Recently, United Technologies Corporation (UTC) celebrated 25 years of sponsorship of the arts and they decided to celebrate the public art way. Since they wanted greater logo real estate as corporate sponsors, they decided to commission original works and installations on their own. This session presented a case study of UTC’s sponsored public art in Madison Square Park, NYC and Broadgate Arena, London, UK. The most interesting component of this case was how they used surveys, conducted by Audience Research & Analysis, to measure the impact of this endeavor.
How to you measure the value of public art, which by nature, has a more elusive, serendipitous, and iterative visitor experience than say a theatre or museum?
How can you design an assessment survey that documents valued added to both the consumer as well as the sponsor? (The presenters generously shared their powerpoint with me for this blog). (more…)
Tagged with: BusinessFundraisingPublic-ArtResearch
November 3rd, 2007 at 12:12pm
Rebecca Borden
STAGEVISION is a collaboration between the National Corporate Theatre Fund (NCTF), Sharp AQUOS, Time Magazine, and Palace Digital Studios. NCTF has 20 member and affiliate organizations across the country that reaches over 5 million people. Through them, Sharp AQUOS is able to place products not only in an uncluttered marketing environment, but in front of highly educated and discerning entertainment consumers.
This partnership is based upon a shared vision of why this work is so important. Both parties believe that they are heightening the entertainment experience for all involved. They are able to develop and deliver unique programming to a target audience. They are offering a unique brand experience that transcends the moment. The content is both nationally connected and regionally specific. They are using new media to create a new network of national partners and supporters. They are helping innovate theaters in an unobtrusive way that is appreciated by their customers.
Tagged with: BusinessFundraisingLeadership
November 3rd, 2007 at 07:43am
Rebecca Borden
I am at the NAMP pre-conference and have been hearing a lot about the sponsorship-partnership continuum between arts & cultural non-profits and corporations. The afternoon kicked into full gear over lunch with an address by Brenda Andolina, Director, Public Relations and Brand Marketing at Fisher-Price. She emphasized that we approach corporations as partners and not sponsors, noting that when the mission and the values of the two parties overlap well, we establish (and reinforce) mutually beneficial outcomes. When considering these partnerships, Brenda noted key indicators to assess whether a partnership will work for a corporation like Fisher-Price.
Is the venue able to:
- Offer an “uncluttered marketing environment” for the corporation?
- Create a permanent presence over a multi-year period?
- Animate the brand?
Corporations want to come to where the magic happens in the lives of their consumers. In the case of Fisher-Price’s partnerships with zoos around the country, the zoos were were able to increase attendance at their special Fisher-Price partnership weekends by 20% - 30%.
All of this is much more than child’s play.
Tagged with: BusinessFundraisingLeadership
November 2nd, 2007 at 07:26pm
Rebecca Borden
A recent opinion article by Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under Clinton, in the LA Times, echoing opinions he has expressed earlier and elsewhere, has stirred up quite a debate. The various threads include an article in The New York Times about a month ago that touched on similar themes, and an article in the Washington Post. These are all referenced on The Chronicle of Philanthropy website, including some reader postings. In a nutshell, what Reich (and some others) contend is that the wealthiest Americans are self-serving in their philanthropy, and are not sufficiently generous is helping the truly needy. Reich specifically singles out arts organizations as nonprofits that essentially serve as playgrounds for the rich. Major universities like Harvard with its multibillion dollar endowment are also cited. Reich’s solution: advocating a change in the federal tax code that favors charities that provide direct services to needy people, suggesting, If the donation goes to an institution or agency set up to help the poor, the donor gets a full deduction. If the donation goes somewhere else to an art palace, a university, a symphony, or any other nonprofit, the donor gets to deduct only half of the contribution. (more…)
Tagged with: AdvocacyFundraisingLeadership
October 4th, 2007 at 10:23am
Gary Steuer
Well, the slow days of summer, as always, prove to be anything but slow. And probably like all of you I am continually snowed under by mountains of articles, magazines, newspapers, books, research studies and other reading material that seem to sit there threatening me with some dire consequence if I don’t get to them. Herewith, in no particular order of priority, a round-up of what I have been reading and clipping:
Cause-related Marketing Fatigue - As reported in Business Week (July 9/16, 2007) consumers seems to be losing interest in cause marketing campaigns that link products to social causes. Of course, the big “(Product) Red” campaign designed to raise money for African Aids victims got a lot of press for failing to hit its goals, and perhaps serving corporate marketing goals more effectively than fundraising goals. And the support of Avon and others have helped push breast cancer awareness and the pink ribbon into the public consciousness (and has also in some ways suppressed awareness of National Arts and Humanities Month, since both causes share October). According to the research firm Cone, in May 36% of consumers said they had bought a product during the prior 12 months after learning of the manufacturer’s commitment to a cause they believed in. This is down from 43% in 2004. Only 14% said they intentionally paid more for a product that supports a cause, down from 28%. And only 30% said they told a friend or family member about a product or company committed to a social issue, down from 43% three years ago. This may make it harder for arts groups to build these relationships in the future. On the other hand, the numbers are probably still high enough to make it worth a company’s while to engage in cause marketing relationships.
Breakthrough Creativity - The same issue of Business Week reviews a new book, “Smart World: Breakthrough Creativity and the New Science of Ideas.” The book attempts to provide new insights into how creative breakthroughs happen, and covers great leaps of genius and creativity in science, business and the arts. Without commenting on the merits of the book, which I have not yet read, it is another example of the growing recognition that creativity and innovation in science, business and the arts are linked, and that this holds great promise for efforts to persuade business and educators that the arts matter if we are to generate the next Francis Crick and James Watson (who discovered the structure of DNA) or Picasso. Todd Siler, an artist with a PhD from MIT who is now working with our Creativity Connection program, does creative training and brainstorming sessions for business using the visual arts, and addresses how creativity intersects science and art in his book Think Like a Genius , which was published back in 1999, so this is not entirely a new idea. However, “creativity” now appears to be hot, and that should be good for the arts.
Tapping Retiring Boomer Volunteers - Again from that same issue of Business Week, is an article (”Pro Bono Perfection“) about the gratification that early retiring boomers are finding through volunteer work. People that don’t volunteer indicate it is only because they have not found the right opportunity or don’t know where to begin. The article comments how many younger retired Boomers jump into too many superficial volunteer opportunities at once to stay busy, but find themselves unsatisfied. It also cites the mis-perception by many groups using these volunteers that they “just need to keep the old folks busy” and don’t really take advantage of their often high-level skills. Many of this new breed of volunteers eventually find themselves working in highly professional virtually staff-like capacities. The article is major ammunition for a program like Business Volunteers for the Arts, which matches business-people with arts groups as pro bono management consultants. While it focuses on working professionals, there is no reason why it can’t also target recent retirees, who have so much time, expertise, and energy.
Is Second Life Still Alive? - Articles about Second Life continue to populate the business, technology and arts press, describing a bustling, growing “virtual world” with its own economy, businesses, art (and naughtiness). At the same time, a recent Wired magazine article described a Second Life that appears to be vastly underpopulated, with most “users” creating an avatar, looking around and then leaving, never to return. In The Art Newspaperon July 4th, however, an article was posted that described how Second Life is becoming a viable place for artists to interact and actually sell their work. The Andy Warhol Foundation has funded exhibits in Second Life, and the MacArthur Foundation has just announced a new grant program designed to explore the world of this new digital society. The Art Newspaper has assembled video tours of exhibitions and performances on Second Life here. It reports that there are now hundreds of galleries in Second Life selling work, both real and virtual. Dealers collect a 30% commission, just like in the real world, and one gallery reports that about 200 avatars a day visit the gallery. Another artist reports making abut $10,000 in recent months from Second Life generated sales. So maybe Second Life is not so dead after all, and we should all be exploring how to have a presence in this community? I am sure this is not the end of the story.
The Art of Diagnosis - The Carnegie Museum of Art, Andy Warhol Museum and the University of Pittsburgh Medical School recently launched Art and Medicine, a new four-week course for medical students designed to hone visual thinking and observation skills through the study of art in the museum’s galleries. A similar program has existed for some time at the Metropolitan Museum working with one or more of the major NYC medical schools. These sorts of innovative programs help highlight the critical role the arts can play in the lives of non-artists, in ways that can make them better at their jobs. While this is not the same “instrumental vs intrinsic” value argument, it points out how artificial that supposed dichotomy is. A strong arts education may or may not (as recent research suggests) help a student get higher math scores that will get them into medical school, but it WILL help that young person develop visual acuity and observation skills that will make them a better doctor. I think this one example highlights how the applied skills developed through the arts have an even impact that we are only just beginning to quantify and communicate.
Okay, my stack is still a few feet tall, but this is already way too long for a Blog entry, so I will spare you further reports. More to come in the coming weeks. Of course, by the time I get around to this again, the pile will have mysteriously replenished itself!
Tagged with: BusinessFundraisingLeadershipPartnershipsResearchVolunteerism
August 17th, 2007 at 09:53am
Gary Steuer
