Workshop 3 3 fei proposition & benefits 1

Abigail Carney Associates 2010

Marketing Festivals

WHAT’S THE PROPOSITION?

Festival Marketing Workshop HCMC December 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?


Ensuring success

• We need to starting to look at things from customer’s perspective . . .

. . . what do they want?


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


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?


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 . . .


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,


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


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


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


Lammermuir Festival

Who• Lamp of Lothian Trust –

trusted provider• James Waters• Hugh MacDonald• Highly rated international

directors of music


Edinburgh Science Festival

What• Two weeks of events• For adults & children• Audience are participants & observers• Produced events• Invited events



Where• Edinburgh city centre• One main venue for children – City Art Centre



Where• One main venue for adults – Informatics



Where

Partner venues: • National Museums of Scotland• Royal Botanic Gardens• Edinburgh Zoo• University of Edinburgh

• Major centres of research & display



When• April• School Easter holidays• Includes a bank holiday Monday• Weekends & week days



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


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


Imaginate Festival

Where• Originally in tents in a park in Edinburgh


Imaginate Festival

Where• Moved to Edinburgh theatre venues 2000• Originally 2 now 7• And on tour across Scotland


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


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!


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?


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


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



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


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


Competition

Start to crystallise the message:


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


Lammermuir brand

Strap line:

Beautiful music - Beautiful places



• 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



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


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


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?


So where are we?

• Feedback?• Considerations?


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


So where are we?

• We need to check the competition & differentiate ourselves – what our USP?


So where are we?

• A strap line can easily sum up the offer & start to communicate a brand


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

Workshop 3 3 fei proposition & benefits 1

Education

Transcript of Workshop 3 3 fei proposition & benefits 1