Arts audiences : insight

2. Arts audiences: insight Arts-basedsegmentation of the population Context, findings and applications

3. Contents Background Why it was commissioned The segmentation model Segment up close Examples of use Challenges Questions and answers

4. About Arts audience: insight

5. “Arts Audiences Insight was commissioned to see if we could identify distinct arts consumer typesin England today.”

6. Background • Segmentation of the entire population of adult aged 16 and over in England according to their engagement with and attitudes to the arts • A different way of looking at audiences rather than analysing demographic and frequency • Main data source is the Taking Part survey

7. Q&A Measuring arts participation: the Taking Part survey • National population survey of cultural participation • Led by Department of Media Culture and Sports • Continuous since July 2005 • Annual sample size of 15,000 • Collects data on • attendance at arts events, museums, galleries, libraries, heritage sites • participation in arts activities and sport • wide range of socio-demographic factors

8. Arts activities surveyed • Attendance • Museum or gallery visit • Art exhibition • Craft exhibition • Public art display • Video/electronic art event • Book/writing event • Street arts • Carnival • Circus • Culturally-specific festival • Play/drama • Musicals • Pantomime • Opera/operetta • Classical music • Jazz • Other live music • Ballet • Contemporary dance • African/Asian dance • Other live dance • Participation • Ballet • Other dance • Singing to audience • Playing instrument to audience • Playing instrument for own pleasure • Writing music • Performing in play/drama • Performing in opera/operetta • Take part in a carnival • Take part in street arts • Learned circus skills • Painting, drawing, sculpture • Photography • Making films/video • Computer art/animation • Textile crafts • Wood crafts • Other crafts • Writing stories/plays • Writing poetry • Book club member

9. Methodology • Data analysis conducted by Enlightenment (BMRB) • Three-stage process: • Segment the population using Taking Part data on arts attendance, participation, motivations, barriers • Statistical fusion of Taking Part and Target Group Index consumer database • Produce in-depth profiles of each segment, including demographics, arts engagement, leisure interests, media profile, web activity, attitudinal data on various aspects of life

10. Wide range of data Large amount of information on segments from Taking Part and TGI: • Demographics • Arts, culture, sport engagement, volunteering, cinema • Other leisure – outings, holidays, eating out, socialising • Hundreds of attitudinal statements e.g. arts, culture, environment, social awareness, self-perception, family life, consumer habits • Media use

11. Why was the segmentation commissioned? • Improve understanding of how and why different people engage with the arts • Provide a framework for considering how well current arts provision is meeting the needs of the English population • Understand which groups offer the most potential for increasing their arts engagement • Understand how we can reach different groups through policy, practice and communications • Get insight for strategies for increasing engagement

12. “We hope that this would enable us to analyse how the current arts provision in England meets the needs of different groups; where there might be untapped demand for greater engagement with the arts; and how different kinds of arts experiences can be designed and communicated in different ways to appeal to different groups.”

13. The Segmentation model

14. Highly engaged Some engagement Not currently engaged The 13 audience segments Urban arts eclectic 5% Traditional culture vultures 4% Fun, fashion and friends 18% Bedroom DJs 3% Mid-life hobbyists 4% Mature explorers 11% participate only attend & may also participate Retired arts and crafts 3% Dinner and a show 20% Family & community focused 11% Time-poor dreamers 7% Older and home-bound 6% Limited means, nothing fancy 2% A quiet pint with the match 8%

15. Positioning the segments Level of engagement Urban arts eclectic Traditional culture vultures High Mature explorers Retired arts and crafts Bedroom DJs Fun, fashion and friends Medium Mid-life hobbyists Family and community focused Dinner and a show A quiet pint with the match Older and home-bound Time-poor dreamers Limited means, nothing fancy Low Social deprivation Low High Medium

16. The West Midlands

17. Segments up close

18. Fun, fashion and friends 18% of English adults17% of West Midlands adults In the early stages of developing their career and/or starting families. Fairly well qualified, they have career aspirations and take time to indulge their interests in fashion, travel and cuisine, as well socialising with friends at pubs or over a meal. They relish new experiences and are willing to pay for quality. Their taste in the arts is mainly contemporary but shows signs of widening given their inclination towards experimentation.

19. Typical demographics • two thirds aged 16–34 • two thirds female • a third have children in the household • mostly white (93%) • better educated than average (a third hold degrees) • comfortably off and slightly above average socio-economic position • the majority are working, a fifth part-time

20. Lifestage and attitudinal traits discovery / experiencing living in the present full of opportunities early adopters appetite for novelty striving for success consumerists long hours, time-poor will pay for quality few responsibilities balance between seeking recognition and wanting to fit in conscious about the environment and ethics

21. Leisure and media interests fitness fashion online: work, networking socialising – pubs, bars, eating out travelling – off the beaten track and city breaks time to have fun occasional cultural outings Radio – music charts, Chris Moyles, Jo Wiley entertainment and celebrity news – Heat magazine TV – E4, Jonathan Ross, Grand Designs

22. Arts engagement • infrequentattenders at ‘mainstream’ events: musicals, panto, pop concerts, plays, exhibitions • active participants: painting, playing an instrument, textiles, computer art • positive attitude towards the arts; typically encouraged to engage when young • into what they see as contemporary, trendy, social • work constraints – last-minute access/arts on demand

23. Engagement with this segment – initial ideas • opportunities positioned as ‘contemporary’, ‘trendy’, ‘fun’ • offer an opportunity to spend time with friends and family • might respond to endorsements from high-profile mediacampaignsand celebrities • making things available for last-minute booking • create opportunities that chime in with theirinterests and fit their lifestyle

24. Engagement with this segment – media • word of mouthis an important communication tool • exposed to outdoor advertisingdaily during commute posters at railway stations, on the underground, taxis • keen on making calls online, online dating and social networking • buys magazines to keep up with the celebrity news • majority read papers at least a couple of days a week • average radio listeners

25. Limited means, nothing fancy 2% of English adults3% of West Midlands adults Limited means, nothing fancy prefer to stick with the familiar instead of experimenting, and tend to avoid complications or anything they perceive as ‘too fancy’. Somewhat rebellious and individualistic, for them leisure time is all about having a break and chilling out, within their limited means.

26. Typical demographics • an equal gender mix • typically have a low educational level and work/last worked in routine or semi-routine jobs over half are not currently working • limited financial means, with nearly a third living in socially rented accommodation • a slight skew towards both the younger and older age groups, over-represented by 16-24 and 65–84 year olds • higher than average proportion from Black or minority ethnic backgrounds

27. Lifestage and attitudinal traits family over career family centric celebrities influence european holidays practical outlook snooker and friends leisure time is important will not compromise lifestyle for benefits to the environment money conscious

28. Leisure and media interests chill out horoscopes internet everyday holidays abroad – sea and sun not much radio newspapers everyday TV listings heavy TV viewers internet for chat and games

29. Arts engagement • many listen to music in their free time • currently unlikely to engage with the arts in other ways • they typically received a low level of encouragement when young • they are more likely to cite a number of practical reasons as barriersi.e. including high cost, lack of transport, no-one to attend or participate with, and lack of opportunities to engage near to where they live

30. Engagement with this segment – initial ideas • arts need to be positioned as part of a broader leisure opportunity • an opportunity for relaxation or presented as part of organised packages or group activities • activities during holidays are likely to be more effective • making activities free of charge or low cost • ensuring that there are arts opportunities available in close proximity

31. Engagement with this segment – media • lots of TV • not much radio, only news, current affairs and sports • newspapers are popular - Sun, news of the World, Mirror • some read magazines – Take a Break • internet for email, chat and games

32. Usesfor Arts audiences: insight

33. Regional campaign – Arts Nation West Midlands • Specific segments chosen according to national priority and geographic distribution • Programme chosen according to target segments • Steering group provide local knowledge • Messages and visual prompts chosen according to target segments

34. Wolverhampton Arts and Heritage – Family Campaign • Family and Community Focused target segment • Marketing methods and messages chosen according to the target segment • Programme builds on existing activities of the organisation • Activities specifically chosen to focus on what would appeal to the group

35. Theatre Severn – Film Audience • Film bookers profiled • Segments which are most and least likely to attend identified • Marketing designed to suit the target segments

36. Warwick Art Centre – Overall bookers • Box office data profiled • Target segments chosen • Most popular postcodes where target segments live identified • Residents invited for focus groups to identify motivations and barriers to attendance

37. Potential uses defined by Arts Council England • Strategic uses • Improve general understanding of and spark debate about national and regional arts engagement and current levels of engagement • Consider current provision against the segments • Identify areas of potential growth • Inform Arts Council England’s national campaign

38. Potential uses defined by Arts Council England • Tactical uses • Select target segments for project/ campaign/ programme of work (e.g. particular production/ exhibition) • Use segmentation data to inform content, delivery, locations, partners/sponsors, marketing, language and tone

39. Other uses • As it is, an ‘off-the-peg’ segmentation approach • As one of several factors in organisations’ own segmentation • For background information • To enable comparison of audiences with peers • To report on audiences in a recognised format • To identify potential audiences • To identify marketing methods and tools for attracting various segments

40. Challenges identified • Current ‘core’ audiences for the arts represent a fairly small and privileged section of society • Huge untapped potential for gaining new audiences • Different groups have different aspirations in terms of their priorities and ambitions in life • Reaching new audiences means communicating, presenting, distributing the arts in new ways… • …or changing the arts themselves to resonate more closely with peoples’ lives • How radical do we want to be?

41. Finding out more • Website: www.artscouncil.org.uk/audienceinsight • PDF version of the summary publication • Technical report and FAQs • Further data on all the segments

42. ThankYou! Vishalakshi Royvishalakshi.roy@audiencescentral.co.uk