Rocket Fuel for Visionary Arts Leaders

Precision-driven strategies to reverse audience decline and unlock transformative growth

NEXT-LEVEL GROWTH

You’ve mastered the status quo. Now, let’s disrupt it with targeted strategies that redefine your market and unlock groundbreaking results.

Consumer behavior has shifted dramatically. It’s time to embrace a new framework for relevance and adopt a radically customer-first model.

Stop asking your target audiences to develop a sudden passion for your art. Instead, simply show them how it delivers something they're already actively seeking—and are already willing to pay for.

Your growth starts here:

  • Radical Patron Focus

    Unlock untapped revenue with the Jobs To Be Done framework, revealing hidden demand and sustainable growth opportunities.

  • Strategic Precision

    Bring unparalleled precision to your growth strategy with my four-step GOLD process, aligning your offerings with what today’s consumer is seeking.

  • Market Expansion

    Redefine your market and tap into a broader audience of motivated prospects through deep qualitative research and market analysis.

Escape the limits of traditional markets.

For decades, arts organizations have relied on a shrinking, oversaturated audience pool. Competing harder for the same patrons won’t drive growth. Expanding your market will.

There’s a better way to grow. Redefine your value proposition and find your ideal customers: the ones already seeking the outcomes your arts organization provides. Let’s discover your untapped potential together.

BOOK YOUR MARKET ANALYSIS ➤

  • "Ruth has an extraordinary vision for arts marketing, and the arts sector needs it now."

    —Mark Schaefer, Author of Marketing Rebellion and Belonging to the Brand

  • "Ruth ignited our marketing, development, programming and venue hire teams with excellent, tangible recommendations that will now play a critical role in Melbourne Recital Centre’s next chapter."

    —Latoyah Forsyth, Head of Marketing and Visitor Experience, Melbourne Recital Centre

  • "This may well be the salvation that audience-hungry arts marketers are searching for."

    —Trevor O’Donnell, Author of Marketing the Arts to Death

  • "For any org wanting to center their customer and community, Ruth's thinking on this topic is hands down the best I've ever seen."

    —Aubrey Bergauer, Changing the Narrative

  • “Ruth is a champion for your patrons. She sets aside all of the expertise and just asks one simple question: What matters to your customers? It's revolutionary.”

    —Sean Kelly, Founder, Vatic

  • "...an incredible thought leader. Ruth's insight is what we need to hear as a sector right now. "

    —Sarah Weber, Executive Director, Association of California Symphony Orchestras

  • "So grateful that Ruth is not only putting the Jobs to Be Done framework out there, but also providing illustrations on how to enact it."

    —Timothy Myers, Music Director, Austin Opera and Music Director, Spoleto Festival USA

  • “The room was vibrating during Ruth’s Chorus America plenary...lightbulbs were going off, pens were furiously writing.”

    —Alex Gartner, Artistic & Executive Director, Pensacola Children’s Chorus

  • "If you don't yet follow Ruth Hartt, drop everything and follow. A superhero in all things marketing and perspectives!"

    —Holly Mulcahy, Concertmaster, Wichita Symphony and founder, Arts Capacty

  • “Thank you for delivering two remarkable presentations. Your work is transformative!”

    —Kevin Eberle-Noel, Executive Director, Redlands Symphony

  • "Your presentation was truly exceptional."

    —Donny Thompson, Executive director, Jazz Outreach Initiative

  • “Ruth is a breath of fresh air. She cuts through traditional jargon and bias to focus on solid, practical solutions. Her commitment to a patron-first approach empowers managers across all departments to drive real results.”

    —Drew McManus, CEO, UpStage Technologies

  • "Ruth was an amazing speaker and was incredibly well received."

    —Maggie Plaster, Director of Parks, Recreation, & Cultural Affairs, City of Las Vegas

  • "You were spectacular and opened up a host of necessary questions with which we need to grapple. It was a terrific session."

    —Nick Adams, Executive Director, Cantata Singers

  • “This is one of the most, if not the most, important presentations in my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

    —Thomas Cooke, President, Voce

MEET RUTH

Hello, Innovator!

I’m a former opera singer who swapped the stage for the world of business innovation. Now, I help cultural organizations achieve radical growth by championing a radically customer-first model.

Combining my background as an artist with eight years as Chief of Staff at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation—a globally recognized authority on business and social transformation—I help visionary arts leaders dream big, think boldly, and redefine what’s possible.

A sought-after speaker, I equips arts organizations with the strategies they need to adapt, engage new audiences, and thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape.

READ MY FULL STORY HERE ➤

Rocket Fuel In Action

What if U.S. orchestras stopped marketing their product, and started marketing the outcomes that consumers actually want?

This simple shift could drive massive growth.

By capturing just 5% of one nontraditional market with this approach, U.S. orchestras could add 10.7 million attendees annually. That’s a potential 62.9% increase in attendance.*

This kind of transformative growth becomes possible when you embrace a radically customer-first model.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR ARTS ORG ➤

Potential Impact of Outcome-Based Marketing on the U.S. Orchestra Sector

*Based on data from League of American Orchestras, Deloitte

Arts audiences have shrunk more than 50%. Will your org survive?

Shifting demographics and new cultural priorities, plus fierce competition online and covid, have led to significant declines across the arts sector. How does your organization compare?"

Find out how your audience measures up and forecast your ten-year trajectory with Vital Signs, your free audience health report.

FORECAST YOUR 10-YEAR TRAJECTORY ➤

Based on data from the National Endowment for the Arts

Customer-First Strategies in Action

Discover five cultural organizations who redefined their relevance and achieved remarkable growth by putting their audiences first.

These case studies illustrate the transformative power of customer-first strategies—the same principles I use to help arts organizations unlock new markets, engage new audiences, and drive sustainable growth.