The document discusses strategies for increasing patron loyalty and revenue at the Guthrie Theater. It analyzes patron data and trends over time, finding that most revenue comes from existing patrons rather than new patrons. The Guthrie Theater has implemented several initiatives focused on existing patrons, such as improved renewal campaigns and acquisition of add-on purchases from current subscribers. Early results include increased renewal rates, subscription add-ons, and subscriber-donor rates. The key recommendation is to "love the ones you're with" by cultivating loyalty among current patrons through targeted campaigns and personalized engagement.
7. What We Do
Patron Results
1. Consulting
Capacity building for sustainable growth
2. Data & Analytics Services
Aggregation, analysis, direct response counsel
3. Community Data Networks
35 million households
8.
9. Studying Patron Loyalty
Patron Loyalty Index
Donors and
consummate
loyalists
The magic
of “and”
From 1st time to
second or last time
to NOW
12. Increased capacity,
strategy for new audiences
GUTHRIE THEATER
last 5 years
in previous
building
all 7 years in
new building
variance
AVERAGE NUMBER OF TICKETS 298,024 402,515 35%
AVERAGE REVENUE $7,198,693 $12,646,682 76%
AVERAGE AVAILABLE CAPACITY 347,850 524,388 51%
AVERAGE % OF
CAPACITY UTLIZED
84% 77% -7%
13. Market Factors
Market factors both favorable and challenging
Higher penetration =
expensive to acquire
new patrons
Sources: TCG 2010 Theatre Census (peer group of like markets in budget level 6; U.S. Census;
Chronicle of Philanthropy’s “How America Gives” study
14. Completeness: 94% of records have contact information
Report Card: Database
Size: 445,000 households
• 39% Active in past 5 years
• 30% Active in past 3 years
• 23% Active in past 2 years
18. Actionable data
Not just one-time/ one-use research
Directional
Easily Understood
Ongoing Touchstone
19. What we’re trying
Cultivating new audiences
Committing to follow-up on new-to-file patrons
to ensure retention of Tryers
A/B testing:
• Deadline vs. no deadline
• Immediate follow-up vs. waiting a few weeks
after attending
26. What we’re trying
Annual fund acquisition
Low subscriber-donor rate
compared to peers:
• Changed annual fund asks
• Marketing-development partnership
• Incentives for box office staff
25% vs. 32%
27. Early results
Increased renewal rates
GUTHRIE THEATER
RENEWAL CAMPAIGN COMPARISONS*
2013-14 2014-15 variance
BOTH STAGES, FIXED SEAT 83% 88% 5%
THRUST ONLY, FIXED SEAT 80% 83% 3%
PROSC ONLY, FIXED SEAT 61% 70% 9%
CUSTOM PACKAGES 3% 10% 7%
*at same point in campaign, first wave of the campaign
has been completed, additional waves to follow
28. Early results
Increased subscription add-ons
Type # Amount % of # % of $
Additional 160 $17,442 20% 20%
Lapsed 194 $13,614 24% 16%
New 121 $7,363 15% 9%
Renewal 321 $47,678 40% 55%
Total 796 $86,097
Compared to
$40,000 for same
group last year
30. Value of a Patron
Back to basics
Revenue power of just
2,300 households
2007-11
Households
2009-13
Households
%
change
2009-13 Per
Capita
Revenue
Advocates 416 497 19% 5,401$
Buyers 7,455 6,974 -6% 1,027$ 312,003$
Tryers 183,508 181,695 -1% 284$ 514,892$
TOTAL 826,895$
Assumes maintain all
Buyers except those
who grow to
Advocates
Hi everyone, I’m Jill Robinson, President and CEO of TRG Arts. I’m joined today by Trisha Kirk, Director of Marketing at the Guthrie Theater. We’re here today to talk about audience loyalty research and how data led to a plan that’s already changed thinking and practices at one of America’s most lauded theatre companies.
Jill:
We’re talking about loyalty today.
The premise is this: Your audience is not some vast, unknowable conglomerate, but people—the individual audience members or PATRONS who come through your doors.
At TRG, we use the word “patron” for any PERSON engaged with an organization—visitors, ticket buyers, members, donors, event attendee) So know that when you hear us say “patron”, know that I mean any PERSON engaged with any type of arts and entertainment organization—visual or performing arts; seated event or general admission.
Jill:
Loyalty is all about people—and their RELATIONSHIP with your organization. Yes, you heard me use the word relationship. [CLICK]
It’s courtship, a love story—And in your ticketing and database systems, your audience writes the plot line for their relationship with your organization…
Jill:
…through the revenue-based you have with them--transactions like:
Which exhibit they attended, which years they subscribed, how much they donated.
This revenue is what allows your organization to exist, sustain itself, and thrive. It’s funded by revenue, yes, but more deeply, by your patrons’ PASSION for your artform.
Jill:
TRG Arts is a consulting firm dedicated to the arts and entertainment field. We use data to develop strategies that help clients achieve results. TRG Arts was founded in 1995 by our late founder, Rick Lester. Our firm has grown over two decades on pioneering strategies focused on patrons and ways to develop pricing and loyalty that today have achieved results for our clients.
We are based in Colorado Springs, Colorado with 35 team members, each skilled in providing guidance and solutions that are patron-based for sustainable loyalty of patrons and sustainable revenue from those patrons. At TRG, we use the word “patron” for any PERSON engaged with an organization—visitors, ticket buyers, members, donors, event attendee) So know that when you hear us say “patron”, know that I mean any PERSON engaged with any type of arts and entertainment organization—visual or performing arts; seated event or general admission. CLICK
We’ve worked with about 1,200 organizations in arts and entertainment over nearly two decades, in three countries: in the United States…these are some of our marquee clients….in Canada, where our presence has expanded over the past few years, and in Australia and the UK.
Jill:
This is what we do at TRG, falling into 3 areas:
[[Please proceed in your own words, Jill]]
What is a Patron Loyalty Index?
What are Advocates, Buyers, and Tryers?
New venue and its strategy for new audiences. This is not JUST about a new venue. It’s about anyone with seats to fill.
Trish:
The bottom line for why we are working with TRG is to bridge the gap between our available capacity and our utilized capacity - which is a universal theme of any marketing department that isn’t selling to 100% of capacity.
Jill: Was there capacity in the market? In a heavily penetrated marketplace, how big could the Guthrie get?
Source for demographic comparison: Chronicle of Philanthropy’s “How America Gives” report
Source for population data: 2010 US Census estimate (Minneapolis-St Paul MSA)
Source for # Guth households: Audit Questionnaire for TRG (active households)
Source for peer penetration rate: TCG 2010 theatre census, peer group of Size 5 and 6, comparable budget levels, market sizes
Jill: Guthrie’s data told the story of an organization with a high number of active patrons. They were consistent with data collection, which helped us discover opportunities. Data was an asset.
Goal was broadness, so they met their goal, but if they didn’t deepen those relationships it wouldn’t be sustainable.
Trish: Data FORCED us to all get on the same page. It’s not just Trish or marketing saying it, there’s data to back it up. They started asking WWJD?--What would Jill and Jim (their TRG consultants) do?
Development, marketing, artistic were working in an integrated way to understand patrons holistically.
Trish: Committing to follow-up on new-to-file patrons to ensure retention of Tryers.
For EVERY show
Trish:
We had high renewal rates, around 70% and 80% for most packages.
TRG encouraged to keep tweaking to get the rate even higher.
Trish:
Pre-printing the renewal deadline very obviously at the top (in previous years we printed it on as part of the personalization process to ensure the date would be correct, but it made it not stand out)
Saying on the form “…As Easy as 1, 2, 3” and numbering the things people had to do.
Trish:
The option to add a gift is significantly expanded and where there are blanks in the copy were filled in by personalized pre-determined amounts.
Having more directive contact information at the bottom.
Trish: Changed annual fund asks: Who they would ask for acquisition and how much
Trish: We’re working on renewing those custom (small) package people into larger packages.
Trish:
Talk about being stronger at renewing those custom (small) package people into larger packages.
Jill: summary of what Guthrie did at each level:
-Tryers: “Second Date” campaign
-Buyers: How high can the renewal rate go?
-Advocates: growing Buyers into Advocates
Jill: Over the course of 7 years, this is why retention matters.
Trish: It was meaningful to see a number like that. Because we weren’t retaining, we were losing out on $826,895 in revenue.