How Arts Marketing Can Avoid Khan’s Fate From Start Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

Arguably, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is one of the best Trek films that managed to save the franchise. It relies on a solid foundation of cinematic storytelling that resonates with a diverse audience delivered through several timeless lessons. Case in point, during the starship battle toward the film’s climax, both ships are fighting in a nebula, which severely impairs their visual and tactical systems. As a result, they …

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#TBT It’s Still A Spaceship

As a practical example for yesterday’s post about marketing being more about creating a narrative about attaining what people aspire to rather than selling a product, I want to reach back to a post from November 11, 2009 that examined an iconic clip from Mad Men, Season 1, Episode 13: The Carousel. The entire scene focuses on the advertising firm convincing the client they aren’t there to help them sell a …

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Automating Time Consuming Tasks

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as automation. Moving time consuming, repetitive tasks off your plate is a real treat but when it comes to anything in the digital word, good automation usually requires time to build and can be expensive. But every now and then, middleware solutions like Zapier can provide reliable automation that is comparatively easy to set up. Case in point, Zapier’s functionality has become more refined in recent …

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Have You Discovered The Social Media Tracker Project Yet?

Wouldn’t you love to see how effective orchestras are with their social media campaigns? I can only speak for myself, but I’d be surprised if most arts admin professionals wouldn’t love to get their hands on regularly updated data. Unfortunately, there isn’t any sort of resource or database maintained by the usual service organization suspects but thanks to a tip from Ruth Hartt, I discovered an effort created by former arts …

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#TBT The Value Of Creative Design

A perennial problem that is particularly vexing for opera and theatre groups is how to approach event graphics when production photography for most events won’t be ready when season announcements roll out. One of the best options is to invest in quality graphic design to provide visuals until principal photography is available. Recently, one of my newest clients, Opera Festival Chicago, put that approach into motion for their three events this …

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