Date of Award

2019

Document Type

MA Project - Restricted Access (SIA Only)

Project Type

MA Project - Business Plan

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Art Business

First Advisor

Pierre Saurisse

Abstract

The Articipate With Me podcast is a project to facilitate interest in art overall and in specific aspects of the art world that people may not know.

Without having studied the history of art or having been brought up visiting museums, many people experience a barrier of discomfort, especially when it comes to engaging with works of art. Even people with some training in creating or studying art, tend to stay within the boundaries of what is familiar, not sure how to experience what they do not know.

There is an existing target audience for Articipate With Me, which has demonstrated interest and given strongly positive feedback on the idea. This audience, consisting of the current followers of my Instagram-based blog, which shares a mission similar to that of the proposed podcast, has been a part of the market analysis for this project. In a saturated and competitive market of art- related podcasts, having an established rapport and trust between the audience and the podcast host is critical for a podcast’s success.

The unique value proposition of Articipate With Me is in the host’s willingness to complete an assignment after the podcast interview, which is a way of showing the audience how to apply the content that they heard about in the episode once in a museum or an art world setting.

The podcast format, complemented by Instagram marketing, are a balanced tactic of connecting with the target audience, who are mostly urban residents in the age range of 18 to 34. Whether students or early to mid-career professionals with young families, the audience is technologically sophisticated and aware of social media and audio programming.

Creating a podcast is a generally low-risk and low start-up cost endeavour, which requires personal dedication and time from the host, but is operationally manageable as a one-person passion project. While the proposed business plan in its original form is not meant to generate the equivalent of an annual salary income, there is a possibility to grow and develop advertising, sponsorship and a greater audience.

Articipate With Me has built-in flexibility to test different content, publication time and marketing that would not undermine the integrity of the podcast but could allow it to take on a shape that resonates best with its target audience. The social media connection also offers users a chance to provide feedback, for example, the type of themes or concepts for future episodes.

Through the social media tag #ArticipateWithMe listeners and members of the general public are invited to participate in the post-interview assignment and to share their own experiences. There is an opportunity to create an #Articipating community around the world, since the podcast can be accessible for free globally.

The greater goal of the podcast is to encourage interaction and participation with art by the general public, which in the long run, would help to support the arts.

Distinction

1

Download

Share

COinS