Classical Music: Meet the new Marketing Director

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Meet the new Marketing Director

The CSO has hired a new marketing director, Sherri Prentiss, who will be featured in a spotlight in tomorrow's Enquirer. I'm curious to see her ideas for improving the CSO's subscription sales and attendance.

Last week's "Stravinsky Festival" was not well attended on the night that I went.

Personally, I love Stravinsky, but I think the CSO should have made more of the "Eroica" to bring out the crowds. It was the most incredible performance of that symphony I've ever heard.

Everywhere I go, from music clubs and concerts to social events, the question on everybody's lips is: What can be done to improve symphony attendance?

13 Comments:

at 11/08/2007 11:24:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Good luck to a new
marketing person, hope she has seen the GRAY ADS, gray ad is like a rainy day,DEPRESSING. True,Stravinsky was good music, but Beethoven is the familiar composer/ winner,so try to re-do the newspaper ads.
The title 'Eroica' would have meant something more to many if they saw it in heavy print.
eM=M

at 11/09/2007 07:54:00 AM

Janelle Gelfand said...

I don't know who designed it, but today's ad in the Enquirer for the Stravinsky Festival is confusing, cluttered and uninviting. You look at it and think, don't these people know how to smile?

at 11/09/2007 02:24:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Well, at least this one had actually been to classical concerts before she was hired, unlike the unfortunate Ms. Cooper, wherever she may be. (This is true about Dianne Cooper, by the way.) Her iPod list gives me pause, however.

at 11/09/2007 05:22:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Is it actually ads that get people to come to a concert? I'm not sure that has an effect on me. That said, those ads are just pitiful and often downright ugly.

at 11/09/2007 07:50:00 PM

Anonymous said...

I was there Saturday and I have to say that the Eroica was a good performace, but I don't understand all the hype about it. The two Stravinsky pieces were the highlight of the evening for me. The Symphony of Psalms was breathtaking, and the Chorale Variations were a delightful surprise.

at 11/11/2007 01:27:00 PM

Anonymous said...

I like what Ms. Prentiss identified as some important things in her profile published this week. As far as strategy she feels it is important to get a better understanding of who attends and most importantly, in my view, who isn't attending and why. If the CSO is to survive, development of the "non-traditional" customer is where the salvation will come from simply because there are more of them. I think it is low hanging fruit waiting to be harvested if the marketing of the the symphonic product is opened up with some out of the box thinking.
She also mentioned she would like to do focus groups. The CSO had these throughout the mid-1990's and slightly beyond 2000 as I recall because I was in some of them. She may want to dust them off and see what was said and what was implemented (which wasn't much to tell you the truth), not that the imput of then would necessarily have any relevence now over a decade latter, but you never know with a decade of perspective at work what you could gleen from it. Were there bad ideas or was the established institution intransigent to change which they are paying the price for now with rapidly declining attendence?
I think we may be on the verge of some interesting times with the CSO.

Steve Deiters/Oakley

at 11/12/2007 12:58:00 AM

Anonymous said...

SORRY=, ads do sell tickets, to CSO or any musical event, and Sunday
Enquirer CSO ad with lots of white space and TWO profiles, only caused us to think it was an ad for PLASTIC SURGERY, disfigured faces meant nothing to us to buy tickets for the huge Mahler we would love to hear.
PLEASE, whoever is doing
ads now, you better hurry before it is too late or no one will be at another CSO concert.
eM=M

at 11/16/2007 08:16:00 AM

Anonymous said...

Print ads run in newspapers see very little return and are VERY expensive (10K and up easy for any size that is not a postage stamp) the only time these work is for performances that are in town for limited engagements. Broadway Across America is makes sense....CSO...it does not....do you think they (CSO) sees a 10K return in ticket sales? Uh, no.

at 11/16/2007 05:39:00 PM

Anonymous said...

What I meant by not being sold by an ad is that I'm either going to go or not based on the rep. and my time, not a good or great ad. That said, because I like the organization, it's painful to see some of the awkward, unattractive ads they've come up with. Ultimately,it reflects on the organization.

at 11/17/2007 12:20:00 AM

Anonymous said...

Back to Basics--a new marketing person may see the advantage of a photo of a lovely young female pianist featured on this weekend's CSO concerts to be in the ad, not the two male faces.

Anyone thinking of a beautiful musical event, maybe even bringing guests, may not feel inclined to suffer thru an evening with music that sounds like those 2 elder gentlemen look.
Lovely lady might entice us to come to see/hear.
eM=M

at 11/19/2007 11:20:00 PM

Anonymous said...

I would be very suprised if this marketing director had any true influence in changing the direction of the CSO.....

at 11/20/2007 01:26:00 AM

Anonymous said...

Don't really think anyone
would want the NEW marketing director to come in and change the DIRECTION of the CSO. They ARE going in the right direction and have been for many years before, musically and socially.
But it would be great if
'she' would bring in some
new marketing prowess to get many excited, to get them to buy tickets.

Past Saturday night found many very young people coming in,family, students and perhaps the word got out that this was a very special YOUNG
fine female pianist.

After Thursday night, and Friday morning, the word spread and they read the Enquirer, THEN they bought tickets.Nice to see them lined up to pick up call-in orders.

Just fresh ideas from a newcomer would help CSO
retain its World Class status,and maybe fill the Hall.
eM=M

at 11/20/2007 03:41:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Responding to previous posts, I thought the Stravinsky ads were the most interesting we've seen from the CSO in years. They had a 'film noir' vibe that to me conveyed something edgy and new.

As for Ms. Prentiss' iPod list, what would you want -- all orchestral works, all the time? The same old expectations yield the same old results. To me it seems that someone who understands the entertainment universe as a whole will have a much more interesting and robust approach to marketing the CSO than someone whose only interest is classical music.

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Thursday, November 08, 2007

Meet the new Marketing Director

13 Comments: