Launched! Landmark Study on Profound Benefits of the Performing Arts

I have spent 2 years on this epic exploration that had me visit eight provinces, one territory and meet over 1,000 people who work in the performing arts.

Here's part of the press release (click for full release) and the report and infographic links:
April 29, 2013 - Performing arts presenting generates a wide range of benefits for Canadians, the communities they live in and society at large, according to a report prepared by Strategic Moves and released today by the Canadian Arts Presenting Association (CAPACOA).

The Value of Presenting: A Study of Performing Arts Presentation in Canada includes a comprehensive historical and contemporary overview of the performing arts ecosystem. It reveals that performing arts are valued by the vast majority of Canadians – across socio-economic differences – and it provides a new perspective on younger Canadians’ interest in live performing arts. Most importantly, the study identifies a broad range of public benefits associated with performing arts presentation, including better health and well-being, greater energy and vitality in communities, and a more caring and cohesive society.

Read the full report		View the infographic		View the infographic

Canadian Atlas Online

If reading reports isn't your thing read on: I am thrilled that we were able to partner with the one-of-a-kind Canadian Geographic, in putting together a brand new, unique thematic for the Canadian Atlas Online. This thematic aims squarely at the public in general, and the education sector in particular. It offers a look at performing arts in Canada historically, geographically and in terms of the many benefits Canadians receive. And all that in short, to-the-point descriptions, videos and games! The team at Banfield-Seguin & Porkcoffee did an extraordinary job putting my scripts, finely edited by Canadian Geographic's team, together and making some complex concepts come to life in short and poignant videos!

http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas/themes.aspx?id=performingarts&sub=performingarts_basics_introduction&lang=En

Marketing trends and getting real

...  the internet is not new media: We are now 18 years in. An entire generation is alive now that simply lives with all things web as a normal part of their world.

So what is happening in marketing that all organizations should get smart about and determine the strategic implications for their organization?

Contemporary marketing is about storytelling, co-creating meaning, and making research and purchases easy and immediate. 

Important marketing trends are those that leverage that fact.

A. Integration of websites with social networks and mobile applications

Youtube was launched in 2005, Facebook and Twitter came in 2006. Barely six or seven years old they have an unprecedented reach ranging from about 500 million to 1 billion users. These are global platforms, with a reach that breaks most rules of geography.  The increasing integration of services like Youtube, Facebook, Twitter with both desktops and mobile devices and within websites creates new dynamics between organizations and their audiences.

Marketers need to understand what these channels mean to their organization.

Recently, smart phones with touch screens, tablets and e-readers with web access have become ubiquitous.

Great websites have evolved from early brochure ware, UseNet groups and List serves to being hubs of branded transactions with social media integration and mobile connectivity. Today, website pages can be shared with a push of a single button to a user’s social media universe and it can raise awareness, start conversations or even elicit sales through their social networks. Similarly, organizations are cross-linking their web sites and social media presence to provide a seamless user experience, going where users are.

Seemingly limitless access to information, easy consumption of entertainment, creation and sharing of content and experiences has transformed how we behave, what we expect and what we want.

B. DIY

Websites used to be expensive custom installations with IT infrastructure, benefiting from substantial user research and expert programmers. 

Today, WordPress and similar services have become robust DIY web tools ("Software as a service") that work very well, have extensive plug-in options for customization and keep costs very low. 

Many of these off-the-shelf DIY tools can create a mobile-friendly version of a website on the fly. This is important as more and more users visit websites using their mobile devices with their much smaller screens.

Not every organization will want to go the route of DIY, but they have to know what's going on and what it means to their competitive positioning. (e.g. what are  new competitive factors to consider when others adopt these tools?)

[Surveymonkey, another example of software as a service, has achieved over $1 billion in market cap - yes, that surely keeps some traditional research house executives up at night. Another is salesforce.com.]

C. Mobile Applications

The ‘appification’ of the online experience has advanced rapidly in the last five years. Festivals, for instance, have quickly adopted downloadable apps to stay connected with visitors. Several companies have developed standard applications that offer affordable off the shelf solutions.

In my view, it is hard to imagine that any event without an app will be considered a leader in its field in the near future. There are myriad other apps applications, some short-term and some durable: from news to entertainment to the frivolous to the life-altering.

D. Simplicity rules

Even as the world and technology has become increasingly complex, people gravitate toward simple, easily recognizable messages and calls for action.

The time of complex visual marketing is long over (if that was ever more than a design fad) Simple images that convey a single core idea are used by strong brands because they work. Anything that is not necessary to get to “yes” merely gets in the way. 

It is the difference between the completely uncluttered Google search website with a single function and Yahoo search with content obscuring its main function. 

The market leader usurped by the single-mindedly focused. 

What is your take on these observations and the big issues you  need to solve?

The trouble with dynamic strategy canvases: Calgary Centre by-election

Calgary Centre is holding a by-election on November 26, 2012. A group of progressive citizens under the banner of 1CalgaryCentre (website and Facebook) has attempted what progressive political parties have been unable to do: create a process to select a consensus progressive candidate. It's a grand experiment; it is idealistic and optimistic. It suggests doing something is better than doing nothing.

That process returned valuable insights but that's not what this post is about really. (Yes, Chris Turner running for the Green party won - his campaign was way more effective at turning out the vote online).

Some people have been critical of the lack of "representativeness" of the 1CalgaryCentre process. Well, it wasn't intended to be representative - or predict an election outcome based on a 'snapshot-in-time' poll. Rather it sought to crowdsource a consensus candidate among engaged progressive voters, i.e. people likely to actually cast a vote. That is a fundamentally different objective than the typical election polls reported on in the media as if they could predict the outcome on election day (Yes, horse races can be fun to watch. Yes, voters benefit from having access to non-partisan polling as it shows them a snapshot of what people in their riding are thinking).

1CalgaryCentre is another, a unique data point progressives in Calgary Centre can consider when they go vote.

A worthwhile point relating to random election poll is that, yes, they are based on the science of statistics and yet, they consistently and dramatically over-estimate voter turnout. So, the real question isn't random polls and whether they are accurate: they usually are within the errors they measure at that moment in time (sampling error is measured by "margin of error", all others usually ignored in reporting - such as people inaccurately reporting about actually going to vote; it's human nature: voting is seen as socially desirable, so when Canadians are ask, they are prone to say they will vote.)

Actual voter participation comes in at about 60% on average in recent Canadian general elections; it was 55.6% in Calgary Centre in the 2011 federal election. The random polls published over-estimate turnout significantly. Return-on-Insight reported that 12% said they won't vote (thanks for the honesty!) and 16% were undecided. Similarly the last Forum poll on November 17 surveyed 403 Calgary Centre residents and 374 indicated who they would vote for, resulting in only 8% indicating they aren't voting. Matching the actual turnout in Calgary Centre in 2011, the true number of "won't vote" should be closer to 45%.

In essence this means that  the strategy canvas on which this by-election is happening is highly dynamic: voter turnout alone determines the result. The reason for this is that the random phone surveys suggest that 2/3 of Calgary Centre voters support progressives. It's actually mathematically possible for progressives to come in 1st and 2nd.

So here's some math for you:
Scenario 1

2011 voters	Nov 17 Forum poll breakout		2012 by-election votes	differential to leader
49235	35%		17,232		CPC
49235	30%		14,771	-2,462	Liberal
49235	25%		12,309	-4,924	Green
49235	10%		4,924		NDP
	100%
Scenario 2 2011 voters (minus 10%)
44312	35%		15,509		CPC
44312	30%		13,293	-2,216	Liberal
44312	25%		11,078	-4,431	Green
44312	10%		4,431		NDP
	100%
Scenario 3
2011 voters (minus 20%)
39388	35%		13,786		CPC
39388	30%		11,816	-1,969	Liberal
39388	25%		9,847	-3,939	Green
39388	10%		3,939		NDP
	100%

You see how the lower the turnout, the more important the progressive vote becomes, ie the victory of the poll-leading party becomes ever thinner in terms of number of votes difference.

In essence, the strategy canvas is dynamic and not set (this is not a zero-sum game), so here is another calculation:

Imagine Green party supporters identified by the Forum polls, turn out to vote at 75%, while the other parties deliver on the high end of a by-election turnout:

	2012 Forum poll	eligible voters	2012 votes
Chris Turner (Green Party) - 75% of his 25% support	25%	88520	16597
CPC (based on votes from scenario 2)			15509
Liberal  (based on votes from scenario 2).			13293
NDP  (based on votes from scenario 2)			4431
New base			55363

That's right. This would boost the overall voter participation rate quite a bit. Note, this calculation uses two different base numbers. And why not? This is a dynamic field, where variables move based on actual behaviour. It's within the Turner team's grasp to win. Needless to say, it's also within the Liberal party's grasp to win. Deeper analysis by others suggests that the chances of the Liberal Party campaign team boosting up support is less likely. Still, if both Turner and Locke were to mobilize their vote at high enough rates, Calgary Centre could return the most unexpected: a 1st and 2nd place for progressive candidates.

Confidence is a key to the scenario. People do like to vote for winners. That means, Turner voters have to feel confident they can win and then they might vote for him. That's the whole secret to momentum and translating momentum into votes. 

Those voting for Chris Turner must turn out at high rates; if they do they can secure a seat in Ottawa. Amazingly, that doesn't just mean people under 40 who would make the difference, but people of all ages. Random polls are reporting strong support for CPC among 18-34 which is plausible enough.

If we accept that Conservative voters are split by the political leaning of their particular candidate toward the far-right leaving the so-called Red Tories out, so that they either will not vote or vote Green (James Harris was a Red Tory who became leader of the Green Party), then Canada has the makings of a truly historic moment today, driven by citizens who are both engaged politically and fed up with being discounted.

Pathways to House of Commons for progressives

Calgary Centre progressives have a beautiful process here (despite its many limitations; most notable no cooperation by progressive parties) that says Turner has the greatest momentum and looks to be able to turn out the vote most effectively. The math says: show up and vote and a progressive will win.

If you were part of the 45% who didn't vote in 2011 - that's 39,000 people - realize it's up to you. The relatively small but critical number of NDP supporters also have it in their hands to elect a progressive by voting for Turner or Locke. The Greens can do it by themselves if they turn out in unprecedented numbers for Chris Turner. These are the three main pathways on a fluid strategy canvas. As you can see, turnout, which truly is a measure of enthusiasm, is everything.

With this I await the returns from tomorrow's vote to find out whether Calgary Centre isn't just progressive in spirit, but filled with enough progressive voters to send a progressive to Ottawa to represent them.

And I applaud the 1CalgaryCentre team on persevering throughout this first-of-its-kind citizen experiment. It has made this by-election worth watching from afar.

(Full disclosure: as a tax-paying, long-time permanent resident in Canada I cannot and do not vote in any Canadian elections. I grew up in West-Germany, a democratic country with a proportional and representative voting system - one vote for a candidate in the riding, one vote for a party, which are combined to create German parliaments. Half the parliamentarians are elected directly, the other half via the party lists, which usually take geography into account. It's a purposefully designed multi-party system that more often than not results in coalition governments, with coalition contracts forged during coalition negotiations following elections.)

Beyond the Headlines storified.

Beyond the Headlines with MRIA Ottawa on June 14

At the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association's Ottawa Chapter we are exploring "Beyond the Headlines" with this "Open Forum with Leading Researchers and Journalists."

Researchers have been busy discussing the merits of different methodologies while journalists are working to make sense of an unfolding and shifting world.

Journalists work in the pursuit of fact and truth so that Canadians have the information they need to make choices for themselves and understand the world in which we live. Researchers like to think that “polls strengthen Canada’s democracy by giving voice and influence to Canadians on products, services and issues that directly affect their lives.”

Hear from some of Canada’s leading voices through presentations and an interactive panel discussion. This forum will give participants ample opportunity to ask their own questions and discuss implications.

June 14, 2012 in Ottawa

Early bird: June 5

Detailed forum information

Panelists: Michael Adams, Frank Graves, Glen McGregor

Greg Lyle

Eric Grenier

Making information accessible

Long, comprehensive reports, however enthralling, are, at best, read by a minority. That's why I have been preparing smaller, focused supplementary reports for the Value of Presenting study.

A report on Francophone minorities in Canada: La diffusion des arts vivants dans la francophonie canadienne (PDF)

A Special Report Rural Northern Presenting (PDF)
And the presentation in Powerpoint format I used for a couple of webinars to discuss this information with rural and Northern presenters earlier this month:
Presentation Rural Northern Presenting Highlights (PDF)

A special report on Dance Attendance Supplementary Analysis (PDF)

These reports go beyond the Interim Report that spawns them by deepening the specific information from our survey of the Canadian public.

Additional segment reports will be published over the spring to help Canadian presenters and anyone interested see themselves more clearly in this sector-wide study.

Media coverage in articles and interviews is summarized in this post.

Report published: Value of Presenting revealed

This spring my life has been dominated by writing. The result is a major milestone for the Value of Presenting: A Study of Arts Presentation in Canada.

In this Interim Report of Findings I consolidate the facts and figures on the value and benefits of performing arts presenting in Canada gathered over the last year through two national surveys (288 presenters and 1,031 Canadians), participation at conferences, leading dialogues and interviews with the presenting field and those found in the literature. Additionally, it presents a profile of the performing arts presenting ecology as a whole and highlights how several groups of presenters are distinct; for instance, those presenting works for aboriginal communities, francophone minority (those operating outside Quebec) and those in rural and remote communities.

The Interim Report of Findings:
http://www.diffusionartspresenting.ca/2012/05/07/interim-report-of-findings/

French-language executive summary:
http://www.diffusionartspresenting.ca/2012/05/07/rapport-interimaire/

The supplementary report on francophone minorities and presenting in Canada, with additional data:
http://www.diffusionartspresenting.ca/2012/05/07/diffusion-francophonie/

Writing is both solitary and communal. My thanks and appreciation go to the project manager at CAPACOA, Frédéric Julien, for reviewing everything and co-writing the French report. And my colleague, Pierre Lacroix, who has been leading the consulting work with the francophone communities and co-wrote the French-language report.

Over the next year, I will continue to explore the implications of these and other findings with the presenting field across Canada. In March 2013, we will publish a final report on the Value of Presenting in both English and French.

This next week, I will lead two webinars for rural and Northern presenters to review findings and begin conversations on the "So, what" part of this work. For webinar information: http://www.diffusionartspresenting.ca/events/

Ottawa is putting it all together for Juno Awards Week

Being invited to participate on the Ottawa Host Committee for Juno 2012 has offered me a deeper perspective of the tremendous teamwork, expertise and volunteerism needed to bring a major national event to a city. Ottawa's institutions are very well practiced in producing major events, having made that an important pillar of economic development activities in the region.

Members of the Host Committee with the Juno Ice Sculpture.

This collaboration ranging from the NCC and the City to Aboriginal and Francophone communities, from the Chamber of Commerce and local BIAs to museums, transportation hubs and local media partners to the universities, and, of course, the local bar/ music scene is awesome. Sponsors are also a key part in the "making it go" equation.

Producing and promoting a major event is a complex choreography. To make it go requires diligent effort, involvement and engagement of people and communities, and a flexible plan. Knowing the many innovative marketing and "civic animation" ideas we have generated to help bring a buzz for the Juno Awards and Canadian music to Ottawa and the nation is simply cool. Many of these ideas have been put in place. Any that aren't seeing the light of day due to time and resource constraints will be well worth revisiting in the future; especially those that involved more advanced uses of communications technologies.

Meanwhile, partnerships like this one with the University of Ottawa/Ottawa Host Committee/ MASC are using technology to bust wide open the sacred walls of learning through video-conferencing master classes with leading musicians across Canada.

http://www.junoawards.ca

In the best of worlds, major events serve the visiting organization (CARAS, in this case), its constituents (music industry and musicians) while providing unique opportunities for participation to the local community and, at the same time, elevating the brand of the city in the Nation's psyche. On April 1, Canadians will see Ottawa once again for what it is - a vibrant city and a diverse people much beyond the day-to-day political machinations inherent in being a capital.  And almost better yet, all through Juno week from March 26 to the CTV Juno Award show broadcast on April 1, people in Ottawa-Gatineau get to celebrate Canadian music in bars, on the street and in concert halls across the region.

Juno Week in Ottawa: March 26 to April 1, 2012. 

Juno 2012 in Ottawa

Canada's premier music celebration, the Juno Awards, is returning to Ottawa this spring. I have the pleasure of volunteering on the local Host City Committee; needless to say ... check it out!

Next week, the nominees will be announced, just in time for the public ticket on sale date for the Awards show.

Ottawa will be buzzing with Juno action from March 26 to April 1, 2012 with dozens of shows, a mega autograph session, basketball and hockey games and more.

"How can I sell tickets using Twitter?"

Have you ever heard someone ask: "How can I sell tickets using Twitter?" or "I have a lot of Facebook fans but very few seem to buy tickets to my events. I don't think Facebook works for me."

I have puzzled over such statements; I couldn't understand why anyone would measure these social media platforms by their capacity to achieve direct sales  --- whether of tickets or widgets or gadgets.

In my mind, social media were, well, social.

Social means relationships. Social means conversation - mostly consumer to consumer, but also consumer to brand. Social means mutual respect. Social might mean recommendation. Social can mean someone buys something based - at least in part - on a social network interaction. But it all starts with authentic relationships, it's like being friends in the so-called real world.

Off I went looking for organizations using social media in exemplary ways, especially in the performing arts presenting field. This experiment is part of the Value of Presenting Study we have been working on.

The experiment: Interview by Twitter 
The topic: The use of social media and online technology in your performing arts organization.
The interviewees: Two arts presenters (read the transcripts here: Shell Theatre and the National Arts Centre) who use social media in exemplary ways and an agent who does, too.

Key findings:
1. Social media are about building relationships
2. There are other ways to sell tickets
3. Audiences engaged: mostly the 30 to 55 year-old crowd rather than "young people", even though one interviewees said they find Facebook and txt works with a Students Rush tickets program;
4. Hone your authentic voice
5. Experiment to see what works for your organization

It's fun to experiment with trying to help more people see what the strategic potential of social media in the performing arts presenting sector could be, by doing. In this case, it's not in direct sales measured by revenue, but in building relationships measured by quality of relationships, engagement and championship of the brand. It is not an old-style transactional relationship, but one that is mutually enriching, extends beyond attendance, and requires new, timely interactions. And they are a lot more public.

The importance of voice is a fascinating topic in the concise world of social networks. (As these interviews show, short texts can be extremely good at making clear points and sharing salient information.) Voice is a key brand attribute that requires honing and calibration.

I think the adoption of social media shifts an organization's brand into a new realm. As such, an evaluation  of  what an organization stands for and how it is and behaves in its world (in short an evaluation of market relevance), may well be an essential step toward embracing such contemporary marketing methods.

See my earlier post on Social web strategy for the performing arts.