2011
Anchor Graphics Marketing
Student Surveys and Demographics I believe students are predisposed the posters that dot the hallways of Columbia College. With this information we can take two easy actions on a consistent basis that would immensely improve visibility and participation in Anchor Graphics functions. 1. Simply increase range of posters hung. The majority of students attend events by observing a poster in the hallway. (28%) More than e-mail or social networking sites! Some good places to start would be the photography department floors in 600 S Michigan, and in 624, the library building. 624 is home to both the Fiction and Non-Fiction departments. Fiction majors are a good group to target because they attend more campus events than any other group at 80%, and they have a healthy interest in printmaking, at 60%. My personal thought is that one who has an interest in writing fictional stories would also have a natural interest in the “story of a print�. I was only able to survey a small amount of photography majors, but the interest in fine arts printing of 8 photo students of 55% held a little more wieght than 3 Marketing students at 66%. (However, one marketing student was one of the very few that indicated that they were willing to pay more than $500 for a fine art print.) I truly believe that there is a significantly higher interest amongst photography majors for printmaking than any other majors other than A+D majors. Table 5.12 of the Fall 2010 Fact Book also demonstrates this correlation, sort of. Of the photography department program credit hours taken outside of that major, 8% are taken in the A+D department, more than any other department. Of the A+D majors, 18% of credits were taken with the photography major only after the First Year Seminar curriculum and Interdisciplinary Arts, equaled by the Science and Math department at 18%. There were similar results when the major credit hours were analyzed. The fact is that fine arts’ printing is an art AS WELL as a skill and so is photography. Not to get to much into social sciences, but I would go as far to say most Artisan (myer-briggs SP) personality types dominate equally between the two professions which have a tendency to adore the mechanic and artistic nature of things.
2. More engaging visuals outside of AG and the “Fish Tank”. The Fish Tank is a wellconceived feature and collaborative effort by both Anchor Graphics and the A+D department. Why not have the lights on all the time and invite students to look! And when they look they should see the Anchor Graphics logo somewhere in the vicinity. And why not an Anchor Graphic QR code to boot? Anchor Graphics is more than a print shop; it is the experience, love, and camaraderie of fine arts printing here, on campus at Columbia College. The atmosphere within the walls of Anchor Graphics is one of talent, skill, fun, and creativity…all things that encompass Columbia College. The only problem is that this atmosphere is unknown to the campus outside. I’m not proposing an all-inclusive workshop were everyone’s welcome. Not everyone shares the slightest inkling of an interest in printing. As a matter of fact, most don’t. So the idea is to make Anchor Graphics available to those who want and need to experience Anchor Graphics, those who are predisposed to the art of printmaking. Averages of 30% of students are either interested or very interested in printmaking. That is a significant number in comparison to the number of students who are unaware that Anchor Graphics exists, 58%. The key to any effective marking strategy is spark up the core enthusiasts. Their enthusiasm will more than reward Anchor Graphics with the outside reputation it needs to continue thriving. Search Engine Optimization As it stands today the goals of the Anchor Graphics Website is to:
Serve as an information resource for Columbia students
Promote artist’s work and printmaking
Sale publishing projects
Receive donations
The purpose of search engine optimization is to reach these stated goals. We start with keyword research. Keyword research involves finding the most relevant keywords associated with your business that are used when a search is conducted. Once a list is created the possible keywords are individually examined using Google Insights and other
SEO marketing programs to see which ones are trending or used most frequently, especially within your target market. Here’s a list of the trending keywords related to printmaking and Anchor graphics that have both low competition and a high usage as of a few weeks ago: 1. limited editions prints 2. buy limited edition prints 3. limited edition prints 4. fine art print 5. lithograph 6. lithography 7. lithographs 8. lithography print 9. contemporary fine art 10. contemporary print 11. artist residency 12. etchings 13. contemporary prints for sale 14. lithography print These should be used at most opportunities. You don’t want to overdue and spam your audience, but just see where it will be appropriate to replace other language with these keywords. I also found it interesting that a lot of these keywords are in a “breakout” stage in the UK. Maybe there is something major in the print world going on right now. Other uses for keywords are with meta tags. Google may have a limited use for meta tags, but I would bet my last dollar that the Casade web system that Columbia use’s depends on them to return accurate search results within the Columbia network. This is crucial to an effective on campus presence. A long with implementing good keywords, it’s also recommended that “alt” tags be added to all pictures…they’ll show up on Google Images! Here’s a how to: YouTube - How to Add Alt Tags Link Building is the most important part of search engine optimization. Link building also requires the most amount of time. It requires researching the web, news streams, academic, and commercial channels who have either done business with the company in the past or
simply have a good reason to post the website's link on their website. This is the most important aspect of SEO because Google along with many other search engines treat links as "votes" as to the popularity of a website, thereby giving it a higher ranking in the search results pages. Not all links or votes are the same. A link placed on an academic website carries more weight than a link placed on an social networking site, although links on social networking sites are still important. The link building project includes the research and contacting of individuals or organizations that have an interest in posting a link to your website. There is a mountain of opportunity here. Maybe a future intern could do the work of link building. When I was doing the database, I had to venture too many artists’ websites that did a residency. Each one of these artists should have a link back to anchorgraphics.org, especially if their work is being displayed on the website. This not only helps the artist to build credibility, but it also increases the web presence, popularity, and most importantly, the credibility of Anchor Graphics as resource in the industry online. QR Codes…Why use them? QR codes are a form of matrix barcodes used to store information such as url’s, text or phone numbers. QR is short for “quick response” in that the originators wanted the code to carry more information than a barcode and decode at a high speed. They are already popular in Japan as a source of information with the same prominence as posters here in the U.S. The “cool” factor comes from the fact the information is easily readable by most newer camera phones and online barcode readers. The code was originally developed to track car parts for Toyota, but somehow someone caught on that this could have a wide range of uses…the Japanese strike again! As marketing material they are now used in magazines, buses, billboards, business cards, flyers, and just about anywhere where information is transferred. For Anchor Graphics, the codes can be used to transfer event details, links to social media, and websites. QR codes provide an amazingly straightforward way to measure returns on investments, since whoever scanning and decoding is an immediate response. However, the largest value steams from the above mentioned, “cool factor”. The reality is that Columbia
College Chicago like every other school has some positives and negatives. And one of the most prominent positives are the fact that fosters creativity and innovation amongst the students. Students are constantly looking for new and creative ways to solve problems. It has been my personal experience that Columbia students are ahead of the “game” as far as creativity, fashion, and innovation goes. Academics take a close second. Whether that is a good or bad thing is a debate for another day. QR coding started out as a barcode to track car parts, now they’re being used as pieces of interactive artwork. RDIF tags were originally intended to replace barcodes, but now we see them in credit cards. QR coding simple, easy, costs nothing, and it’s fun! My suggestion is to place them on all event flyers and posters simply communicating event details. Perception is everything. Students, in particularly freshman, are looking for something to do, why not have them decode some QR with their fresh little iphones mom just bought them and come out to enjoy the fruits of printmaking. There initial experience is worth more than any experience thereafter. The point is to provide an “experience”, and that experience begins with that first contact. It’s the difference between why individuals like one thing and hate another when in fact they are pretty much the same things. It’s their experience at Columbia are constantly…or if you would really like to get fun and creative, make some original prints in with the codes in place. It’s just a perfect way to get ahead of the cool curve and generate interest for the organization. According to a report by Morgan Stanley, smartphones will be the primary connection device via the internet by 2012 with the US only behind the UK with the largest amount of youth 15-24 who use advanced data on their mobile phones. (Source: Nielsen) Since we understand the rising trends with mobile technology, why not embrace it? Facebook and Twitter have not become household name because they only served a need; they were cool, convenient, and trendy. People are able to connect with their friends and family in real time, fast. These companies were also able to keep up with growing trends as far as apps and other mobile technology goes. That’s not to say that they will be around forever.
Myspace has lost any relevance to the life of the average youth, and it was the going thing just 5 years ago. So the sustainability question for an organization, especially an arts organization postured snuggly within a arts and media college such as Columbia College Chicago is simply “how can we maintain relevancy on a limited budget?” Thankfully that question has already been answered. It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it. No one has reinvented the wheel since it’s been invented. They’ve simply come up with new and exciting ways to use it. One such way is though Interactive Marketing. Interactive Marketing includes uses of marketing techniques that people can actually interact with such social media, search engine optimization, and QR Codes.
What on campus events to you attend/ No exhibits workshops lectures demostrations seminars, panels others total multiple enty single entry 30 30 0 29 13 16 13 4 9 34 15 19 9 1 8 15 2 13 2 2 0 132
22% 21% 10% 26% 7% 12% 2% 100%
Majors totalattend events % att exhibits% att lectures% att semina % aware of A % int. in fap % att demo ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… A+D 6 0.5 0.16 0.16 0.33 0.66 0 0.66 AEMM 17 0.29 0.29 0.23 0.29 0.29 0.12 0.7 ASL Sign L 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Audio and Acoustics 4 0.25 0 0 0 0.5 0 0.25 Creative Fiction 5 0 0.2 0 0 0.6 0 0.8 Creative Non Fiction 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 Cultural Studies 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Early Childhood 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 Fashion 9 0.22 0.22 0 0.33 0.33 0 0.44 Film 10 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.5 Fine Art 4 0.5 1 0.25 0.75 0.75 0.25 1 Graphic Design 4 0.25 0.25 0 0.75 0.75 0 0.75 IAM 7 0.43 0.43 0 0 0 0.14 0.57 3 0 0.66 0 0.33 0 0 Interior Architecture 0.66 Jornalism 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Marketing 3 0.33 0 0 0 0.66 0 0.66 No Response 5 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.2 1 Photography 8 0.62 0.88 0.125 0.25 0.5 0.125 1 Theatre 3 0 0 0.33 0 0 0 0.66 93 72% 33% 31% 9% 24% 30% 5% Class Freshman 5 0 0.25 0 0 0.2 0 0.6 Sophmore 8 0.5 0.4 0 0 0.25 0.125 0.5 Junior 23 0.26 0.26 0.17 0.13 0.35 0.08 0.61 48 0.31 0.41 0.19 0.29 0.4 0.1 Senior 0.66 No Response 9 0.44 0.44 0.11 0.55 0.55 0.11 0.88 93 Are you aware of AG? Aware of AG 21 23% Unaware of AG 54 58% Vaguely aware of AG 18 19% 93 100%
What would motivate you to buy a FA print? really, really like print decorate home like the artist artist popularity love exhibit,shop, gallery investment like te idea
What is your interest in fine arts? not interested f-art slightly interested interested very interested skipped question
If you have, how did you find out about it? heard from AG webs other website direct mail e-mail event poster friend instructor Columbia Chronical saw event
Have you attended an AG event? not attended AG event exhibit workshop lecture demostraction seminar/panel
How do you find out about events on campus? Columbia website other websites direct mail e-mail hallway poster friend instructor Columbia Chronicle saw event taking place
68 25 33 3 20 5 32 186
28 29 19 15 2 93
0 1 0 2 3 4 4 0 2 16
85 3 3 2 0 0 93
26 7 7 40 71 42 36 11 10 250
37% 13% 18% 2% 11% 3% 17% 100%
30% 31% 21% 16% 2% 100%
0% 6% 0% 13% 19% 25% 25% 0% 13% 100%
100%
91% 3% 3% 2%
10% 3% 3% 16% 28% 17% 14% 4% 4% 100%
How much would you spend on a print? 20-50 50-100 100-200 200-500 500-1000 1000-5000 5000 and above 67 40 15 6 1 0 0 129 52% 31% 12% 5% 1% 0% 0% 100%