This seeming existential crisis is actually a moment of huge opportunity. You just need to rethink the decades-old audience development playbook—and find your Blue Ocean.

For arts organizations, whose missions are rooted in preserving and celebrating tradition, change itself feels like an existential threat. But here’s the bottom line: If we want the arts sector to thrive, we need to get better at leading change.

Last January, I set a SMART goal of reaching 5,000 LinkedIn followers (nearly twice what I was starting with) and doubling my LinkedIn reach by the end of the year. Here’s what happened…

What do an opera company, a ballet organization, a university concert series, and a library have in common? They’ve all harnessed the power of customer-centric strategies to redefine their relevance and thrive in today’s rapidly changing cultural landscape.

If you’ve hesitated to post on social media, thinking it’s “not your role” or that your organization’s branded accounts are enough, it’s time to rethink.

New logos, sleek designs, clever taglines—rebrands are exciting to watch. Until I take a closer look and realize it’s all surface and no substance.

For arts organizations faced with audience declines, there's a lot of pressure to recalibrate. But how ready is your organization for change? And how long will that change take?

Opera Philadelphia’s recent decision to introduce a pay-what-you-can model, with tickets starting as low as $11, has generated considerable buzz over the past week. Is the move revolutionary or risky?

There’s a persistent contingent in the arts who believe that calls for change are unwarranted.

“We’ve been told for years that arts patrons are disappearing,” they say, “but they never really do.”

Here are four reasons why now is different.

Deeply understanding the customer by regularly gathering customer insights has become a high-stakes game. And it’s a game that the for-profit sector is currently winning. How does the arts and culture sector compare?

Leadership buy-in is crucial before real change can occur at any arts organization. On your quest to shift hearts and minds, here are six tactics to consider.

"People don't want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole." This adage is often employed to illustrate a foundational concept in sales and marketing. But if you’re trying to sell a drill, knowing your customer wants to achieve a hole won’t get you very far.

In the arts and culture sector reclaiming relevance and unlocking audience growth means crafting compelling narratives that resonate with your target audience's aspirations and motivations.

It’s no secret—the arts sector struggles to reflect the diversity of the real world. And the NEA’s most recent Survey of Public Participation in the Arts has the hard numbers to prove it.

These seven elements, if properly implemented, work together to create a powerful emotional connection between consumer and brand.

Are your cultural events interactive? Nina Simon says that's not enough. But the solution may not be as expensive as you think.

Imagine being able to invigorate and expand your customer base while simultaneously having a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of the people you serve. This is the extraordinary value of building community.