Diversify!

As mentioned to me by the general director, some people perceive the house as "intimidating" or "too posh". However, when meeting the staff or attending an event, they recognize how friendly the environment can be (Ives, 2009). This stayed in the back of my mind until I reached an interesting article published through the Arts Marketing Association. Their guest writer, Hardish Virk (2008), contributed a ten step guide to social marketing to enhance community engagement and integrate it in to a marketing strategy. This not only touches on diversity and reaching those that may have a predetermined perception of the House, but expands on the Integrated Marketing Communication I've been thinking about for Lauderdale House. So, without further ado, the ten tips, consisting of three levels, all of which are proposed by Hardish Virk:


Research
1) Who are the new audiences and why? This is done to understand who the organization's target audience really is. While Lauderdale House has done some qualitative research, it has not focused on those with the perception mentioned above.
2) Has there been or is there an existing relationship or dialogue with the community that is being marketed to? Lauderdale House needs to go back and see if they are doing anything or have done things in the past that have been effective or not.
3) Desk research: While this may be some of the more tedious or "boring" work, volunteers can gather and organize demographic data, create databases, and research methods which have been used to reach different groups.
4) Outreach: This may require doing some interviews, as this proposes a "tailored" approach to effectively reach the target group. Furthermore, this campaign may very well differ from the other implemented strategies the House is used to.


Tools and Methodologies
5) Print Design: While Lauderdale House is a champion at flyers, the standard format, images, or text may not appeal to their target group. The House then needs to consider if they can create something that fits with the preferences of the individuals targeted.
6) Distribution: Mailings by the hundreds has so far been the strategy for getting out information. However, what if that doesn't reach the target audience as well as they might think? Distribution methods can be established and also tailored to provide information more effectively.
7) Direct Mail: As part of the distribution strategy, this also needs to be re-evaluated and possibly tailored if needed to reach the target market.
8) E-Marketing: Since the new website has yet to be put up, other tactics may have to be determined. Should Facebook be used? Banners? E-mails? Are those appropriate for the target market?
9) Press and Media: Lauderdale House has been part of a wide variety of media coverage, from websites to PR. This, however, will be of no use to them if the new group being targeted is not reached by that media.

Sustaining Audience
10) Sustain the Community Engagement: By asking why a relationship has to be developed and how the organization will go about doing it, the House can develop a tailored strategy, one that may be different than its already implemented tactics but that fits better with the group they are trying to reach and understand.

These steps may seem simple, but do have to be considered if the House wants to overcome the perception developed by some individuals.


Ives, K., 2009. Discussion about Lauderdale House and its attendees. [Discussion] (Personal Communication 4 December 2009).

Virk, H., 2008. 10 Top Tips for Social Marketing: How to make sure that community engagement is part of your marketing strategy. JAM, 31, p.10.

The IMC Way

Originally, I was asked to volunteer for the Lauderdale House Society as a marketing assistant. The General Manager needed someone to help with evaluating and implementing the activities the house was doing. Since joining Lauderdale House almost ten years ago, she has helped it get to the turnover it makes today as well as make the activities held there possible. However, she is only one person and many things can change in a decade. We started with the website, and moved to publicity, strategy, and distribution. While it may have been called mailings or a "to-do" list, in a sense she was scratching the surface of what I perceived to be an interdependence of her resources. Through this, I ended up here. Almost 5 months in to my volunteering project and the conclusion that what I will need is a take on an integrated marketing strategy. This could not have come at a better time since my Current Issues in Integrated Marketing Communication class is conducting a project, which entails creating an IMC plan for a business. Combining an analysis of activities and suggested marketing strategies, this plan is meant to enhance the business through the possible use of social media, personal selling, advertising and public relations (Moustakas, 2010). While some concepts may not appeal to the Lauderdale House, there's no harm in observing as part of some qualitative research. It is said that observation gives the chance for an unbiased or undetermined way of seeing how an organization is run (Kent, 2007). This gives me a chance to see where IMC strategies may be applied or avoided, perhaps giving way to beginning a proposal for the final project for Lauderdale House. Only time and observation will tell.

Kent, R., 2007. Marketing Research: Approaches, Methods and Applications in Europe. London: Thomson Learning.

Moustakas, E., 2010. Integrated Marketing Communication Plan. [Lecture] (Personal Communication 15 February 2010).

The Charitable Way

One of the main attributes of Lauderdale House is that it is a registered charity. In fact, it is part of 180,714 charities in England and Wales (www.charity-commission.gov.uk, 2010). Some may view charities as organizations which aid the poor, come to the rescue in times of disaster, and feed the hungry. As rightfully so as this is, the underlying mission of a charity is proposed to be to "provide benefit to the public, not to a specific individual" (www.charity-commission.gov.uk, 2010). The Charity Commission provides a great definition, but it is the word "individual" which made me wonder. While the message of the Charity Commission is probably that the a charity should not be misused to benefit an individual, whether in terms of making a profit or fooling the general public, the external individual, one that some might consider a "customer", should in every way benefit. When I first started volunteering, I thought I could save the world, one country at a time. However, the world is big with many problems and many people and for that "problem" someone gave me a great "solution" by saying that 'When you're young you think you can save the world. As you get older, you understand that even if it is one person you impact or help, you're on the right track'. When seeing the word "individual" mentioned on the Charity Commission website, it made me think that while a charity like Lauderdale House may not constantly be in the public eye and not getting the press attention it wishes, it still is impacting a group, and more importantly, individuals. For example, it focused on an area of schools where they are aiming to make a difference rather than trying to reach beyond their resources. While I'm sure they would enjoy making a greater impact, they have touched the lives of students which might otherwise have been overlooked. That is recognizing individuality and rather than assuming that unless you help a large group of people you're not doing anything, remembering that you can still be thorough and make an impact in one person's life. Registered Charity Number 275502 and proud of it.

Charity Commission. 2010. Is setting up a charity the right thing to do? [Online]. Available at: http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Start_up_a_charity/Set_up/default.aspx [Accessed 9 February 2010].

Charity Commission. 2010. Register of Charities. [Online]. Available at: http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/About_us/About_charities/Fact_figures_index.aspx [Accessed 9 February 2010].

Now for the Facts

As useful as observation of the House has been, there are also "official" as well as internal statements regarding the activities of the organization which have to be taken in to consideration. The Lauderdale House Annual Report for the 2008-2009 year stated that the House has seen a steady increase in their turnover over the last few years. This is no surprise when considering over 1970 activities taking place at the House, with over 65,000 total attendants in the 2008-2009 year alone. However, Lauderdale House is operating to "its absolute capacity" (Annual Report, 2008-2009) and while re-modeling has been thoroughly looked at and even estimated, the funding and grants obtained still do not cover costs. The application for the Heritage Lottery Fund (2009) indicated thousands of pounds in proposed changes, including disabled access, better facilities, and general maintenance such as painting and the upkeep of a historic facility. While these factors might have not contributed to stopping the 65,000+ attendants, the 2008 Survey done by the House indicated that individuals do pay attention. While most of the 180 participants indicated that they enjoyed the space and that it was a "nice facility", a few did comment on the "fading" appearance of the House (Lauderdale House Survey, 2008). As the House continues to aim for more financial stability (Nash, 2010), through my observations it has made the best possible use of its space, filling the long galleries with beautiful and unique art, providing a space for someone's happiest day of his or her life, and encouraging kids to express themselves creatively. It is these factors that inspire employees and volunteers to develop the House and strive for sustainable future.


Lauderdale House, 2008. Lauderdale House Survey Analysis.

Lauderdale House, 2009. Lauderdale House Annual Report 2008-2009, London: Lauderdale House.

Nash, K., 2010. Discussion on Goals of the House. (Personal Communication 3 February, 2010).