Author - Christopher Stager

Christopher Stager, of CRStager marketing & audience development, was amazed to learn that the Milwaukee Symphony’s two October performances of Bartok’s opera Bluebeard’s Castle, were sold out events. He had thought that they would sell moderately, at best. However, stunning set designs by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly and a special grant from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism helped them turn the concerts into an event.

So in November, Chris met with Susan Loris, VP Marketing & Communications, and Sarah Hogan, Associate Director of Marketing, to learn more about their marketing plan and how they engineered such a successful outcome. The following are edited excerpts from their conversation.

The newspapers are full of stories about how arts organizations are suffering from the recession in terms of contributed income and ticket sales, not to mention the loss in endowment funds because of the stock market’s steep decline. Christoper Stager offers some very concrete and innovative strategies orchestras can use to restructure their subscription marketing campaigns during this recessionary economy. Perpetual Acquisition marketing? Selling subscriptions on a rolling 12-month basis? Read on for some fascinating and unusual insights.

Christopher Stager, a symphonic marketing consultant and a regular contributor to Polyphonic, had been consulting with my orchestra, the Hartford Symphony, for several years, helping our Music Director, Edward Cumming, put together each season’s program and develop a marketing plan for that program.

The relationship between the two men is a solid professional friendship, full of mutual respect, and the passion each has for music is readily apparent. One evening, in Hartford’s Catholic Cathedral where we were rehearsing a Bruckner Symphony, I noticed Chris pacing around the church, looking very excited. When I caught up with him at the break, he couldn’t stop talking about the incredible acoustics in that space, and how perfect it was for Bruckner in so many ways. Edward joined us and they were off, with Chris describing a similar Bruckner concert series in Toledo, and Edward remembering yet another Bruckner performance, and both of them talking so fast I could barely keep up.

I knew then that I had to get the two of them to sit down and record their thoughts on programming an orchestra’s season. And so they did; the results are really intriguing.

Marketing consultant Christopher Stager was recently invited to participate on a panel at the Int’l. Artist Managers’ Assoc. in London, and decided to present his perception of how American orchestras go about growing an audience to his European colleagues. What follows is Chris’ take on how audiences behave, and what orchestras need to do to capitalize on that behavior to sell tickets.

Take two symphonic marketing professionals (Christopher Stager, consultant, and David Snead, NY Philharmonic), sit them down to a good lunch in Manhattan, and turn on a tape recorder. The result is a fascinating look into the minds of two marketing experts as they discuss strategies, market trends, ticket sales, and developing new marketing campaigns.

When should an orchestra use radio advertising vs. direct mail? What about telemarketing, print advertising, email, group sales, or special promotions?

In his 2nd column, Christopher Stager explains how an orchestra develops a marketing plan to achieve a sales goal. He describes how to define the primary media option for a concert and then select those options that can best support it. Chris identifies the many components of a marketing plan, and then presents a brief case study from the Seattle Symphony.

Chris Stager, a nationally-known consultant in audience development for the performing arts, has agreed to answer all those questions we musicians have about the proper way to market an orchestra. Is it a science or an art? Or a little bit of both?

His first column explains the difference between PR and Marketing, an often misunderstood distinction.

Please send in your marketing questions so that Chris can address them in a future column.