Can the Brochure Be Reinvented to Save the Arts Sector

ATC / Can the brochure save us?

Can the brochure
save the art sector?

Can the brochure save us by reinventing it and rewarding audiences for using it?


Brochure - can and often are beautiful, hand crafted things - artefacts in their own
right, that are tactile and desirable


Brochures - the thing is that they very quickly end up like this, lost amongst the
crowded display


Brochures - ... and if we’re lucky like this for someone who actually might pick one of
them up and put it somewhere like here


Brochures - and even if they do then there’s a feeling they’re up against it in terms of
working out what they want to go and see


Brochures - too often they don’t even make it to there. As quickly as they’re printed,
they’re straight to the bin and shredders


Brochure - but as an artefact, as a piece of work in itself they can and often are lovely ...


But there’s a sense that it’s going the way of this fellow ...


Meanwhile ... we’re going through one of these things (recession)


... and supposedly being led out of it by one of these things - i.e. we’re not coming out
of it anytime soon


Being constantly told about the squeezed middle and the impact that’s having on
spending


However there’s the feeling (and reality) that digital is moving like this ...


Whilst we’re moving a bit more
slowly


The upshot is that it’s harder and harder (to engage) - less money about, more channels
and more information being thrown at audiences than ever before


It’s enough to make you cry (US election kid)


TODAY WE HAVE THE ANSWER TO ALL THAT AND MORE - the meaning of life the
universe and everything (42 from Douglas Adams, The Hitchhickers Guide ...)


No, not really that would mean we’re a snake-oil
salesman


... or to put that another way - this man (Mitt Romney)

No, instead we think we have an approach which might take the edge off some of it,
provide a nice solution to the brochure thing AND provide users with a means of be
rewarded for their time and effort


The starting point is that there is too much information and that there’s a myriad
number of increasingly fractured channels through which they find out about and
share about stuff and in which they make decisions


At one level or another we’re both missing out on opportunities
Users - because of information overload
Arts organisations - are missing out on opps to engage ... in a more meaningful,
personal and tailored way ... for all the reasons just listed


Put another way, we’re doing this with our time, effort, resources and money on bulk
printing of brochures that are increasingly never read and more likely to be mass
pulped and users are left increasingly on their own to fend for themselves, in spaces
where we have no level of engagement, making decisions we know nothing about


It’s enough to make you
cry


There’s a genuine:

๏ Organisational and business need

๏ Real user need

๏ Real resources and technology that
can facilitate

There’s a genuine business need - better use of time, effort, resources, money
There’s a genuine user need - the need to make better sense of all there is out there on
offer
Thankfully there’s genuine resources and technology to help solve it


The first rule of
techclub is that it’s
not about the
tech ...

If I were to think about this as a tech club (fronted by Edward Norton + Brad Pitt) and
leading on solving these needs and it was, we’d say that ... the first rule of techclub is
that it’s not about the tech!


Instead it’s about real people - e.g. venue staff - knowledgeable, insightful, friendly -
they are an invaluable resource and they are potential tastemakers


The SECOND rule
of techclub is that
it’s NOT ABOUT
THE TECH!

The second rule of techclub is that it’s not about the
tech!


It’s about understanding users and their motivations and in this case it’s also about
incentivising and rewarding that


The third rule of
techclub is ... it is
A BIT about the
tech!

The third rule of techclub is that IT IS about the tech in as much as technology
facilitates the first two


Done bad and it’s an epic fail!


We’re saying ... Connect the Tastemakers and Users and establish a meaningful
relationship between them whereby Tastemakers assist users to make sense of your
programme whilst also allowing users to DIY (there’s always the punk out there)


... and use technology to facilitate
that


And while we’re there doing this, how about throwing some bones!? Rewarding users
for their good behaviour, their effort and the investment of a most precious
commodity ... their time


And Bingo!


Reduced overheads on wasted
resources (printing)

What are the gains here? Well they’re potentially BIG


Increased capture of user data
(and not just personal details but proper taste and flavour information)



An energised and engaged audience



A reward scheme that can be tailored
(to both your organisations marketing and communication strategy AND to users
own motivations)



What behaviour would reward be based on?
๏ Time spent engaging with tastemakers and generating their
own programme

๏ Writing a review

๏ Rating an event

๏ Social activity (e.g. a follow, a like, a recommendation of a
show via Fb/ Tw)

๏ Sharing a digital artefact of their own with you (e.g. picture,
voxpop)

๏ Time spent on your site


What would reward look like?
Again plenty of options to suit individual organisational needs ... e.g.:

๏ Users become Tastemakers themselves over time, helping other users

๏ Users receive access to additional things - online or perhaps ofﬂine

๏ Users get offers - ﬁrst dibs on shows you KNOW are going to sell
out fast

๏ Users get points and we all know what points mean ...


... points mean
prizes!


Platform that ... Shares the That leverages That incentivises Where the
At it’s basic level knowledge and the perfect storm engagement by definition of
allows users to insight your technology is rewarding participation and
compile their Tastemakers can providing to participation range of reward
own programme provide with facilitate this and can be flexible
users do the majority
of the heavy
lifting

While engaging with tastemakers to make sense of ALL the opportunities out there
... to work out what it is they’d MOST likely want to come, see and experience
... users will be able to curate their own selections and create their own personalised
programme
... which they’ll be able to use online and/ or offline, as as a physical or digital artefact


Can the brochure save the world? Probably not ...

Can it be reinvented to save money, foster engagement with audiences, create a
meaningful reward scheme around which both users and organisations gain?
Yes, probably

Returning to the opening section ... will rewarded with a unique artefct
So can the brochure save the world? Probably not ...
not in it’s current guise but with good effort, creative ideas and the right tech ...

Can the Brochure Be Reinvented to Save the Arts Sector

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