Building the Foundations of Audience Insight in the Black Country and across the West Midlands

Johnathan Branson, Associate, Earthen Lamp

I’m going to talk about

•Background and context

•Aims, objectives and intended outcomes

•Challenges

•Project activity

•Achievements

•Impact

•Legacy

© The Public

Background and context

Audiences Central

•Region audience development agency

•Existed for 20 years, but ceased trading in March 2012

•Research, marketing, audience development

•Funded by ACE, membership, consultancy, marketing services

Arts and cultural sector

•Turbulent few years

•Exciting time

•Passionate and good people© The New Art Gallery Walsall

Audiences Black Country

•Arts Council England funded•Priority area

•Little is known about arts audiences behaviour

•Followed on from other AD initiatives

Project partners•Theatres, galleries, art centres,creative producers, museums

•ACE Portfolio, local authority, independent organisations

© Wolverhampton Art Gallery

Challenges•Conflicting priorities

•Project fatigue

•Impending closure of Audiences Central

•Using universally understood terminology

•The tight timeframe for project delivery

•Time commitment - capacity

•Convincing organisations to share data

The aimTo enable organisations to build audiences sustainably through:

•Developing and enhancing skills

•Building capacity for organisationsto use Arts Audiences: Insight for strategic planning

•Providing advice for developing CRM plans and strategies

•Building knowledge and understanding of audiences for culture in the region

© Wolverhampton Art Gallery

© Dudley Performing Arts

Intended outcomes

•A step-change across all participant organisations

•A region-wide picture of cultural engagement and audience profiles

•A framework for continuing collaborative work

What is CRM?Customer Relationship Management is the establishment, development, maintenance and optimisation of long-term mutually valuable relationships between consumers

and organisations.

- CRM (UK) Ltd (2002)

•Broad parameters to work within

•Dependant on data and intelligence

•Supported by, not reliant on technology

•Integrated/holistic approach

© Light House

What we didSeptember 11 – March 2012

Worked with over 50 arts professionals

11 partner organisations

11 bespoke programmes of support

A data competency audit across all partners

20 one-to-one support sessions

8 group workshops / seminars

Analysis of data from 9 partners

Distributed £60k worth of funds

© The New Art Gallery Walsall

Data competency•An audit of partners’ current CRM and data activity

•Establish data capture and usage

•Designed to identify gaps, themes, areas of support

•Understand awareness of tools and models

•Along with 1-2-1 meetings, informed bespoke packages of support

© Light House

Workshops and seminars

•Based on common priority areas

•Delivered by industry specialist

•Took place at partner organisations

•Included:

• Benchmarking and profiling

• Audience monitoring

• Social media

• Membership schemes

© Wolverhampton Art Gallery

Data AnalysisAudiences London Plus commissioned

•Collected multiple data sets

•Profiled data: Mosaic, ACE Arts Audiences: Insight + Acorn

•Mapped data: catchment area and penetration

•TGI data for catchment area provided on arts attendance

•Produced individual reports + region-wide picture

•Support identification of:

• hot spots of cultural engagement

• areas of un-tapped or little tapped potential where the population is potentially culturally engaged

• areas with a high degree of non-culturally engaged population

One-to-one support

•Based on (CRM) priority areas

•Topics included:

• Membership and ambassador schemes

• Key messages and targeted communications

• Social media and analytics

•Individuals and groups

•2-3 hour sessions

•Case studies, best practice, external perspective

•Follow-up report and recommendations

© The Black Country Living Museum

Implementation Funds

•Specifically to deliver CRM activity identifiedvia ABC project

•Accessible by short application

•Several applications – individual and group bids

•Successful bids include:

• Developing membership schemes

• Developing ambassadors schemes

• Front of house training

• Attracting and engaging young people

© The Public

Achievements / impact

100% of partners felt more confident in approaching

• Customer relationship management

• New ways of audience engagement

• Using audience data and data profiling and segmentation

100% of partners had learned something new

93% had changed the way they do things as a result of ABC

Increased knowledge and understanding of audiences for culture in the region

© Wolverhampton Art Gallery

Legacy.

•Tangible assets: audience profiling data, reports and website

•Forged stronger relationships

•Action plans developed for implementation funds

•ABC funded activity

© Punch

Thank you

Johnathan BransonEarthen Lamp

+44 (0) 7712 447341j.branson@earthenlamp.com

www.earthenlamp.com@J_Branson

© The Black Country Living Museum