Page 119 - AC/E's Digital Culture Annual Report 2015

AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report 2015119a) Measurement and optimisation: Regardless of their sources of funding and their mission, Arts and Cultural organisations need to engage their existing audiences, and reach new ones29. To do this, they invest in marketing and in website development. Evaluating whether such investments are generating a return, and how those returns can be augmented, requires data. 43% of the Arts and Cultural organisations surveyed by Nesta used such data to improve their website in 2014.NT Live,30 Nesta’s collaboration with the Nation- al Theatre31 in London, shows how data can help Arts and Cultural organisations measure the value of their activities, and their impact. Nesta researchers collected data from attendees at digi- tal broadcasts of a National Theatre performance across the country in order to understand the quality of their experience, and how they differed from those who attended the performances at the National Theatre itself. The analysis of the data32 revealed that attendees of the digital broadcasts were significantly less affluent: an implication of this is that NT Live was increasing the “capacity” of the National Theatre, and helping it connect with new audiences.Culture Counts33 is an example of a “big data” project aimed at helping arts and cultural organisations measure their impact better.This project, based on a collaboration between researchers and Arts and Cultural organisations in Manchester, uses a mobile app to capture feedback from audiences, artists and peers at arts and cultural events in a way that respects the qualitative and public value aspects of such experiences, and can be used to measure impact by arts funders. Another interesting project inthis space is Arts API34, which uses data from Arts and Cultural organisations in order to map their collaboration and influence networks.According to the Nesta survey of 2014, 50% of cultural organisations already use data to identify and engage with their audiences.Going forward, some commentators hope that the combination of many different datasets – including, for example, sensor metrics from inside Museums and Galleries35 – might make it possible to track some of the most elusive (but perhaps more important) impacts of Arts and Culture, for example on quality of life, and health and educational outcomes – in other words, to “Count what Counts”36 for the sector.b) Segmentation and prediction: Arts and Cultural organisations need to understand their audiences in order to engage with them, boost their loyalty, and develop new business models (by increasing levels of donations, selling mer- chandise online etc.). Again data is critical for this. According to Nesta’s 2014 survey, 50% of Arts and Cultural organisations already use data to identify and engage with their most valuable audience members, visitors and supporters, and to create profiles of their audiences. 37% use data to personalise and tailor marketing and fund-raising campaigns.As the 2014 TrendsWatch37 report by the US Centre for the Future of Museums38 points out, more and more museums are entering this space. For example, the History Colorado Center39 isJuan Mateos García