How to Market the Arts

Abstract

Abstract In the 1940s, Neil Borden developed the term “marketing mix” to refer to the entire work of a business executive. The notion suggests that the function of business is marketing, and in 1960 Jerome McCarthy defined the functions of the marketing mix as the four Ps: Product, price, place, and promotion. In the arts, the Ps dont work. This text proposes a new paradigm—the four Es—that better explain what is, and what should be, happening in nonprofit arts marketing. Though art presented might be defined as a product, product misses the fact that the art occurs within audiences leading to an arts experience. Typical pricing strategies tend to be largely ineffective in the arts, which are typically inelastic. Ease of access is a concept that better addresses how arts organizations can reduce possible obstacles their potential audience may face. Place refers to the systems that move a product from a creator to a consumer, which are handled by channel managers. The arts, however, can rarely be moved through distribution channels. Instead, the piece that arts executives must consider in balancing their marketing mix is the environment in which the art is being provided. Even the concept of promotion is typically a stretch for arts organizations with limited resources and constantly evolving experiences. However, when the function of the arts promoter is considered to be education about the arts experience for the marketplace, the approach leads to enhanced value and engagement for the community.