Hitting the Target – the Give and Take of Cultural Branding
Shown in the photo are, from left to right: Patricia Cohen, Culture Reporter, The New York Times (panel moderator); Glyn Northington, Senior Manager in Community Relations, Target; Andrew Hamingson, Executive Director, The Public Theater; and Arthur Cohen, President, LaPlaca Cohen.
Highlights from the October 25 Arts Forum at The New York Times
Speaking about why Target supports arts groups in the communities it serves – and has since its Dayton Hudson founders’ days, Glyn Northington made three compelling points.
Target Supports arts groups:
- To help guests (shoppers) see the company positively as a good neighbor
- To advance the reputation of the brand, separating it from other “big box” retailers
- To help Target recruit and retain team members (employees) who want to work for a socially responsible company
Glyn ‘s presentation slides can be found here. Text of his remarks can be found here.
Glyn was joined on the panel by Andrew Hamingson, Executive Director of New York’s iconic Public Theater, who described the Public’s evolving brand promise which encompasses free Shakespeare in the Park as well as contemporary, cutting edge work. Andrew related how last-minute offers for ticket discounts to Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (BBAJ) were snapped up when distributed via Twitter – tapping into the “friends and family” network of BBAJ enthusiasts.
Andy talked about the importance of having clear understandings between sponsors and arts organizations and offered a sample contract as a helpful guide. Click here to download and review Andy’s standard contract.
Also on the panel was Arthur Cohen, president of LaPlaca Cohen, who described the arts as “rocket fuel” which can propel community engagement with the arts sponsoring organization. Arthur’s presentation slides can be found here.
Trudel MacPherson principal, Rory MacPherson, joins Target’s Glyn Northington outside the Arts Forum on October 25th.
More than 400 guests from a cross section of the arts community attended and peppered the speakers with questions about how arts groups can best market themselves to potential sponsors. The answers centered on classic positioning advice — “Know Thyself” – Who are you? Who do you serve? Why are you the right fit for a company trying to reach a specific target audience? What do you bring to the dance of partnership?
Tell us what you think about this topic and watch this blog for links to all the presentations by the speakers in the coming days.
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