How 2020 impacted cultural marketing

Many of us are glad to see the back of 2020. For those of us working in marketing – like in so many other areas – our norms were upended, and previous planning went out of the window.

Navigating unrelenting uncertainty and unchartered territory, and slashes to marketing budgets coupled with pressure to generate income under extraordinary circumstances, has been exhausting. Throw in other demands and anxieties such as home schooling, illness, isolation, the cancellation of plans and concern about loved ones, and it’s safe to say the year was a challenge.

But looking back on 2020’s impact on marketing, I think there are many developments that have been positive. Within the museums, heritage and cultural sectors (and in particular with the small and medium-sized organisations I tend to work with) great leaps were made.

Whilst the reasons for those leaps and the process we’ve gone through to get here hasn’t been desirable, if we can emerge from the grips of the pandemic more nimble, authentic and in tune with our audiences and their needs, this would be a positive legacy.  

Marketing has always needed to evolve as society and communities evolve. 2020 is no different, but the changes have just been more condensed.

Below I’ve set out 20 developments, events and trends that I’ve noticed impacted marketing during 2020, based on my work with a range of organisations; attending sector conferences and training; monitoring news, opinion pieces and blogs; and conversations with people in the sector. It’s a long read, so grab yourself a cuppa…

1.     Increased experimentation

Whilst our norms disappeared, so too did some of the constraints that limited us and many organisations began experimenting more – partly out of necessity to find new things that would work in the new circumstances, but I think also partly out of a sense of liberation with some of those previous constraints lifted. The pressure for perfection seemed to lessen, with the acknowledgement that everyone is doing their best. I saw an acceptance of shaky starts on Zoom and shaky camera work on social media videos and we’re now more experienced and skilled as a result.

2.     The need for agility

With ever-changing government restrictions, lockdowns and guidelines; staff on and off furlough; evolving risk and changing public attitudes and moods, marketing has needed to become more agile than ever before. Whether it’s cancelling print ads for an exhibition that’s no longer happening; taking a step back and giving space to others on social media platforms; or coming up with activities that volunteers can do remotely, flexibility is key. Things are changing overnight, and marketing needs to keep up.

3.     Reinventing how we do things

Many organisations have either consciously or reactively reinvented themselves and how they do things. From new forms of audience engagement (see previous posts I wrote with examples of creative digital and non-digital audience engagement from the past year); to diversifying income streams; working remotely; staff and volunteers have also learnt new skills such as filming and live streaming. In many cases people have been pushed out of their comfort zones – which has been difficult but also stimulating.

4.     Evaluating mission and vision

Faced with so much change, some heritage and cultural organisations reinforced their existing purpose, mission and vision – they hunkered down, delivered on them and realised these foundations are more relevant and needed than ever. Some organisations have drifted away from their mission and vision, as they evolve and keep up with the changing environment around them, how their audiences have developed and the needs of those audiences. In some cases, this mission drift might need reigning in, in other cases it might prompt a re-evaluation of the organisation’s mission and vision and the development of something new, more fit for a post Covid-19 world.

5.     Redefining our audiences

Many organisations’ online followers, communities and engagement have really grown in the past year. The growth hasn’t just been more of the same, but also a growth in the range of people connecting with them. And increasingly it’s become obvious that online audiences aren’t the same profile as organisations’ in-person audiences. There was also a wider acceptance (finally) that online engagement isn’t just useful as a way to drive in-person visits, but can be an end in itself as an engagement and educational tool. It’s worth spending some time evaluating who both online and in-person audiences are – where they are based, their demographics, likely interests and expectations when it comes to your organisation. What are the areas of overlap and how do they differ? Then reflect on whether your pre-Covid-19 target audiences are still valid, or whether there are opportunities to capitalise on the audience growth and redefine your audiences going forward. I wrote a blog post with more about this process in October 2020.

6.     Hyperlocal engagement

As international tourism largely disappeared, and domestic travel has been allowed in fits and starts over the past few months, many organisations have been forced or chosen to focus on hyperlocal engagement (covering a geographic area very close to them). Whilst this may not have been a huge shift for smaller organisations such as local interest museums, it represents a fundamental change in approach for the nationals in London.

7.     The importance of reading the room

Marketers and organisations have had to ‘read the room’ and understand their audiences and their needs more than ever. Do they want escapism and light-hearted content to take their minds off everything; do they want to connect with other people from their community; do they want to learn something new; do they want to engage online or not, what platform do they prefer, live or pre-recorded, at what time of day and will they be willing to pay, and if so what? This article from The Drum delves into this more with quotes from a range of branding folks and marketers.

8.     The need for empathy, trust and human connection

Linked to reading the room, has been the need for organisations to show empathy, build trust and human connections with their audiences. Overtly salesy messages are crass, as are ones that inappropriately seem to exploit the situation for financial gain. I’ve unsubscribed from a few consumer emails I’ve found troubling, borderline offensive over the past year. Many of the communication examples I’ve loved haven’t been carried out by trained marketers, but rather volunteers or staff with responsibility for communicating with audiences and who do so in an intuitive way, showing their care for both their audiences and their organisation and collections. I think Creswell Crags, the London Museum of Water and Steam, and Jane Austen’s House have really demonstrated this.

9.     Being an authentic ally and committing to anti-racism and equity

A spotlight was shone on organisations’ responses to the Black Lives Matter movement, but not just in the immediate aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, rather as the months have gone on as well. Organisations have visibly been held to account on social media and in sector media, and asked to share how their statements made in July 2020 have led to tangible action and change since. Many cultural organisations have been called out as reacting too slowly, paying lip service with performative statements and no genuine change underway. Generally those with responsibility for social media have faced the brunt of public responses from a range of viewpoints, despite typically not being the organisational decision-makers. The Museum Social Media Managers group on Facebook has had some interesting discussions on managing and responding to public comments on a range of issues and if you’re involved in your museum’s social media you might find the group useful.

10.  The #StopHateForProfit campaign

Back in July 2020, the #StopHateForProfit campaign urged companies to stop paying for ads on social media to protest the platform’s handling of hate speech and misinformation. Huge ad spenders and household brands such as Coca-Cola, Adidas, Microsoft and Starbucks were among companies that took part (some of which committed to a boycott for the remainder of 2020). The boycott highlighted the reliance that smaller organisations have on bigger platforms to connect them with their audiences, as well as what to do when your organisation’s values are at odds with those of a platform you rely on. The Imperial War Museum and Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales were the only UK museums I heard of that took part. Pete Austin, the IWM group’s assistant director of communications and marketing, explained that the boycott fitted IWM’s values – “stopping the unchecked spread of disinformation and hate” being core to IWM’s work.

11.  Mindfulness and social media detoxing

We’ve also seen more and more attention given to the negative impact of social media on our mental health and wellbeing, whether it’s screen fatigue, trolling, anxiety-inducing ‘doom-scrolling’ or not being present in the moment ‘in real life’. As people are increasingly experimenting with social media breaks or even coming off social media entirely, this raises questions for marketers in terms of how you then reach those people. Similarly there have been more discussions about the impact of social media on the staff and volunteers responsible for it – audiences can have high expectations of speedy responses 24/7 and you can be subjected to torrents of abuse. I’ve been experimenting with different approaches to my own social media consumption but find that perfect balance remains elusive.

12.  The unchecked power and potential regulation of big tech

Linked to point 10, was the ongoing debate about the regulation of big tech taking place in many countries, most notably in the USA and the EU (‘big tech’ being the major technology companies such as Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft, with enormous power). It’s not a discussion in which cultural organisations necessarily have a huge voice, but they will be impacted by decisions taken and the debate is set to rumble on.

13.  The rise of TikTok

2020 was TikTok’s year and the year that museums started gaining proper traction on there. Most notably of course was the Black Country Living Museum which generated headlines about its extraordinary success on the platform as it amassed millions of views and became the most followed museum in the world on there. Abby Bird, the museum’s communications manager, has talked about TikTok being the perfect vehicle to reach younger audiences. If you’re interested in getting to know TikTok, the Digital Culture Network has a one-hour free beginner’s guide to TikTok webinar on YouTube and this article has also got some pointers for how arts and cultural organisations can use the platform.

14.  Monetising digital content

At the start of lockdown 1.0 a lot of organisations made content available online free of charge – as a way of engaging and supporting their audiences, perhaps because they didn’t yet have the set-up to charge, and many people underestimated how long Covid would run on for. As 2020 progressed, more and more organisations started exploring how they could monetise digital content and events, as traditional in-person models still weren’t possible or offered limited income. This wasn’t easy once audiences had got used to a lot of free content (which reminds me of the original debates about the virtues of paywalls for news content). There has been experimentation, investment in tech and learning new skills. Sadly not every organisation can rival the likes of the National Theatre’s excellent At Home offering or Rambert dance company’s Home Studio in scope or budget.  However I’ve seen some great examples of expanded online shops, talks, interactive family workshops, performances and more from organisations of all sizes. The Digital Culture Network has a series of useful guides on creating income streams (such as live streams and e-commerce) and this recording of a webinar on Generating revenue through digital content and virtual experiences might offer some inspiration.

15.  Organisations connecting more online

Museums have been joining forces online in a range of planned and ad hoc marketing initiatives. Most notably York Museums Trust’s #CuratorBattle which has seen organisations from across the world joining in with the challenge to share their collections that fit particular themes e.g. #TremendousTransport and #BestMuseumBum. It’s been their most successful digital campaign to date according to Millie, the digital communications officer at York Museums Trust. Free training from support organisations like the Arts Marketing Association and Association of Independent Museums have also enabled heritage and cultural organisations to connect more online in workshops and webinars.

16.  Generous sharing and ‘we’re in this together’ mentality

As we shifted to more online and digital ways of working last year, so did key sector conferences and training workshops. And brilliantly, a sense of camaraderie was fostered, with many organisations and individuals generously sharing their knowledge and resources with the community for free. The Arts Marketing Association put on a huge range of webinars for free (even to non-members) in lockdown 1.0 and now has a good value membership package that includes access to free webinars; Rachel Mackay set up The Recovery Room blog with free resources on crisis management; and Marie Hobson set up Covidsitor, as a forum to share data, methods, insights and issues relating to audience research and/or museum visitors during Covid-19. Beyond our sector, The Marketing Meetup is continuing to run a brilliant series of free webinars and virtual meetups, first started in spring 2020.

17.  A growth in insight-driven marketing

Whilst this is clearly not a new phenomenon, I’ve been really encouraged by the number of smaller heritage and cultural organisations that have spent time in 2020 setting up evaluation frameworks and starting to make decisions based on the rich data and insights they are getting from digital marketing. As well as using this data to finetune their marketing, it’s invaluable when needing to advocate for marketing and can be used in funding applications.

18.  A need to advocate for marketing

As income and budgets are cut, there was – and continues to be – a need to keep advocating for budget and time to be invested in marketing. Demands and competing pressures on strained budgets are vast, and marketing spend is often one of the first ‘luxuries’ to be cut. But retaining a visible presence and continuing to connect with and serve audiences is vital as we claw our way out of this challenging situation. I think the organisations that have served their audiences well during the pandemic (whether that’s through supporting their local community, providing escapism and light relief, or opportunities to learn), will see a return in loyalty from appreciative audiences.

19.  No-one has a crystal ball

With so much unpredictability, it’s naturally hard to set objectives and plan ahead - setting KPIs, budgets and timescales is incredibly difficult. However, I’d still advocate for having a guide to your marketing approach and activity in place, even if this is just a page of bullet points, setting out things like target audiences and how to reach them, and your organisational values and the principles of your approach. It’s a reminder to revisit and revise your plans on a regular basis – that 2019 SWOT analysis will look very out of date now (who will have had a global pandemic in their ‘threats’ column?). I wrote a Success Guide on Marketing for the Association of Independent Museums (AIM) in early 2020 – that has a framework for developing a marketing strategy and planning a marketing campaign, both of which can be scaled up and down.

20.  Building back better

Whilst there has been a lot of reactive firefighting going on, there’s also been increased attention turned to the future beyond Covid-19. Many organisations are aiming to harness the positive developments from the past year, building on their successes, with an eye to developing their resilience further to make them less vulnerable. I’m hopeful that the marketing challenges, lessons and opportunities will stand us in good stead for the future.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash.