Arts Audiences: Insight

higher education qualificationthan average a higher than average proportion– a sixth – are from ethnic minoritybackgroundsArts patronage, charitable givingand volunteeringAlmost two-fifths of this group havebought an original work of art. They arewilling volunteers, in the form of raisingmoney or being involved in coaching andmentoring schemes. The majority havedonated money to charity in the last year,their favourite charities being The PoppyDay Appeal, Cancer Research UK, andchildren’s charities.Their mediaMost important media for this groupOutdoorsWhen travelling to work and outingsthey have some exposure to outdoorposters, noticing advertising on buses, atbus stops, on roadside hoardings and inshopping centres.CinemaThey go to the cinema at least a fewtimes a year, some monthly or even moreoften, and are keen on action adventure,romantic comedy, comedy and thrillers.Word of mouthUrban arts eclectic are more likely thanaverage to talk to family and friends andthose outside their social circle abouteverything they do and buy, in particularfood and travel. A small number postproduct reviews online.InternetThe internet is a vital part of their livesfor connecting with others, supportingtheir busy routine and getting inspiration.Nearly a third go online using theirmobile, as well as at work and home toaccess information on listings and traveland for creating and commenting onvideos, photos or articles. Popular sites areMarks and Spencer, Next, John Lewis,The Guardian and The Telegraph.Less important media for this groupTVThey do not watch a great deal of TV,mainly tuning in for news and currentaffairs, films and comedy shows. They aremore likely than average to watch artsand politics programmes, and are oftenfans of Have I Got News for You, BBCnews, Live at the Apollo, Doctor Who andCome Dine with Me.RadioThey are fairly light radio listeners, usuallylistening for less than an hour at a time. Ahigher than average proportion – a tenth– listen online. They listen to news, sportsand concert coverage, favouring BBCstations like Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live.Newspapers and magazinesHalf read a daily paper; fewer; take aweekend paper. They are more likely thanaverage to read broadsheet titles. Metro isalso used to keep up with the news. Theyoccasionally read magazines, and topics ofinterest include film, science, new productreviews, travel, fashion and arts. Populartitles include National Geographic,Cosmopolitan and Sky Magazine.Data sources: Taking Part survey 2008/9 and GB TGI NET 2010Q3 – Target Group Index Kantar Media UK Ltd 2010Profiling by: TGI Insights & IntegrationArts audiences: insight 11

Traditionalculture vulturesAt a later stage in life and havingattained a high standard of living,Traditional culture vultures havetime to devote to their many leisureinterests. Art and culture takes upthe majority of their time, alongsidetravelling and spending timewith family.

13 Arts audiences: insightIllustration: Emily Forgot

Traditional culture vultures 4% of English adultsTheir leisureWhen at home you might find Traditionalculture vultures immersed in a good book,gardening, reading the paper, or preparingand enjoying a meal with family and friends.They are positive and creative thinkers,and derive great pleasure from good foodand company. They believe time is moreimportant than money and are committedfriends and community members.They enjoy the outdoors and occasionallygo on days out to visit museums,stately homes, parks and gardens, andarchaeological sites. They also exerciseweekly, favouring individual sports such aswalking, swimming and yoga.a potential for a ‘purist’ attitude towardsartistic content. The challenge will begetting them to try out something new.Positioning the opportunity as high-quality,creative and intellectually stimulating mayprove most compelling for this group.Having an activity or event endorsed bythose whom they hold in high regard will becritical. These could be experts and critics intraditional arts genres or it could be thoseoutside of the arts such as high-profilepolitical or business figures.In-venue marketing will help to create thelink to the traditional arts that is needed tosatisfy this group that an activity is artistic,and allow them to identify themselveswith it.Their artsTheir demographics Traditional culture vultures have akeen interest in the arts, it forms partof their identity they form the core loyal audience basefor several of the more traditional artsincluding opera, ballet, plays, classicalmusic concerts and art exhibitions their interest in the arts extendsinto their hobbies – in their leisuretime many of them enjoy textile crafts,playing a musical instrument or paintingand drawing nearly two-thirds are women typically older – two-thirds are aged45–74 – and living with a partner withoutany children in the household majority are in good health almost exclusively from a white ethnicbackground highly educated, with two-thirds holdinghigher education qualifications typically affluent, more likely thanaverage to be retired higher than average – just over a quarter– live in rural areasEngaging with Traditionalculture vulturesTraditional culture vultures are already highlyengaged with the arts, and have the timeand the financial means to attend regularly.They also already see themselves as part ofthe arts, although they sometimes show14 Arts audiences: insightArts patronage, charitable givingand volunteeringTraditional culture vultures are patronsof the arts, being the most likely of allsegments to have donated money to anarts charity in the last year. They are keen

volunteers, mainly on committees ororganising events.Their mediaMost important media for this groupOutdoorsThey notice a lot of advertising while outand about, particularly on public transportor in washrooms.CinemaFrequent cinema-goers, they prefer perioddramas, thrillers and romantic comedies.InternetA higher proportion than average –two-thirds – are online everyday. Theymainly use e-commerce and news sites,with a tenth having bought event ticketsonline. They also spend time onlinelooking at maps and weather, gettinginformation on activities/interests, lookingat cinema/theatre/concert listings,comparing prices or making travel plans.Popular sites are John Lewis, Debenhamsand The Times.RadioThey are light to medium radio listeners(up to 28 hours a week). In addition tothe news they like listening to concertsand programmes on current affairs,sports, gardening, business and finance.NewspapersA third read a newspaper every day,with an interest in local, national andinternational news, the environment, art,books, music and theatre. The papersthey typically read include The Times, TheDaily Telegraph, The Daily Mail and theLondon Evening Standard.MagazinesThe majority read one or two magazinesa month, with a preference for in-storemagazines such as Your M&S, Tesco’smagazine, Waitrose Food Illustrated andthe free Sky Magazine.Data sources: Taking Part survey 2008/9 and GB TGI NET 2010Q3 – Target Group Index Kantar Media UK Ltd 2010Profiling by: TGI Insights & IntegrationLess important media for this groupTVThey watch relatively little TV (up to 20hours per week). They typically watch BBCOne, BBC Two and BBC Four, showinginterest in the news, documentaries,plays, politics and arts programming.Favourite programmes include Have I GotNews for You, Foyle’s War, Natural World,Lewis and SpringWatch.Arts audiences: insight 15

Someengagement

Fun, fashionand friendsFun, fashion and friends aredeveloping their careers or juststarting families. In their leisuretime, they like to indulge in theirinterests of fashion and food. Theyare ambitious, optimistic and relishseeking out new experiences withfriends and family.

18 Arts audiences: insightIllustration: Pomme Chan

Fun, fashion and friends 16% of English adultsTheir leisureEngaging with Fun, fashion and friendsFun, fashion and friends make time forsocialising with their friends and partnersat pubs and bars, over a meal or bymeeting for the occasional coffee. Socialnetworking sites are also used as a wayof sharing information and keeping intouch with friends.Arts opportunities positioned as‘contemporary’, ‘trendy’, ‘fun’ and as anopportunity to spend time with friendsand family are likely to be attractive tothis group. Keen followers of media andcelebrity news, they might also respondto endorsements from high-profile mediacampaigns and celebrities.They would describe themselves as creative,stylish and optimistic. They admit totreating themselves when out shopping,with a proportion stating they really enjoyshopping for clothes. Other interests includecooking, specifically trying new recipes andforeign cuisine.They pay attention to their fitness andtend to exercise two to three times a weekby swimming, cycling and aerobics, butacknowledge there is more they could do tolook after their health.Their arts Fun, fashion and friends express stronginterest in the arts, engaging withthe arts because they are fun andentertaining their attendance typically consists ofvisits to more ‘mainstream’ arts events,including live music such as rockconcerts, musicals, pantomimes, playsand art exhibitions many of them engage with creativehobbies in their leisure time, the mostpopular activities include painting ordrawing, playing an instrument andtextile crafts19 Arts audiences: insightAs this group are online everyday– using the internet as a source ofinformation and keeping in touch withtheir friends via social networking sites– an online campaign could be an effectiveway to interact with this group. A Facebookpage or Twitter feed could be a way ofkeeping this group updated with artsevents on an ongoing basis.In general, this group is already engagedwith and has a positive attitude towardsthe arts – the challenge is not convincingthem to engage, but finding appropriatecommunications channels to encouragethem to increase their frequency, andcreating more arts opportunities thatcorrelate with their interests and fit in withtheir lifestyle.Their demographics skew to younger age groups, over a thirdaged 16–34 mostly married/living with a partner mostly white typically well-educated, with overtwo-fifths holding higher educationalqualifications average income profile, with the majorityworking full or part-time

Arts patronage, charitable givingand volunteeringThey are willing to volunteer their timefor a good cause – over a third have doneso, in the form of raising money or takingpart in a sponsored event. Most havedonated to charity in the last 12 months,with cancer research charities, Childrenin Need and the Poppy Appeal being themost popular charities.CinemaOccasional cinema-goers (the majoritygo less than once a month) they havewide-ranging tastes with a preferencefor romantic comedies, animation andfantasy films.Their mediaWord of mouthWord of mouth is important for thisgroup as they are social and like to keepin touch with family and friends. Theyconsider themselves knowledgeable andare likely to speak to people about food,fashion, holidays and travel.Most important media for this groupLess important media for this groupMagazinesThis group buys magazines to keepup with celebrity news and readabout clothes, fashion and food. Theyare more likely to read Boots’ Health &Beauty, Heat, OK!, Now, Reveal, Closer,Hello, Sainsbury’s Fresh Ideas andWaitrose Food Illustrated.TVThey watch a reasonable amount ofTV (fewer than 20 hours a week), andenjoy entertainment, drama, comedy andserial programmes, preferring channelssuch as E4, Dave and Living. Shows theyenjoy include The X Factor, Live At TheApollo, CSI: New York, and StrictlyCome Dancing.InternetWhen Fun, fashion and friends needinformation the first place they look isthe internet. This group uses the internetevery day or most days and onlineactivities include email, price comparisonwebsites, online shopping and lookingup cinema/theatre/concert listings. Thisgroup also visits social networking sitesto interact with friends. Their most visitedsites include Google, Facebook, YouTube,BBC and eBay.OutdoorThey are exposed to outdoor advertisingduring their daily commute – they tendto notice posters on buses, bus stops andbillboards. They are prone to recall postersat supermarkets and shopping malls.RadioAverage radio listeners, they are mostlikely to listen to music charts, chatprogrammes and entertainment,favourite programmes inculde The ChrisMoyles Show, Chris Evans and TheOfficial Chart Show.NewspapersThe majority read papers at least a coupleof days a week, with most interest inleisure and lifestyle-related content: foodand drink, TV programme details, music,books, nature and the environment.Data sources: Taking Part survey 2008/9 and GB TGI NET 2010Q3 – Target Group Index Kantar Media UK Ltd 2010Profiling by: TGI Insights & IntegrationArts audiences: insight 20

MatureexplorersBalanced and practical, Matureexplorers keep up to date withcurrent affairs and the news andseek to develop informed opinions,displaying their ethical concernsthrough their lifestyle choices.Neither faddish nor brand or imageconscious, they are more practical intheir spending habits and tend to optfor the ‘tried and tested’ approach.They use art as a way to bring a newperspective to their lives.

22 Arts audiences: insightIllustration: Claudia Pape

Mature explorers 11% of English adultsTheir leisureEngaging with Mature explorersMature explorers spend their time goingto art exhibitions, plays and going on daysout to stately homes or castles. They havecomparatively specific interests in history,politics, food and art.Mature explorers engage mainly througharts exhibitions, and this defines what art isto them. Strategies to engage them needto be through providing other opportunitiesin the context of their lives and broadeningtheir thinking. Displaying sculpture outdoorsin gardens or heritage sites, holdingperformances in castles and stately homesand creating promotional tie-ins with other‘big day out’ events could all prove fruitful.They have few time commitments and theyare likely to be found spending time overcoffee and catching up on the news of theday – this isn’t necessarily with friends, theyare quite happy in their own company.They holiday once or twice a year,travelling both domestically and abroad.They are mature and practical, with abalanced approach to life. They placeimportance on their spirituality and onothers acting ethically. It is unlikely thatthey will try the latest trend as they knowwhat they like.Their arts Mature explorers characteristicallyattend art and craft exhibitions, andlive music events or musicals. Inparticular, visual arts are their passionand they are highly likely to recommendevents they attend to others their arts engagement has manymotivations, from being a way tounderstand themselves better and bringexcitement into their lives through to away of socialising with friends and family few take part in artistic activitiesthemselves, with only low levels ofinterest in textile crafts, paintingor drawingPositioning the arts as an opportunity tolearn something new or explore differentcultures could be a good way to appeal tothis segment, and their interest in currentaffairs and thirst for knowledge couldbe catered for by the provision of wellprepared, information-rich backgroundand accompanying materials, perhapsdrawing on the historical, conceptual orenvironmental context of the artwork.Their demographics an equal gender mix typically middle-aged, with almost twofifths aged 45–64 the majority live with a partner with nolive-in children mostly white mostly in good health comfortably off, with a skew to higherlevels of education and professional ormanagerial jobsArts patronage, charitable givingand volunteeringThis group buy original crafts, and willsupport arts charities financially. They areinclined to respond to direct mailing and23 Arts audiences: insight

promotional print activity (for fundraisingand purchasing goods). Fewer givetheir time volunteering, although theyare more willing to do this for artsorganisations than other segments.Their mediaMost important media for this segmentMagazinesThey typically read a couple of magazineseach month. In addition to the free instore supermarket titles they have ahigher than average propensity to readSaga and Good Housekeeping.InternetTheir use of the internet is in linewith the average population – theydon’t automatically go online everyday. They use it for practical purposes– predominantly to email, to getinformation about an activity or interestand to compare prices. Key sites areAmazon, Google and Multimap.OutdoorsThey tend to travel at least four hoursa week and notice outdoor media onbuses, bus stop shelters, on the roadsideand at supermarkets.CinemaWith average levels of cinema attendance(most go at least a couple of timesa year), they tend to opt for actionadventures and period dramas, as well asshowing a higher than average interest indisaster films.Less important media for this segmentTVMature explorers watch a modest amountof TV, with the majority tuning in forfewer than 20 hours per week. Theywatch TV to keep up with the news andpolitics. They are higher than average BBCTwo viewers, and favour documentaries,plays and arts programming. Theyparticularly choose to watch shows suchas Panorama, Question Time, Horizonand Newsnight.RadioThe majority listen for an hour or twoeach day, mainly during the week. Theyare more likely to listen to a BBC stationthan commercial, and favour BBC Radio3, Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live. Favouriteshows are Today, comedy on Radio 4 andThe Archers.NewspapersNewspaper readership levels are in linewith the average population. They tendto read The Daily Mail, The Guardian,Daily Telegraph and Metro, being mostinterested in food and recipes alongsidethe news.Data sources: Taking Part survey 2008/9 and GB TGI NET 2010Q3 – Target Group Index Kantar Media UK Ltd 2010Profiling by: TGI Insights & IntegrationArts audiences: insight 24

Dinner anda showDinner and show are a mainstreamgroup consisting of a significantproportion of young and middle-agedpeople. With two-thirds employedand a third comfortably off, this grouphas disposable income to spend onleisure activities.Young or young at heart they enjoylife – eating well, socialising and goingon outings related to music.

26 Arts audiences: insightIllustration: Tal Brosh

Dinner and a show 20% of English adultsTheir leisureThis group are very interested in music; theirmain activity is attending (mainstream/pop)music concerts and gigs, and a few go tomusic festivals as well. They enjoy spendingtime with friends and family and socialisingboth online and offline. They are more likelyto use social networking sites and eat outregularly in fast food or pub restaurants.They tend to be social drinkers. The majorityhave been to pubs/bars in the last 12months, typically visiting frequently in theevening for a drink or a meal. Occasionally,some go to quiz nights.This segment makes few regular culturaloutings unless they are music related. Whenthey do go out for the day, they are morelikely to go to theme parks and zoos/safariparks. Over a third have been to the theatrein the last year.Their arts the arts do not play a key role in theeveryday life of this group, and attendingarts events is an infre

the arts. In the context of how the arts fit into people's everyday lives, it provides new insight into the patterns of arts consumption and attitudes towards the arts, how people spend their leisure time and what competes with the arts for people's attention. It also considers socio-demographic factors, media consumption and lifestyles.