CHICAGO ARTIST COALITIONBRAND REPORTEileen - Shirley - Kai - Mora - Ellen - Ran

1. ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

2. CURRENT SITUATION

3. OBJECTIVE

4. AUDIENCE INSIGHTS & SUGGESTIONS

5. BEST PRACTICES ANALYSIS

6. KEY TAKEAWAYS

CONTENTS

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ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

Customers: All the Artists based in the Chicagoland area

Mission: To build a sustainable marketplace for entrepreneurial artists and creatives.

Current SituationLearn from ourselves

Brand DNA: CAC

Customer context: Seek help and support Brand essence: Care, support and help entrepreneurial artists and creatives to succeed

ArtistsContext

CAC Competitor

Brand DNA: CAR

Customer context: Seek resources and jobs

Brand essence: For artists and by artists to help each other survive and succeed in the industry

Artists Context

CAR Competitor

PROBLEMIn 2012, CAC significantly expanded its programs and outreach by acquiring the Chicago Artists Resource website, known as CAR. Since the two brands are distinctive in users’ minds and have different user groups, the main problem is: how to formulate and implement a brand alignment strategy?

OBJECTIVEIncrease the audience’s awareness of the Chicago Artists Coalition and the artists’ desire to interact with the brand through stronger brand alignment

RESEARCH ROADMAP

Quantitative AnalysisGoogle Analytics

Qualitative Analysis●CAC content analysis

○Website○Newsletter

●Best practices analysis○Regional organizations○National organizations

●In-depth Interview○Non-users○CAC users○CAR users○Both CAC & CAR users

Audience Insights & SuggestionsLearn from our artist interviewees

What did we do? - Depth Interview

Time - 05/2015People - Chicago Artists

PerformancePoet

Photographer Graphic Designer

Musician

Need?Problem? Challenge?

Perception?User Experience?

What did we get? - 4 General Themes across Artists

how to build connections since it’s the most important source for job opportunities and self improvementNetworking

Funding

Marketing

Miscellaneous

how to raise money for art

how to market themselves

how to manage taxes, finances and their own business

“ Art is a social career”“ Success depends on networking”

“ Social media is so shallow. I want deeper connections”

“ I’d rather be creative all the time, but it’s hard to maintain a living”

“ I can’t do a job that can’t exploit my creativity. So I got an adjunct job working at five different schools... (teaching) to earn a salary for myself.”

“ But finding a full-time teaching job is really hard.”

“I want to know other artists.”

“For a long time, I don’t want to do anything commercial. I don’t want to work for other people...But I’ve been creating a commercial portfolio... I wouldn’t say that i won’t work commercially. I have that in my back pocket. I’m just sort of waiting for an opportunity.”

“ Internet does everything for me.”

“ I use tumblr.”

“ CAR is doing the interviews with artists, like artists’ stories..Those are actually very nice. ”

What did we find? - 2 big problems to solve

1. Real meaning of “brand alignment”?

2. Do we need segments and targets?

1. Real meaning of “brand alignment”?

“ I don’t know CAR belongs to CAC , but it doesn’t matter.”

“ The functions of the two websites are complementary.”

“ When I need to find a job or find a studio, I will go to CAR. But when I need to take a workshop for business training, or establish a professional network, I will go to CAC.”

The artists don’t care about the relationship between CAC and CAR

Symptoms

1. Real meaning of “brand alignment”

Telling the fact that CAR belongs to CAC directly to our audience is not effective.

Problems

“The proper positioning or state of adjustment of parts in relation to each other.”

- Merriam Webster Dictionary

Alignment n \ə-līn-mənt\Definition

“To clarify and inform the complementary position is the best brand alignment.

“Complementary”

“Key benefits:√ Serve the artists in a well-rounded way.√ Increase the traffic of both.√ Brand alignment in the mind of our audience.

“Symbiosis.”“Complementary.”

SUGGESTIONS - Awareness

Promoting CAC’s special programs such as Starving Artists & MAKER Grant with Google and Facebook ads

Create banner ads of CAC programs and accessible links to CAC on the CAR website

Launch more offline events in the name of CAC

Invite CAR users to join CAC events & programs through Email newsletters

Create the awareness of CAC in artists’ minds.

SUGGESTIONS - Positioning

Position the two organizations as complementary parts of each other.

Dynamically program the site so that the targeted banner ads related to artists’ needs appear when artists browse the site

Place pop-up ads to redirect CAR traffic to CAC. For example, when artists are searching for “artist workshop”, “art project” etc. on CAR, which cannot be provided by the site, a pop-up ad will provide the link to the corresponding CAC page.

POSITIONING - Pop-up Ads

2. Do we need Segments and Targets?

Confusing navigation; Hard to find relevant information; Seems not as useful as CAR

Symptoms

“ CAC is a place to see gallery events and visual art… not for writing at all”

“ Bolt residency is for artists who are new to here… too expensive… can use the same money to rent a studio… networking chances can be found elsewhere”

“Hard to navigate”

2. Do we need Segments and Targets?

Ambiguous user segmentsBusiness-centric not customer-centric

Problem

There are big differences between the needs of artists:● professionals versus semi-professionals;● locals versus newcomers;● different art genres (visual, new media,

writing, etc.);● different skill sets (taxes, financials,

technical supports, etc.)

“ Simply listing all the projects and events that CAC provides from the company’s perspective is not enough.

It’s essential to start from the artist's standpoint, and adjust the projects and events for each segment.

1. More explicit audiences segments◦ Art Forms

▫ Visual Arts / Performance / Writer◦ Career stage

▫ Newbies / Semi-professional / Full time artists◦ Different Needs

▫ Financial / Workspace / Social network / business

1. Tag segmentations◦ Create tags for main topics and event postings (e.g. visual

arts / dancer / finance / how-to-do-business)◦ Provide filter solutions for quick information search and

precise audience targeting

SUGGESTIONS - Segmentation

Develop artist segments to provide customized services

Segmentation - Article Tags

Content Filtering

SUGGESTIONS - Layout and Content

1. Prioritize the importance of each segment of contents▫ create a structured framework based on the importance

of each section▫ limit the need for page scroll

i. Keep the most important information within one page

ex: decrease the size of each event banner

2. More consumer-oriented design▫ Using terms from users’ point of view

ex: instead of “members receive”, use “what do i get” ▫ Add “call to action” button beside the most relevant

information and increase the # of times it appears

Provide customized navigating experience

Layout and Content - “Call to action” Button

Best Practices AnalysisLearn from our peers

ANALYSIS ROADMAP

Community Building

Integration of Functionality

Social Media

Business Model

Case Study: NAMAC

Community Building

Provide a platform for informational exchange; establishing their network or showcasing their art.

1. Informational Exchange- categorized discussion board2. Networking Opportunity- “connect with others”- using user-oriented terms3. Art Work Showcasing- a gallery-like online space

Community Building

Provide a platform for informational exchange; establishing their network or showcasing their art.

1. Informational Exchange- categorized discussion board2. Networking Opportunity- “connect with others”- using user-oriented terms3. Art Work Showcasing- a gallery-like online space

Community Building

Provide a platform for informational exchange; establishing their network or showcasing their art.

1. Informational Exchange- categorized discussion board2. Networking Opportunity- “connect with others”- using user-oriented terms3. Art Work Showcasing- a gallery-like online space

Integration of Functionality

Integration requires consistent visuals and content1. Show related content at the home page.2. Clear direction on action to take, using simple, easy-to-read terms.

Integration of Functionality

Integration requires consistent visuals and content1. Show related content at the home page.2. Clear direction on action to take, using simple, easy-to-read terms.

Social Media

Good social media strategy can deliver diversified messages, nurture user community, and build inviting channels to attract more audiences in the serving segment.

1. Different messages designed for different social platforms2. Frequent interaction with similar organizations and eventsFacebook: Stories, organizational introductions and WOM marketing, more detailed information

Twitter: Condensed and clear messages, introduction to current events, and make use of #hashtags

Social Media1. Different message designed for different social platforms2. Frequent interaction with similar organizations and events

By coordinating and interacting with other organizations, CAC can become THE platform for artists to stay current with the art society. The goal is to gather different conversation networks and turn CAC into a traffic magnet.

Business ModelEffective business model provides obvious and clear solutions to the most pressing problems, by either solving the targeted customers’ pain points or providing life enchantment.

Main Audience Unique Services

Perspective artists

Establishing networks, acquiring mentors, and initiating projects

PhotographersA supportive community to exchange ideas and information about photography

Artists seeking financial support

Helping artists to acquire funds for specific art projects

* The audience and service in the examples are not the sole customers and service of the organizations, but their main focus and competitive advantages.

Business Model

After acquiring a competitive advantage, it is desirable to create a sustainable and profitable customer structure through:

Pay-Per-Service◦ More profitable◦ More potential to grow

Hierarchical membership program◦ Increased customer satisfaction ◦ Cost saving

Case Study: NAMAC

Comparison between NAMAC and CAC & CAR

NAMAC CAC

Mission- Facilitate collaboration,

strategic growth, innovation and cultural impact for media arts field

- Build a sustainable marketplace for entrepreneurial artists and creatives

Audience Artists & organizations Artists & organizations

Content

- Programs & membership- Services- News

- Resources & articles- Job bank

CAC- Programs &

membership- Projects- Events

CAR- Jobs- Events- Articles & stories

Case Study: NAMAC

This model puts two types of content together in a website but clearly focuses on the membership and association side.

How does it solve the alignment problem of the content?

◦ Leverages resources to convince the audience and promote the membership and programs of the brand

How does it solve the problem of mixing contents?◦ Uses good visualization to simplify, classify and layout

the complex categories of content

Case Study: NAMAC

How does it simplify, classify and layout the complex categories of content ?

◦ puts resources and job banks into two separate categories and clearly as a sub-feature of the brand

◦ Uses visualization to simplify and clarify information

Seven categories:About | Programs| Services | Our members | Resources | Job bank | Impact

Call to action + mission

Programs, events and membership: big photo

Job bank News+Opinion Social

Membership highlight: VideoCall to action

Case Study: NAMAC

How does it simplify, classify and layout the complex categories of content ?

◦ puts resources and job banks into two separate categories and clearly as a sub-feature of the brand

◦ Uses visualization to simplify and clarify information

Case Study: NAMAC

How does it place its focus on the membership and programs of the brand?

◦ Larger amount of space & More obvious position◦ Frequency of appearance: call to action on every page◦ Priority in category order◦ More engaging formats: video and image

Key TakeawaysFinal Thoughts

Final Thoughts

The best way to align the two brands is to clarify and establish their complementary positions in artists’ minds

It’s essential to start from the artist's’ standpoint, and cater the communications to each artist segment

Create customized messages through different social media channels and serve artists with different needs

Leverage CAR’s influential power to increase CAC’s brand equity through multiple online and offline communications

Use good visualization to simplify, classify and layout different categories of content

Thanks!ANY QUESTIONS?