Jarin Hart

Thirty minutes into the 2011 National Arts Marketing Project Conference and listening to keynote speaker, Scott Stratten talk about unmarketing, I suddenly became aware of 2 things: 1) Scott Stratten is a genius  and 2) I was in the right place at the right time.

Being new to the arts world as well as the nonprofit world, I had no idea what to expect to gain (or lose) from attending the NAMP Conference. I recently landed a job with a small, nonprofit arts organization in Fort Wayne, IN, where I continue to encounter challenges with discovering effective methods of marketing for a unique, niche performing arts organization. Scott’s speech could not have come soon enough!

What Scott said, (though dripping with sarcasm), resonated in me, and judging by the tweets throughout the day, my mind wasn’t the only mind being blown!

I think sometimes we forget that marketing is a verb, and depends on our ability to engage our audience in fresh, new ways. Scott suggested we can maintain a successful relationship if we simply choose to “remarry” our current audience. I believe I heard an audible click in the minds of those around me as Scott nonchalantly suggested the concept of honoring our relationships with our current patrons.

We as humans are greedy by nature and tend to forget the golden rule, “Make new friends, but keep the old for one is silver and the other gold.” We must remember to, “start, stop and continue.”

Marketers cannot be afraid to ask, “What can we start doing? What can we stop doing? What can we continue to do for you?”

When’s the last time you or your partner asked those questions? When’s the last time you asked your audience?

Marriage is a choice. A commitment we choose to honor with the one we love. However, like a plant you forget to water, or a fish bowl you neglect to clean; a marriage will wither and die if you neglect it. It will become cloudy and polluted, and you will no longer be able to see what you loved about that person in the first place. You will have lost them.

Scott reminded us that the relationship between our various organizations’ and our audience is not unlike a marriage. If we expect people to commit, invest and put their faith in the mission of our organization, then we must be prepared to be “awesome” and to give back. We must “remarry” our audience and reignite the spark from time to time. So, get out the candles, break out the Luther Vandross, and start bringing the awesome back to your relationships. Remember, “nobody spreads the mediocre, just the awesome.” Get remarried. Re-engage. Unmarket.

View Scott Stratten's keynote address for free on livestream.