOM
Developed this term from a buzz term in the IT industry which is Cloud Computing which I think exemplifies this trend. Cloud computing describes delivery and consumption model for IT services which allows organisations to access to resources through networks rather than the software. Software as a service – pay-as-you-use service.
Outside of IT sector, past examples are utility and mobile companies. Because consumers like this – it saves money, less hassel and allows them to ‘taste’ rather than jump in, other sectors are jumping on board.Example – Pay-as-you-go gym, Pay-as-you-drive insurance, Pay-as-you go credit card
Cultural examples – organisation use cloud computing, consumer point of view – Friends/membership scheme, instead of one-off membership cost, get money back at end of year depending on attendance. Or pay for streaming of film/tour rather than attendance.
Consumers no longer just crave products but the experiences that come with them.
If you can attract and maintain the attention of consumers by stimulating all their senses this will translate into an unforgettable one that will have a longer-lasting effect and keeps them coming back for more. Disney example, tangible memories This emotional involvement will in turn motivate them to buy. Example – Ikea, come in and have a snooze & interactive app
Cultural example - Could be written copy, the images or to actually access a snippet of the experience as video/sound clip. Free spontaneous tours to coffee shop users or open mornings.
Viral marketing been around however the notion of creating magnetic content that will pull rather than push
Organisations will intensify their focus on content that naturally attract consumers to the organisation, rather than the interruption model of advertising that organisations.Magnetic content needs to be anything that consumers genuinely want to engage with and pass along to others so it needs to entertain, amuse, inform or serve as a function. This means researching customer behaviours, attitudes and lifestyles for magnetic ideas so you connect with consumer needs/wants Example – VW ad, The Force
Cultural example - Not only digital (YouTube, video games) but print – Fentimans.
In an integrated marketing campaign must be consistent in tone. All channels need to have the organisation’s Single Minded Message. After all, the goal is to achieve a seamless communication with consumers that extends across a variety of channels. Then consumers can pick and choose how they want to interact with your brand.However for a great integrated campaign it cannot just be mirrors of the same message but for it to take the multi-platform approach to the next level by using each channel to feed into an overarching story.Examples – Old Spice
simple TV ads that turned into a great social media campaign. quirky humor appealed to youth markets, which responded by storming social media channels with messages of praise for the ads. Old Spice quickly responded to this and created an integrated campaign where public could ask questions via Twitter, Facebook, and a handful of other social networking sites and "the Old Spice guy" responded via short videos – would your question get answered.Cultural example – including #tags on promotions, call to actions, treasure hunts
With the continued evolution of smartphones, GPS tracking and IP intelligence geotargeting is becoming a very popular. Geotargeting allows organisations to immediately and automatically deliver relevant adverts, products, promotions, content and language - creating an instant connection and closer relationship with consumers. One type is around social media applications with location check-in features, such as Facebook, FourSquare and PlacePop. Allows a 2-way interaction with consumers where they are at a specific time. Another is mobile couponing, which is being driven forward by players like Groupon and LivingSocial. Another is classified advertising can target their campaigns to appear on the devices of any consumer browsing a mobile site or app within a given distance of one of their service/product.Geotargeting technology therefore provides an all-in-one tool to drive online interactions toward a closer relationship with online audiencesExample - A recent location-targeted advertising campaign run by mobile operator O2, located users and flagged them to the nearest O2 venue in order to win competition prizes and sign up to mailing list.Cultural example - VisitBritain
VisitBritain joined forces with Facebook to launch an online league table of popular places created by tourists. Encourages visitors to ‘’check in’’ by mobile device every time they reach a notable British location and write a review of what they find. This information then goes automatically to update the new list of ‘’Top 50 UK Places’’
A bit of a buzz word that is a rather all-encompassing term but the definition I understand is ethical economics.
Our planet is warming, our population is growing, our water supply is under pressure, and our financial systems have suffered. Because of this there is a growing perception that organizations have an inherent responsibility to be more socially responsible.Efforts will need to be believable, sustained, and engaging - connect with the public however bear in mind that such efforts do not automatically translate into increased revenue or even an improved public image. Those that are consistent may eventually gain a strong reputation that could pay dividends in the form of increased customer loyalty.Examples – Fox, Fair Trade, Sustainable Apparel Collation
Examples – Fox’s The Daily/Wall street Journal are carbon neutral. Fairtrade has bucked the recession and has a growing economy. Sustainable Apparel Coalition is made up of 30 footware organisations (walmart, levi, marks and spencers, addidas) working together to develop an industrywide supply-chain index that measures water and energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, waste, social labor practices, and moreCultural example – recycled sustainable print, be part of schemes like 10:10 (cutting 10% carbon),