March 28, 2003

Case Study

Bach to Basics
The Lake Charles Symphony uses research to find a new audience.

For years, symphonies and art institutions have been raising money by selling season subscriptions. Unfortunately, this strategy relies on telemarketing and direct mail, and as these marketing techniques have become less effective, subscription sales have dropped.

After 50 years of growth and success, the Lake Charles Symphony in Lake Charles, Louisiana, found itself no exception to this trend. Renewals were off, those who bought season tickets weren’t showing up and audiences were declining. The board of directors was faced with a dilemma: They could either focus on their traditional subscribers and accept smaller audiences, or they could sacrifice some musical integrity in an attempt to broaden audiences.

With the help of Leonard Barchak, PhD, Professor in the Department of Mass Communications at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, the Symphony found a way out: It turned to research to define its audiences and improve its outreach.

Barchak introduced them to a strategy called SELL: Strategy to Encourage Lifelong Learning. The notion is that by using broad external communications such as advertising and publicity, an organization can capture names that then become internal to the organization by joining a mailing list. They can then approach this internal audience at a much lower cost and thus be more effective at broadening their audience.

Barchak explains, “Market research-based attempts at arts audience development have reached an evolutionary cul-de-sac... Arts groups are no longer finding audiences that will grow much beyond 2% of their populations.

“To employ SELL effectively and economically, the Symphony needed to have a thorough knowledge of its prospective audience—the Symphony will need a method of understanding the audience through its values and lifestyles.”

First Barchak conducted a detailed investigation of the Symphony’s structure, history and organization. Then he designed and helped the Symphony implement a research program to understand the psychological makeup of its audiences. “If we could see the Symphony through the eyes of its many current and potential members, suitable promotional events could be undertaken to attract additional new and different people to the organization,” explained Barchak.

Since there was no money to hire out the type of research Barchak envisioned, Symphony board members were trained by Barchak in the procedures of in-depth interviewing. They were taught how to prepare for an interview, and listening and nonverbal communication techniques. They were also taught how to construct an interview and schooled to avoid imposing personal attitudes in the responses. The interview used open-ended questions and a tape recording of musical examples played by the Symphony, including selections from Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Berlioz and Rondeau.

A total of 20 in-depth interviews were conducted and hundreds of opinion statements were parsed out of the interviews. The statements were sorted and typed out into decks of 54 individual opinion statements. Using a research technique called Q-Sort, teams then approached audience members and potential audience members and asked them to sort the statements into three piles: agree, neutral-uncertain–ambiguous, or disagree.

Results suggested that there were four groups that had distinct perspectives on the Symphony: “Aristocracy of Good Taste” (patron aficionados with a classical music consciousness), “Educated but Unvaccinated” (impatient activists who are not involved in musical activities, but who could potentially be reached through their children), “Joy of Music” (classical music is its own reward), and “Waiting in the Wings” (not opposed to music, but no classical music in their backgrounds; enthusiastic for social integration).

The research concluded that without significant investment in broadening its audience base “no additional audiences will be forthcoming.” Recommendations were to acquire names and develop a mailing list of potential new members. Barchak suggested ways to tailor communication strategies to those audiences; specifically, people who were young, less well-to-do, less well-educated, and working-class people.

Barchak suggested that this new audience could be reached through a broad array of events and activities such as holiday events, free symphonies and Kids’ Symphonies. The board accepted Barchak’s recommendations, and, while additional formal research has not been conducted to quantify the health of the Symphony, Professor Barchak reports that attendance and support has increased.

This issue is on us!
In celebration of our first birthday, all articles in this issue are free of charge! Here is what is new this month:

Army Intelligence:
Army Public Affairs Gets It Right this Time

Four Tips on Measurement When Your News Is Just Not Getting Out

Five Crisis Management Firms

Seven Experts on Accounting for Extraordinary External Events in Your Ongoing Measurement Programs

Bach to Basics: The Symphony Searches for a New Audience

Report from the Miami IIPRRC conference

Moves and Shakeouts

Can Charlotte Beers’ Reputation be Saved?

...And Found Lacking

The Monthly Measurement Menace and Maven

The PR Weather Report

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