Where the opera is grand, and so is the style: The power of autonomy
Customer-centric organizations are constantly working to identify and eliminate any barriers, misconceptions, or anxieties that prevent their target customers from making a purchase. And rightly so. These anxieties are powerful forces that must be outweighed by the perceived benefits of the product (the push and pull below) in order for the new customer to be swayed:
For arts organizations, it's tempting to think that having to dress up to attend an event is one of those hindering forces that pull customers away from attending. It’s easy to imagine millennials wanting to avoid the effort, the expense, and the discomfort.
But in reality, there are many consumers who enjoy getting dressed up, especially after working from home for two years in pajamas. In fact, there is a segment of consumers that is motivated to buy an arts event ticket because of the opportunity it provides to feel elegant; to be seen as a member of high society; or to simply escape the monotony of everyday attire.
Case in point: The Instagram account Last Night at the Met, which curates photos of elegantly-clothed patrons, boasts 19k followers who are eager to see what the glitterati is wearing each night at the Metropolitan Opera. And LNATM’s feed does not disappoint. Audience members are pulling out all the stops to make an impression with their couture, earning countless likes and comments in the process.
In fact, the New York Times recently ran an article about a new generation of opera-goers who are drawn to the Met’s aura of glam. These include Jim Valcourt, a 31-year-old resident of NYC and virgin opera-goer who was tickled by the opportunity to dress up. The tux he was wearing, he told the New York Times, was purchased for his recent wedding. Christine Zhuang, 33, is shown wearing an Elizabethan collar, and Christopher Shannon, 35, embodies post-modern black tie with his tie-dyed tuxedo shirt.
Since the dawn of time, fashion has offered consumers the chance to signal personal identity. As Virginia Woolf wrote, “Vain trifles as they seem, clothes have, they say, more important offices than to merely keep us warm. They change our view of the world and the world's view of us.”
For arts administrators, fashion offers an opportunity to help potential customers move towards a purchase by highlighting attire as a tradeoff feature. What’s a tradeoff? Business theory guru Bob Moesta explains it this way: Consumers feel more certain in their decision-making process—more ready to pull the trigger—when they’ve had the opportunity to reject one characteristic in favor of another. Which means you can help your potential customers decide to purchase a ticket by framing, or highlighting, a particular feature. In this case: audience attire.
Here’s what that might look like:
Program some events that are casual and others that require semi formal attire.
Differentiate your organization from other entertainment options by pointing out that sporting events, movie theaters, and Netflix nights don't provide the opportunity to wear that snazzy suit or gorgeous dress.
Hold a contest for the best themed outfits, like the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic did at their New Year’s Eve concert.
Hire a photographer to take lobby photos of your fashion-forward customers and post them on your social channels.
Set up a red carpet with a step-and-repeat in the lobby (or some other Instagram trap) so customers can create their own fashionable photo opportunities, à la the San Francisco Ballet gala.
Why does this work? Neuroscience has shown that autonomy is one of the most powerful drivers for human behavior. In fact, the perception of autonomy matters even more than the significance of the choices in question. Providing your customers the opportunity to make a choice between two options gives them a sense of autonomy and control, which in turn gives them the confidence to make a purchase.
And, as business theorist Clayton Christensen wrote, when a product (or a concert) does a great job at fulfilling a customer’s “job to be done” (in this case, signaling status and identity) the customer is often willing to pay a premium for that product.
So, don’t stop at fashion! For arts organizations looking to move customers from the consideration phase into a purchase, any opportunity to frame a tradeoff is worth exploring. And the innovations that result just might tip the scales in your favor.
