Research on Gay attendance and attitudes towards the performing arts?
As a marketer I am always trying to identify high usage market segments to build a loyal franchise. (Wolfbrown studies ( especially the ticket segmentaton) have been very helpful). While I find lots of anecdotal data on participation and attendance of the gay market ( usually male), I am struggling to find a quantitative review or case studies where people have targeted this market for mainstream arts events. It would really be helpful if there was some model which explained attendance behavior. Of special interest is tapping into that growing market of non urban under 35 group that have grown up in a different time and may have different perspectives. Can anyone point me towards some links? Thanks.
Dear Roadsend, I am not aware of any studies that focus on the gay and lesbian market for performing arts programs. Most arts groups are reluctant to ask the question about sexual orientation on surveys. There is a market research firm in San Francisco that specializes in the GLBT marketplace, see:
http://www.communitymarketinginc.com/
..though I don't know if they track arts behaviors.
In 2008, the Fort Worth Opera presented the opera Angels In America, and did an impressive job of marketing the show to the GLBT community while simultaneously working with their more conservative patron base to raise consciousness. The marketing director there is Diane Rhodes Bergman, in case you'd like to contact her.
Alan Brown
Alan
Thanks for your references. I will follow up. What I have found is an academic study from Social Science Quarterly, which may be of interest, but I am reticent to build a strategy on one study Somewhere there is a grad student writing a thesis...Thanks again
