Accessing New Audiences

Whatever happened to Mainstreaming?

‘Mainstreaming,’ is a cultural marketing and placement strategy. It started to receive serious attention a few years ago. It assumes the existence of new tools to access unique markets that are supported by different assumptions. Mainstreaming strategies may be useful for marketing planning and targeting of new productions. However, some people object to be seen as ‘marginalised audiences’ and the producers also protesting,’ We are all in the mainstream now’. Does this approach not somewhat mix the issues relating to the preservation of identity with the harsh disciplines of business planning to capture new sub-markets? Especially where they have different purchasing power? Can the challenge of survival in any market be entirely dictated by identity? What comes first, survival in a market or identity?

There are major challenges for mainstreaming the cultural offer of many community groups and informal providers, that is, arts organisations that are not funded. One of the most exciting mainstreaming programmes, for which I take some credit, addresses key aspects of design, development and delivery of a festival known as ‘The Festival of Ephemeral Arts’. Known for its rich visual imagery and highly original treatment of events in the cultural calendars of many societies, it has been of interest to many audiences. However, there are several layers of customer interest which can be summed up as ‘the pyramid for audience development’. Detailed commentaries are to follow. A festival gallery, which is aimed to attract European partners, is at http://www.ephemeralarts-gallery.com/ and the main website is at http://www.ephemeralarts.com/ However, even the best festivals have to innovate and evolve by adding new dimensions. Mirador is the new trading name for Asian Arts Access, a company which was launched in 1989. What is a mirador?