Friends Schemes in Arts Marketing : Developing Relationships in British Provincial Theatres

Abstract

role of marketing in gaining and retaining customers has long been recognized in the commercial world. The adoption of a marketing approach in the not-for-profit sector has taken somewhat longer (Bruce, 1995). Nevertheless, there is growing evidence that a marketing philosophy and the use of marketing techniques are being seen as an acceptable and important part of a not-for-profit organization s strategy (Balabanis, Stables and Phillips, 1997). In the arts, people have gradually become aware of marketing as a management tool (Rentschler, 1998; Jones, 2000) and there is evidence to suggest a change in attitude concerning the value of marketing (Rentschler et al., 2002). For provincial theatres in the United Kingdom facing increased competition for funding, it is important that alternative sources of revenue be found to supplement grants from the Arts Council (Hickling, 2003) and that marketing strategies be developed to attract resources. Much of the research in the arts sector has centred on audience and visitor studies (Yorke and Jones, 1984; Screven, 1993). While audiences and visitors are essential to the functioning of museums and performing arts organizations, Drucker (1991) points out that such organizations have a multitude of constituencies and have to work out the relationship with each of them (p. 83). Kotier and Andreasson (1996) highlight the importance for marketers of this array of customers. Different strategies are required for each different customer group. Bruce (1995) organizes this collection of customers into four sets: beneficiaries, supporters, stakeholders and regulators. Amongst supporters he lists donors and volunteers (who in some organizations are labelled fundraisers or workers). These are evident in most not-for-profit organizations. Wymer (1997) identifies six key sectors in which supporters can be found: arts and culture, education, health, human services, religion and youth development. Much research has been undertaken on volunteers (Bussell and Forbes, 2002) and other supporter groups, but surprisingly little is available on these groups in the arts, despite Wymer and Brudney s (2000) having shown that arts and culture volunteers are dis-

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