Smart Arts - Creative New Zealand

4Communicatingyour messageThis chapter outlines a range of communication tools you can use in yourpromotional campaign and what you need to know about producingprinted material.Promoting the arts can be a complex business because you’re selling both a product and aservice. You’re not selling art but rather the experience of it. For example, your product isa dance show and customers consume an experience of an evening out. This begins fromthe time they first become aware of the show (e.g. through a flyer or advertisement)through to booking for the show, arriving at the venue, using the venue facilities andexperiencing the show.The materials you produce to promote your show are referred to as communication tools(see Tools to get across your message, page 29). A mix of tools, including posters, flyers,media releases, press advertisements, and direct and indirect mail advertising will make upyour promotional campaign.Working with the media will be a major part of your promotional campaign. Chapter six, Themedia, discusses in detail how you can make the most of opportunities offered by the media.Effective use of communication tools means that you:• entice people to your event• reduce or remove the barriers to purchasing a ticket• engender customer loyalty• encourage people to buy more tickets or to buy in a specific manner (e.g. to attend ashow on a specific day or in a group).BrandingA brand helps consumers identify with a given product. To reach your various target markets,you need to devise a simple message that is communicated consistently. This message shouldcapture the uniqueness of your product and is called the Unique Selling Proposition (USP).Think, for example, about the messages you would convey to your target markets if youwere promoting a comedy show. To your primary audience your main underlyingmessage might be:4“You’ll be sorry if you miss out on the fun with these top national comedians.”Smart arts | Toi huatau27