Theater De Schalm is a medium-sized theater in Veldhoven, says director Sjoert Bossers: "Close to Eindhoven and at the same time the capital of the Kempen. That defines us: we have a village-like friendliness, with an urban touch. This gives us a wide and diverse reach, but we didn’t see that reflected in our visitors. That was the reason for us to set up research into our (potential) audience.” Theater De Schalm is therefore participating in the Brabant pilot on audience research, organized by Kunstloc Brabant and made possible in part by a contribution from BrabantStad.
What did your audience research reveal?
Sjoert: “We gained insight into our current audience composition and which audiences we are not yet reaching.” Nancy: “We linked this to the Cultural Target Group Model from Rotterdam Festivals. Based on this visitor segmentation, we saw, for example, which groups we are not yet reaching but could potentially engage, such as the ‘Local Leisure Enjoyers.’”
How do you translate these insights into daily practice?
Bente: “We examined the customer journey of our current visitors, from their first experience on the website to their visit to the theater. And we are creating new customer journeys for our potential visitors.”
Nancy: “Previously, we would sometimes ask via Facebook: ‘Which artist would you like to see at De Schalm?’ That rarely yielded useful responses. With the research and target group segmentation, demand-driven programming becomes truly concrete. If we don’t yet have a group in-house, I look at: what would they enjoy? For example, we know that the ‘Local Leisure Enjoyers’ are generally a bit older, prefer to visit cultural events during the day, and see these visits as social activities. This led to the idea of a monthly Sunday afternoon matinee specifically for this group.”
Sjoert: “We are really allocating time and budget to innovate and explore which programming we can link to the target group research.”
Are you also able to reach younger audiences?
Nancy: “We saw in the research that we couldn’t reach the youth in the area. They are also not in our data because they live with their parents or have already moved out beyond our target area.” Sjoert: “Then you try to connect thematically with your programming. An example is our collaboration with a group of football freestylers. They gave demos on football fields where those young people are, and we translated that into a show in the theater.”
Youth consume differently
Sjoert: “Young people generally consume very differently; for instance, who among them still watches TV? That has been replaced by Netflix and YouTube. Sitting in the theater is still the ultimate goal for us, but we also look at: how can we bring culture to those hard-to-reach young people? In the form of a festival or digitally via a stream, for example. In the digital category, you can also think of innovations on stage, such as digital sets and real-time projected actors.
The audience of tomorrow is radically different from today’s visitor. Discover how you can reach the audience of the future.
Has data-driven working changed your collaboration?
Nancy: “As a programmer, I now join the weekly marketing meeting. There, I can provide input on the marketing plans with knowledge of the performance. Since I’ve already seen the preview or spoken with the creators, I can estimate where the connections lie with the different target groups.”
Bente: “Conversely, as a marketer, I can provide valuable input even before the planning is finalized. For example, you can align the programming with a holiday and tailor the marketing accordingly.”
“Collaboration between disciplines must become the standard: marketing, management, and programming are inextricably linked.”
What is the future of data-driven working for De Schalm and the cultural sector?
Sjoert: “Sometimes it seems difficult to innovate an art form. But theater, too, must reinvent itself in a changing world. The possibilities with data are fortunately endless. For example, we have our own app, where we can communicate even more personally in real-time through data insights, with a fun extra, a thank-you, or a recommendation for a next performance.”
Put your audience at the center with data
With the advent of digital transformation, more and more data and insights about your audience become available. Who are they, when do they buy a ticket, and what motivates them to visit you? Data-driven working provides a framework to determine who your existing audience is. It allows you to collectively look at the same facts and make decisions accordingly. It helps your organization understand, serve, and connect with your target groups.
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