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  2. Key Takeaways

    How did arts organizations of different size, location, and sector perform in 2018? We analyzed what kinds of organizations tend to spend the highest and lowest levels of marketing expense per person who attends.

  3. Trends

    Overall, in-person attendance rose over time, while marketing dollars spent per person were lower. Is this the future of patronage for arts & cultural organizations? We analyze by sector, size, and geography.

  4. Performance Drivers

    We identified what drives performance in the areas of managing marketing expenses and attracting in-person attendees and participants. See the results

  5. Resources

    Our mission is to provide valuable insights and useful tools to help arts and cultural leaders tell their story, overcome challenges, and increase impact. Find real-time stories, webinars, and testimonials from our community and partners.

  6. More Details

    A Breakdown of our Methodology and Tabular Data Observations

How We Figured Our Findings

Marketing Impact

A Breakdown of our Methodology and Tabular Data Observations

BAYCAT, San Francisco, CA. Photo by Ariel Dovas.

Our Formula & Methodology 

Response to Marketing Efforts Index:

Total marketing expenses (including staff and non-staff costs)/Total in-person attendance

Total Marketing Expenses

We include marketing salaries and fringe since employee efforts are part of the greater investment in marketing.

Total In-Person Attendance

Total in-person attendance accounts for the number of people who physically attended or participated in the organization’s activity, whether they paid or attended free of charge. According to the CDP’s survey instructions, “This includes general visitors, ticket holders, members, subscribers, students taking classes, workshop participants, those attending outreach activities, etc.”

A Breakdown of Our Methology

Response to Marketing, 2016-2018 Overall Trends

 

Response to Marketing Trends
(1,530 ORGANIZATIONS)		 2016 2017 2018 2016-2018
change		 2016-2018
change, adjusted for
inflation
Marketing Expenses (incl. personnel)/ Total In-Person Attendance
 $4.10 $3.89 $3.95 -3.7% -8.3%
Avg. Marketing Expenses/ $157,916 $156,512 $158,725 0.5% -4.3%
Avg. In-Person Attendance $38,478 $40,212 $40,160 4.4%  

 

  • Marketing expenses per attendee decreased over time. After adjusting for inflation, the index dropped 8.3% between 2016 and 2018. The average organization spent less in real dollars but attracted more people.

Response to Marketing, 2016-2018 Trends By Sector

 

MARKETING EXPENSE PER ATTENDEE
INDEX TRENDS,
BY SECTOR
(1,530 ORGANIZATIONS)		 2016 2017 2018 2016-2018
change		 2016-2018
change,
adjusted
for inflation
Arts Education $2.98 $2.89 $3.32 11.60% 6.20%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses/ $53,019 $51,276 $57,677 8.80% 3.60%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 17,800 17,733 17,358 -2.50%  
Art Museums $3.28 $3.22 $3.12 -4.90% -9.40%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses/ $508,175 $500,717 $490,756 -3.40% -8.00%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 154,822 155,718 157,163 1.50%  
Community $1.08 $0.91 $0.94 -13.20% -17.40%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses/ $42,105 $41,249 $42,686 1.40% -3.40%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 38,893 45,223 45,445 16.80%  
Dance $7.13 $9.02 $9.98 40.10% 33.40%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses/ $149,110 $158,596 $170,205 14.10% 8.70%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 20,927 17,583 17,056 -18.50%  
Music $1.59 $1.78 $2.42 51.50% 44.30%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses/ $28,824 $31,146 $29,929 3.80% -1.10%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 18,084 17,457 12,392 -31.50%  
Opera $19.22 $18.31 $19.24 0.10% -4.70%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses/ $480,880 $487,102 $466,679 -3.00% -7.60%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 25,016 26,603 24,255 -3.00%  
PACs $6.43 $5.27 $5.15 -19.80% -23.70%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses/ $859,865 $773,807 $788,752 -8.30% -12.60%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 133,732 146,841 153,030 14.40%  
Symphony Orchestras $7.52 $7.24 $7.74 2.90% -2.00%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses/ $164,406 $157,399 $161,867 -1.50% -6.20%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 21,850 21,743 20,907 -4.30%  
Theatre $6.83 $7.10 $7.09 3.70% -1.20%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses)/ $214,830 $219,710 $219,704 2.30% -2.60%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 31,437 30,962 30,992 -1.40%  
Other Museums $1.99 $1.81 $2.09 5.00% 0.00%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses/ $320,561 $313,790 $354,183 10.50% 5.20%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 160,920 173,136 169,320 5.20%  
General Performing Arts $8.46 $7.24 $5.62 -33.60% -36.70%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses/ $233,061 $229,784 $229,203 -1.70% -6.30%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 27,534 31,735 40,758 48.00%  
  • We see an upward trend in the marketing expense per attendee index in cases where attendance declined while marketing expense growth outpaced inflation, especially in the Dance sector.
  • Arts education, Dance, and Other Museums were the only sectors where marketing expenses increased above inflation over time. In the Art Museum, Opera, PAC, Orchestra, and GPA sectors, marketing expenses were lower in 2018 than in 2016 in both nominal and real dollars. In all other sectors, growth in marketing expenses fell short of inflation.
  • Museums consistently bring in the highest number of annual attendees, followed by PACs.
  • Total in-person attendance was lower in 2018 than in 2016 for Arts Education, Dance, Music, Opera, Symphony Orchestras, and Theatre.
  • At 48%, General Performing Arts saw the largest increase in total in-person attendance over time, followed by Community and PACs, at 16.8% and 14.4% respectively. Consequently, all three sectors also saw the largest decreases in their indices as they became more efficient in attracting audiences.

Response to Marketing, 2016-2018 Trends By Size

 

MARKETING EXPENSE PER ATTENDEE
INDEX TRENDS, BY SIZE (1,530 ORGANIZATIONS)		 2016 2017 2018 2016-2018
change		 2016-2018
change,
adjusted
for inflation
SMALL $0.57 $0.51 $0.52 -9.10% -13.40%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses/ $5,015 $5,070 $5,199 3.70% -1.30%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 8,812 9,881 10,045 14.00%  
MEDIUM $1.67 $1.53 $1.58 -5.50% -10.00%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses/ $51,609 $48,653 $47,919 -7.20% -11.60%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 30,873 31,794 30,326 -1.80%  
LARGE $6.25 $6.01 $6.00 -4.10% -8.60%
Ave. Total Marketing Expenses/ $870,344 $818,284 $776,977 -10.70% -15.00%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 139,147 136,129 129,503 -6.90%  
  • In inflation-adjusted figures, average total marketing expenses decreased over time for Small, Medium, and Large size organizations by 1.3%, 11.6% and 15.0%, respectively.
  • Large and Medium organizations experienced marketing expense declines that were higher than their attendance declines from 2016 to 2018. This resulted in marketing expenses per attendee that diminished somewhat over time.
  • Small organizations brought in more people and spent less in real dollars to do so, driving the decline in the index.

Response to Marketing, 2016-2018 Trends By Market

MARKETING EXPENSES PER ATTENDEE INDEX,
BY GEOGRAPHIC MARKET CLUSTER
(1,530 ORGANIZATIONS)		 2016 2017 2018 2016-2018
change		 2016-2018
change, adjusted
for inflation
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ $8.27 $7.45 $7.00 -15.40% -19.40%
Ave. Total Marketing/ $473,358 $446,675 $420,312 -11.20% -15.40%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 57,212 59,983 60,021 4.90%  
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA $3.96 $3.73 $3.84 -2.80% -7.40%
Ave. Total Marketing/ $88,357 $95,631 $98,295 11.20% 6.00%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 22,335 25,667 25,566 14.50%  
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Hgts, IL $5.14 $4.65 $5.97 16.00% 10.50%
Ave. Total Marketing/ $152,462 $149,006 $153,397 0.60% -4.20%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 29,640 32,056 25,700 -13.30%  
San Francisco-Redwood City- South SF, CA $4.24 $4.10 $5.11 20.40% 14.70%
Ave. Total Marketing/ $181,423 $187,353 $182,739 0.70% -4.10%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 42,746 45,709 35,755 -16.40%  
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria; Bethesda-Rockville-Fredericksburg, DC-VA $4.01 $4.10 $3.75 -6.40% -10.90%
Ave. Total Marketing/ $125,002 $129,826 $125,795 0.60% -4.20%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 31,211 31,627 33,564 7.50%  
Large Markets $2.60 $2.55 $2.45 -5.70% -10.20%
Ave. Total Marketing/ $133,382 $125,440 $128,945 -3.30% -7.90%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 51,324 49,217 52,629 2.50%  
Medium Markets $3.63 $3.45 $3.64 0.20% -4.60%
Ave. Total Marketing/ $169,791 $169,184 $181,837 7.10% 2.00%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 46,769 48,973 50,007 6.90%  
Small Markets $2.41 $2.92 $2.68 11.30% 6.00%
Ave. Total Marketing/ $83,199 $96,728 $92,203 10.80% 5.50%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 34,499 33,177 34,343 -0.50%  
Very Small Markets $3.20 $3.37 $3.12 -2.40% -7.10%
Ave. Total Marketing/ $72,269 $72,708 $71,248 -1.40% -6.10%
Ave. Total In-person Attendance 22,587 21,552 22,818 1.00%  
  • The biggest decrease in this index occurred in New York. It should be noted that the drop was due to a 15.4% drop in total marketing expenses coupled with a 4.9% increase in attendance. It took a lower amount of marketing expenses to bring in more people. A similar but less pronounced trend was seen in Large and Very Small markets.
  • The biggest increases in this index were in San Francisco and Chicago, where the decreases in average attendance were greater than the drop in real marketing expenses. Organizations spent more in marketing to bring in fewer people.
  • All markets experienced attendance growth except Chicago, San Francisco, and Small Markets, with the highest growth in Los Angeles at 14.5%.
  • Organizations in L.A., Medium markets and Small markets increased their marketing spend in excess of inflation over time. In NY, Large markets, and Very Small markets, marketing expenses were lower in 2018 than in 2016 in both nominal and real dollars. In all other markets, growth in marketing expenses fell short of inflation.

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