I’m starting a new feature that will appear in a few of these newsletters.
Sharing thought-provoking ideas from a broad mix of people across the arts
- What are we curious about audiences?
- What are we exploring to find out more about what matters to audiences?
- What tips do we have for one another?
I had the great pleasure of working alongside Jo Taylor when I was at the AMA (she was the Chair when I was Executive Director).
She has become a really great friend and we spend hours chatting about life and work and everything in between.
I’ve recently become fascinated with her thinking about ‘fandom’ – how might we build a community of fans (not just customers) in and around our organisations?
Super grateful that she’s taken time to share some of her thoughts with us here!
What are you curious about?
‘What people who don’t work in the arts think. In particular, when we try to convey a specific idea or message, what do they actually hear?
We spend all this time crafting stories about ourselves to convince people of our relevance to them – so being able to understand how this actually lands is invaluable and often surprising.
I’m slightly addicted to the way things reveal themselves when you explore them in conversation with audience members and really listen to them. These kinds of insights genuinely give me a kick and I’m learning to assume nothing.
I think because we’re often so invested in the outcomes and impacts we have for people, we might need to pause to understand which parts of the story we should communicate as the initial invitation – the marketing message. Some of the impacts are of course important, and may well be reasons people become fans, but can come later in the journey. They aren’t the initial reason to get involved.
At Fly a Kite we’ve found it invaluable to use audience research to understand the messaging hierarchy. We don’t expect audiences to do the job for us (and certainly don’t suggest asking them to write copy by committee) but exploring their reactions to brands and messages is revealing and can provide directly actionable insight.’
What are you experimenting with?
‘Fandom as an alternative lens to think about and build audiences – including broader and new-to-us audiences.
When I worked at Rambert we used principles we borrowed from fandom really successfully to build, broaden and diversify our audiences.
I’m not talking about the more tribal, competitive elements of sports fandom – rather the ways fandom can feed self-identity; offer inclusion and acceptance and belonging; an expression of social and personal identity. In the complex and chaotic times we live in, we can all use a bit of this and I think arts organisations are well placed to meet these fundamental needs.
This isn’t new – other sectors have been nailing this for years – so at Fly a Kite we’ve been working with a range of arts clients to borrow thinking and observations from fandoms.
This has inspired actionable ideas across a range of touchpoints in ways that are really relevant and amplify their brand. This starts right from the initial invitation; through to ways we interact with audiences when they visit; and tools you might provide someone to express their fandom as a shorthand for “this is the kind of person I am”.’
Rambert branded socks; an ‘iconic’ Shakespeare & Co tote bag; White Lotus fan art from @thepreppypagoda on Instagram
What are your top tips?
- ‘It all boils down to your brand story. You can’t build a fanbase without a compelling one.’
- ‘Keep an open mind – the best way to understand how people might respond is to ask them. Test things on audiences – invite them into conversations. Explore different ways of telling your story and see how they respond – to find out which is interpreted in the way you intend it. You’re not asking them “who shall we be?” you’re ensuring they understand you when you introduce yourself.’
- ‘Once you’ve got your story straight, tell it on repeat. Successful brands (and political campaigns for that matter) have in common that they tell the same story over and over (and over). You might think you’re getting boring but this repetition is key to their success.’
- ‘Don’t try and be for everyone. No arts organisation can succeed at that. To quote the great Dolly Parton, ‘find out who you are and do it on purpose’. Better to be brilliant in the eyes of enough people than boring in the eyes of everyone.’ Read more.
Would you like to contribute your ideas or experiences in an upcoming newsletter?
I’m looking for interesting contributors and case studies to share thinking across the sector about how we might help arts and cultural organisations to matter more to more people.
Thinking about mattering more, send me a reply with a brief note about your idea:
- What are you curious about?
- What are you experimenting with?
- What are your top tips?
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