Page 95 - AC/E's Digital Culture Annual Report 2015

AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report 201595places), the Fundación March and the Museo Guggenheim.The most interesting part of the observatory’s report-survey, however, is that which asks about audiences from several angles. For example,it states with respect to audience trends that “almost as many [sectors] have increased their audiences, some considerably, as those which have remained the same or recorded decreases, some large” (Observatorio de la Cultura, 2013a). However, there is an overall average growth of 4.9%.In this respect, a further two questions referto industry-wide measures being adopted to improve or boost attendance levels for their events. More than half (67.8%) state theyare already working actively on developing customers. It is surprising to see that the public sector is leading this effort (73.8% compared to 60.5% in the private sector; and that museums (83.3%) have been the first to develop this practice, owing perhaps to their offline depen- dence on contact with users (Observatorio de la Cultura, 2013a).Furthermore, only 34.8% carry out market analyses regularly as a means of learning about their users’ needs and profiles. This figure is as low as 20% in the public sector, compared to 50% in the private sector. As we shall see later on, this is one of the key factors when speaking of new or potential business models: discovering people’s needs as engagement with our product or service.Lastly, with respect to the use of technology, the question is centred on communication withusers. This use chiefly relates to the sending of newsletters (78.3%), social media (86.4%) and blogs, and participatory websites (76.7%). And although this data sheds light on the sector’s concern with attempting to reach its audience and incorporate digital into its environment, once again the negative aspect is how little priority is given to capturing customer feedback or how underdeveloped this is. Only 16% make use of digital channels as a tool for conducting surveys or monitoring users’ interest.9Only 16% of cultural organisations make use of digital channels as a tool for conducting surveys or monitoring their users’ interest.This, in our opinion, is one of the weaknessesof the way some culture industries are handling their inevitable incorporation into the new technological context. We agree with E. Trigos (2014:56) that “we can put to one side the clas- sical typology of users – digital natives (under 35 years of age), those who have adapted (between 35 and 55 years of age) and the reticent (over 55 years of age). What we find are consumers who want to form part of a cultural experience who, without doubt, know that it is in the digital space where they will find the whole value chain (information, e-commerce, criticism, recom- mendations, new things, opinion and so forth). People may be more or less agile in having access to these resources, but there can no doubt thatit is here that all the potential for creating this bond, this connection between the content and the consumer, resides and that is the case for any of their cultural expressions”.Juan Gasca and Jose Manuel Jarque Muñoz