Capturing the Arts & Culture X Factor

Through the work at my agency, I get to spend some time at pretty incredible performing arts organizations across the country supporting them in building meaningful bonds with their communities, patrons, and donors.

When I visit many of these organizations, to my delight I often see some very inspiring commonalities — they tell amazing stories on stage, they offer accessible ticket price options, they offer beautiful facilities, and typically have significant awareness in the community. In my line of work–on paper–they seem as though they should be hitting home runs financially given how well they have the classic 4 P’s model of marketing covered: product, price, place, and promotion.

Yet, the more I dig in, the more I see that many of these organizations still struggle to succeed, while other, seemingly similar organizations flourish.

For as long as I’ve been in this advertising and marketing business, the brands that consistently rise to the top have one underlying truth in common: how they do anything is how they do everything. It’s their “X factor” — the figurative exponent of the patron relationship.

Brands like American Express, Ben & Jerry’s, REI to name a few — their mission is organizationally rooted in their business practices. I experienced this firsthand with American Express which I chronicled here. In a nutshell, in a vulnerable moment of need for my family, American Express stepped up to provide above and beyond service when I needed it most. This is a credit card company I’m talking about!

From the moment I first called their customer service line, it was as if everyone at their organization that I interacted with knew not only what their X factor was, but what their role was in bringing their X factor to me. Their vision statement was reflected in their actions when they say they want to be “the most respected brand in the world and to win the hearts, minds, and wallets of our customers by providing extraordinary customer service.”

I believe every cultural and performing arts center has the capacity and deep-rooted desire to center itself on an X factor — a real, meaningful set of values and behaviors they share at every interaction and engagement. At the same time, I recognize the struggle to create the resources and space to identify, communicate, and act on it, given the financial realities of the short-term headwinds.

But I fear without a robust X factor — in a post-pandemic world where we know the radically altered consumer media habits are taking hold — the gravitational pull of staying at home on your couch will only get worse for audiences. If you’re lucky enough to have a secure pipeline for predictable ongoing government support or a robust donor base you can always count on, you’re probably in the minority.

If you’re reading this and can’t articulate your X factor, I’ll give you a few I’ve seen and/or aspire to see.

Technological Innovation

Artist-First Approach

Unrelenting Audience Development

Exceptional Customer Service

Community Regeneration

Cultural Equity

Ecological Advocacy

Radical Accessibility

Now it’s your turn: Think of an essential aspect of your organization’s mission. Fill in the blank.

“At our performing arts center ________ is grounded in everything we do, at every touch point, for every stakeholder in our ecosystem.”

How could that X factor affect the way your box office associate answers an email or shape the way you speak with a lifelong patron? How could that X factor reverberate through every level of your organization? How could that X factor match your subscription offering?

Creating organizational alignment is no small task and it’s work that is never done. And whether or not you’re reading this and thinking “this guy is crazy,” I remain steadfast in my belief that this is the future way of thinking for all businesses that require sustainable patron (or donor) relations.

Whether or not you believe this is achievable inside the walls of your organization, it’s undoubtedly an exciting exercise to imagine the success of an X factor in action.

Retain your patrons

Arts organizations are brands. Brands, in the modern age, are defined by their actions. The X factor can help patrons feel aligned and proud to be associated with your performing arts organization as it’s a reflection of what they value.

Inspire your artists

With an X factor, your artists look at the audience each night knowing the relationship they have with the organization. They are proud of the greater impact of the work, they are proud of their contribution to the betterment of the community, and they feel inspired each night through their performances to deliver their best each night.

Engage your employees

Beyond the stage are so many hard-working staff members, who statistically speaking, likely make less than they would by working in another industry. The X factor reinvigorates them to do the work they do, which in turn creates a warm, welcoming interaction with patrons. The more engaged they are in the meaning of work, the more they will be engaged in the actual work. Engagement = growth.

Reignite your donors

The X factor captures the hearts of the highly passionate, often illogical process donors run through when pouring their support into an organization. It reminds them why their contribution matters, why they remain connected, and why a dollar spent with your organization is better than a dollar spent anywhere else.

Enlighten your leaders

The X factor grounds leadership in good times and in bad to what is most important in the work you do. It directs policies that are consistent with those values and inspires junior employees to rise to the occasion.

Build Community

The X factor gives your audience something to bond over, be it during a post-show talkback or at your annual holiday patron event. By gifting your audience with commonality, you transform them into a community — a community that’s all the more likely to come back again and again.

So, let’s unlock the power of our X factor. Our industry is built on it and the future may well demand it if we are to successfully navigate this new landscape.