workshop 3 3 fei proposition & benefits 1
TRANSCRIPT
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Marketing Festivals
WHAT’S THE PROPOSITION?
Festival Marketing Workshop HCMC December 2010
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Remember?
At the beginning we were thinking?• What is the purpose of our festival?• What’s the scale of our ambition?• What will success ‘look like’ for us?• What are our drivers?• Who will be our stakeholders, partners?
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Ensuring success
• We need to starting to look at things from customer’s perspective . . .
. . . what do they want?
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Ensuring success
• Our customers live & work in a variety of ‘market places’ . . .
• These are affected by a range of (political, economic, social, technological) factors
• We need to consider these . . . All these affect the choices & decisions our customers make
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Proposition
So let’s put ourselves in our customers’ shoes.They will be thinking . . .
• What, when & where is it? Will it be any good?• Who‘s doing it? Are they any good?• What will it cost? Is it worth it?• How interested am I? What will I get out of it?
• WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
What’s the offer?
• Our task is to create a value proposition – an offer – which they will want and will value . . .
• These value propositions will need to provide
customer benefits . . .
• More on these later . . .
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
So, what is the offer?
• What, where & when is it?
The programme: what’s on
The location: region, city, venues
The time of year: month, days• Who‘s doing it? Are they any good?
Their track record, skills & reputation• What will it cost? Is that a good price?
Ticket, travel, accommodation, food, incidentals,
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Lammermuir Festival
What• World class classical music programme• Directors with international reputations• 10 days of events• International & UK performers• World famous & emerging• 85% Scottish – a Scottish event• Annual theme: 2010 – Bach & Mozart
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Lammermuir Festival
Where• East Lothian: near Edinburgh• Venue as important as music• Historical hidden gems• Accessible to all communities• Venues across county• Grand & intimate –
castles to kirks
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Lammermuir Festival
When• September• Fits with national music festival calendar• Fit with regional event calendar• Season of exceptional beauty enhances settings• Main holiday period over• Enables links with schools who start term August• A tourism ‘shoulder’ month
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Lammermuir Festival
Who• Lamp of Lothian Trust –
trusted provider• James Waters• Hugh MacDonald• Highly rated international
directors of music
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Edinburgh Science Festival
What• Two weeks of events• For adults & children• Audience are participants & observers• Produced events• Invited events
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Edinburgh Science Festival
Where• Edinburgh city centre• One main venue for children – City Art Centre
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Edinburgh Science Festival
Where• One main venue for adults – Informatics
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Edinburgh Science Festival
Where
Partner venues: • National Museums of Scotland• Royal Botanic Gardens• Edinburgh Zoo• University of Edinburgh
• Major centres of research & display
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Edinburgh Science Festival
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Edinburgh Science Festival
When• April• School Easter holidays• Includes a bank holiday Monday• Weekends & week days
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Edinburgh Science Festival
Who• Dr Simon Gage, Director 15 years• Background: physicist• Now: a science communicator• OBE for services in 2010• Reputation for creating exciting events• He has a team of professionals• Partnerships with leading institutions
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Imaginate Festival
What• 7 days of events (2 weeks touring)• For children (parents, teachers, carers)• Performing arts companies from UK• Performing arts companies from abroad
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Imaginate Festival
Where• Originally in tents in a park in Edinburgh
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Imaginate Festival
Where• Moved to Edinburgh theatre venues 2000• Originally 2 now 7• And on tour across Scotland
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Imaginate Festival
When• Was end of May• Festival moved to 9 – 15 May • Pressure from other events • Audiences & accommodation• Film festival moved from August to June
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Imaginate Festival
Who• Tony Reekie• 20 years producing work for children• International operator with top contacts• Reputation for quality & range of programme• Has seen over 4,000 shows!
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Competition?
Need to consider the competition for• Resources • Customers
In terms of competitors, who is out there, what are
they offering, how does it compare to what we are
offering?
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
What’s the offer?
• Are making the biggest noise?• Are we offering the best experience?• Are we offering the best deal?
• Need to stay one step ahead• Need to be innovative
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Lammermuir Festival
Competition from Edinburgh International Festival for customers & profile (press / media attention)
• Music in rural settings & unusual settings • Local & less hassle to access• More personal – small communities• Different experience• Lower prices for same high quality type events• Value for money
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Edinburgh Science Festival
Competition from other science events• Cheltenham & Manchester Science Festivals;
British Science Festival (peripatetic); other small events in Scotland
= EISF produces its events; world’s first; set in stunning city; Enlightenment heritage
• Science centres
= live interpretative events; interaction with performers in range of interesting venues
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Imaginate Festival
Competition from• Other promoters for product• = festival offers world class showcase• Other events for children
= live performances from around the world, exposure to new cultures
= as enjoyable for accompanying adults as for children – watch the show, watch your child
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Competition
Start to crystallise the message:
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Lammermuir festival
• About hearing music in beautiful & historic, & sometimes previously unseen places
• About making musical discoveries & hearing old favourites
• About creating ‘ah’ moments, not just for music ‘maestros’, but for everyone
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Lammermuir brand
Strap line:
Beautiful music - Beautiful places
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Edinburgh Science Festival
• About bringing science out of the laboratory into everyday life
• About making science relevant, fun, inspiring children, re-inspiring adults
• About creating ‘ah ha’ moments, not just for science ‘boffins’, but for everyone
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Edinburgh Science Festival
Strap line:
Discover your world
Imaginate Festival
• About presenting new and exciting performing arts for children from around the world
• About children & adults sharing and enjoying time together – when good it works for both
• About provoking, challenging, boundaries of performing arts for children – what’s possible
• About making adults & children think, feel and reflect on the ordinary & the unusual
Imaginate Festival
Strap lines:
Be surprisedDiscover the unexpected
It’s about everything you didn’t think it would be
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Competition
Analysing the competition helps us • Differentiate from competitors• Determine key benefits• Determine unique selling propositions – USPs• Determine & maintain position• Determine the ‘brand’
• . . . More on benefits, USP & brand later
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
Exercise
Review your event• What is the offer?• What, when, where, who?• What’s the competition?• Can you summarise what your festival offers?• Can you create a strap line?
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
So where are we?
• Feedback?• Considerations?
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
So where are we?
• To be easily understood by customers we need a succinct summary of the offer
• What, when, where, who, how –
all come together to start to create a proposition
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
So where are we?
• We need to check the competition & differentiate ourselves – what our USP?
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
So where are we?
• A strap line can easily sum up the offer & start to communicate a brand
Abigail Carney Associates 2010
So where are we?
• BUT to be valued by customers we need to set out reasons why they would want to engage with our festival
• These reasons are benefits • Benefits meet customer needs• Customers buy benefits