Arts techcymru

ATC / Can the brochure save us?

Can the brochure

save the art sector?

Can the brochure save us by reinventing it and rewarding audiences for using it?


Brochure - can and often are beautiful, hand crafted things - artefacts in their own right, that are tactile and desirable


Brochures - the thing is that they very quickly end up like this, lost amongst the crowded display


Brochures - ... and if we’re lucky like this for someone who actually might pick one of them up and put it somewhere like here


Brochures - and even if they do then there’s a feeling they’re up against it in terms of working out what they want to go and see


Brochures - too often they don’t even make it to there. As quickly as they’re printed, they’re straight to the bin and shredders


Brochure - but as an artefact, as a piece of work in itself they can and often are lovely ...


But there’s a sense that it’s going the way of this fellow ...


Meanwhile ... we’re going through one of these things (recession)


... and supposedly being led out of it by one of these things - i.e. we’re not coming out of it anytime soon


Being constantly told about the squeezed middle and the impact that’s having on spending


However there’s the feeling (and reality) that digital is moving like this ...


Whilst we’re moving a bit more slowly


The upshot is that it’s harder and harder (to engage) - less money about, more channels and more information being thrown at audiences than ever before


It’s enough to make you cry (US election kid)


TODAY WE HAVE THE ANSWER TO ALL THAT AND MORE - the meaning of life the universe and everything (42 from Douglas Adams, The Hitchhickers Guide ...)


No, not really that would mean we’re a snake-oil salesman


... or to put that another way - this man (Mitt Romney)

No, instead we think we have an approach which might take the edge off some of it, provide a nice solution to the brochure thing AND provide users with a means of be rewarded for their time and effort


The starting point is that there is too much information and that there’s a myriad number of increasingly fractured channels through which they find out about and share about stuff and in which they make decisions


At one level or another we’re both missing out on opportunitiesUsers - because of information overloadArts organisations - are missing out on opps to engage ... in a more meaningful, personal and tailored way ... for all the reasons just listed


Put another way, we’re doing this with our time, effort, resources and money on bulk printing of brochures that are increasingly never read and more likely to be mass pulped and users are left increasingly on their own to fend for themselves, in spaces where we have no level of engagement, making decisions we know nothing about


It’s enough to make you cry


There’s a genuine:

๏ Organisational and business need

๏ Real user need

๏ Real resources and technology that can facilitate

There’s a genuine business need - better use of time, effort, resources, money

There’s a genuine user need - the need to make better sense of all there is out there on

offer

Thankfully there’s genuine resources and technology to help solve it


The first rule of

techclub is that it’s

not about the

tech ...

If I were to think about this as a tech club (fronted by Edward Norton + Brad Pitt) and leading on solving these needs and it was, we’d say that ... the first rule of techclub is that it’s not about the tech!


Instead it’s about real people - e.g. venue staff - knowledgeable, insightful, friendly - they are an invaluable resource and they are potential tastemakers


The SECOND rule

of techclub is that

it’s NOT ABOUT

THE TECH!

The second rule of techclub is that it’s not about the tech!


It’s about understanding users and their motivations and in this case it’s also about incentivising and rewarding that


The third rule of

techclub is ...

The third rule of

techclub is ... it is

A BIT about the

tech!

The third rule of techclub is that IT IS about the tech in as much as technology facilitates the first two


Done bad and it’s an epic fail!


We’re saying ... Connect the Tastemakers and Users and establish a meaningful relationship between them whereby Tastemakers assist users to make sense of your programme whilst also allowing users to DIY (there’s always the punk out there)


... and use technology to facilitate that


And while we’re there doing this, how about throwing some bones!? Rewarding users

for their good behaviour, their effort and the investment of a most precious

commodity ... their time


And Bingo!


Reduced overheads on wasted resources (printing)

What are the gains here? Well they’re potentially BIG


Increased capture of user data(and not just personal details but proper taste and flavour information)



An energised and engaged audience



A reward scheme that can be tailored(to both your organisations marketing and communication strategy AND to users

own motivations)



What behaviour would reward be based on?

๏ Time spent engaging with tastemakers and generating their own programme

๏ Writing a review

๏ Rating an event

๏ Social activity (e.g. a follow, a like, a recommendation of a show via Fb/ Tw)

๏ Sharing a digital artefact of their own with you (e.g. picture, voxpop)

๏ Time spent on your site


What would reward look like?

๏ Users become Tastemakers themselves over time, helping other users

๏ Users receive access to additional things - online or perhaps offline

๏ Users get offers - first dibs on shows you KNOW are going to sell out fast

๏ Users get points and we all know what points mean ...

Again plenty of options to suit individual organisational needs ... e.g.:


... points mean

prizes!


Platform that ...

At it’s basic level

allows users to

compile their

own programme

Shares the

knowledge and

insight your

Tastemakers can

provide with

users

That leverages

the perfect storm

technology is

providing to

facilitate this and

do the majority

of the heavy

lifting

That incentivises

engagement by

rewarding

participation

Where the

definition of

participation and

range of reward

can be flexible

While engaging with tastemakers to make sense of ALL the opportunities out there... to work out what it is they’d MOST likely want to come, see and experience... users will be able to curate their own selections and create their own personalised programme... which they’ll be able to use online and/ or offline, as as a physical or digital artefact


Can the brochure save the world? Probably not ...

Can it be reinvented to save money, foster engagement with audiences, create a

meaningful reward scheme around which both users and organisations gain?

Yes, probably

Returning to the opening section ... will rewarded with a unique artefctSo can the brochure save the world? Probably not ... not in it’s current guise but with good effort, creative ideas and the right tech ...

Technology

Arts techcymru