Planning a 

1

marketing strategy

This chapter describes the seven Ps of marketing (Purpose, Product, Place,

Position, Price, Public, Promotion) and the SWOT analysis (Strengths,

Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). These are vital components in planning

your marketing strategy.

The seven Ps of marketing

1

Marketing begins when you start planning your arts event. Time spent planning a

STICK

marketing strategy will be rewarded tenfold. Be sure to use members of your team and

TO IT

outside mentors to brainstorm your strategy.

Develop a comprehensive

Marketing considers the seven Ps: Purpose, Product, Place, Position, Price, Public and

marketing strategy from the

Promotion. These are all interrelated and together, they make up your marketing strategy.

outset, and stick to its

Chapter two, Promoting your event, includes an eight week timeline. In the first week,

structure and budget, advises

you'll see that one of the first things you need to do is identify the seven Ps and do a

Kerry Buchan, Co ordinator of

SWOT analysis. 

Dunedin's biennial writers'

festival Wordstruck!  Having

said that, you need to

Purpose

constantly review what's

What's the purpose of your arts event? It's important to determine the purpose so you

actually happening and react

can measure your success against your goals. 

to market demands.  For

instance, international guests

Perhaps you want to introduce your company's work to a new market. If that's the case,

proved a major draw card at

financial return may not be your top priority. Or perhaps the show is a development

the 2003 Wordstruck! and

exercise for your company. If so, you may not want many people to attend   and certainly

people made early bookings.

not reviewers. 

Initially, sales for the schools

Write down your goals. For example:

programme were slow and so

  to achieve 30% box office sales

Kerry changed the focus of

  to expose the work to a new and specific community

her strategy. She introduced

  to  learn how to produce a show.

an experienced voluntary

helper with networks in

schools, who immediately got

Product

on the phone and contacted

English departments.The

It's important to know what you're selling. Defining your product involves describing it

result?  We created a new

in terms of what it is; who it's for; where it is; when it's on; how long it's on for; and

problem   fitting everyone in. 

what time it's on.

9

Smart arts

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