Draft Submission

Hi!!

I have hardly managed to blog at all this module! It has been a huge struggle managing a full time job, working weekends and doing a degree!! But I have just submitted my first draft eeeek! I really hope I have been going along the right lines as I have no time off to start again.
How is everyone else feeling about their drafts??
I wish I had been able to attend some campus sessions but I had no holiday left to take time off. Thanks to everyone who blogged about them, it has been really helpful :-)
Hope everyone is happy with their inquiries!

Module 3!!

I have been excited about this module since our induction day as we get to look into subjects that we choose,

My chosen topic is:

What method or combination of marketing methods is most successful in raising the profile of a new performer?

My ideas of how to do this are as follows:

• 1.       A survey monkey to answer questions about how people like to hear about new musicians
• 2.       Flyering on a day leading up to a gig and also on the night of the gig with flyers that offer the consumer a discount. The flyers for each day will be different so we can measure how many of each are handed in at the gig.
• 3.       Try and get a blogger to review a new video through emails and letters and seeing if it works what conversations it starts and if it gains any new fans. (I may see if I can do a survey money for existing fans to see how they first became a fan)
• 4.       I want to try the ‘tweet for a track’ website where people receive a free track download if they tween or post about it and see how effective this is.
•        I will look at how much all the methods I try cost and see if it can be more cost effective or if putting money into promotion is the only way to do it.

At the moment I am working on my Literature Review and still a bit confused about how much evaluation still counts as evaluation and is not slipping into analysis! Hopefully once I have something I can show I will get feedback to help me get that straight in my head!

Hope everyone else is doing well with their projects so far!!! 

Critical Reflection on Professional Practise Inquiry

Critical Reflection on Professional Practise Inquiry

When beginning to think about my questions for this module I struggled to find a subject that I was both interested in and that would help me professionally. Since completing my diploma I have changed the aim of my career and therefore felt I did not know enough about my new vocation to understand what would create a good inquiry. I started with vague questions such as ‘Is Singing a Transferable skill’ (Appendix A – Olivia Warner from my blog on 20^th Feb 2014). This is a question that interested me but on further reflection I realised it would not be a great benefit to my career because I already know the techniques and skills I learned as a performer and still use in the office.

My next thought was to ask questions purely about marketing. I had been helping a work colleague find bloggers that we could hopefully persuade to talk about a product we were marketing. This led me to think about asking how social media could be used to market a product. I was happy with this idea and started to develop it but decided I needed to check with my tutor first. When talking over Skype Adesola advised me that I really needed to include elements of my previous experience with music into my inquiry in to marketing. Through critical discussion with her I realised doing a project on how to market a new music artist would effectively merge both worlds and I came up with the question: What method or combination of marketing methods is most successful in raising the profile of a new music performer? (Appendix B – Olivia Warner from my blog on 26^th April 2014)

The next step was to think about the ethical considerations of my inquiry. When first looking at the ethics part of the module I did not have an inquiry in mind so I looked broadly at ethical ideas and what became clear was that personal ethics have a huge influence over professional ethics and should always be your first consideration (Appendix C – Olivia Warner from my blog on 11^th March 2014). When looking at my project I realised that one of the most important ethics would be to ensure my project was completely for the benefit of my artist and not just to get my degree. I also needed to think about the importance of data protection (Appendix D – Gov.co.uk explanation of the data protection act). The other main consideration was the collection of data from any minors. I realised parental consent would need to be obtained if taking any data from a minor occurs in my inquiry (Appendix E – An extract from my Ethics Form).

The final stage of my plans completion was considering and evaluating inquiry tools. One of the methods I used was creating a Facebook group of performers I know to gain their insights on music marketing (Appendix F – My performers Facebook Group). I also used my SIG group of classmates from the course to discuss ideas (Appendix G – Olivia Warner from my blog on 26^th April 2014). I took the methods discussed to an interview I organised with a successful artist and gained useful knowledge about where other performers go wrong and how an outside perspective like mine can be the element that takes a performer from amateur to professional (Appendix H – Olivia Warner – My interview with anonymous artist).

When reflecting on module 2 I can see how much my understanding of how to structure and create a project has developed. I never realised how much ethics need to be taken into consideration. This learning will directly help me to develop and grow at my new company. I will continue to develop my professional skills through carrying out this project in module 3.

Appendix A - http://livwarner.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/task-4a.html

I have just got a new job as Junior Accounts Manager of Highjam a marketing and promotions agency. I start on Tuesday and am very excited! This means that I am stuck as to what to question as the job is not performance based in anyway and so is not something I have previously been familiar with. The first questions that spring to mind are about the day to day activities of the job. This is obviously something I will find out when I start so will not take me far with my Professional Inquiry. I am worried that as most people on the course are still performing or teaching some kind of performance discipline that my questions will not overlap with others. Bearing that in mind I am going to try and have some performance element to my questions.

1) How will skills learned as a performer translate into an office environment?

2) Does being able to act give a person an advantage in different situations such as client meetings and networking.

3) How can dance skills be applied to a sit down job?

4) Is Singing a transferable skill?

I don't know if any of these questions will help to develop my eventual Professional Inquiry but I hope they are a start and that others can identify with them!

Appendix B - http://livwarner.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/4c.html

My final Questions!

I have decided to make the most of my new career in marketing and my past experience in music that for my inquiry I need to combine the two. The main context of my inquiry will be as follows:

What method or combination of marketing methods is most successful in raising the profile of a new music performer?

Further questions will include:

What is the potential target audience for this performer?

What form of marketing is most likely to reach this audience and increase the size of the fan base?

What aspects of his performance does he most want to promote?

Which promotional techniques are most effective in achieving the greatest exposure and conversion into tickets sold and tracks sold?

How can an achievable cost-benefit ratio be accomplished?

I think these questions will help me to grow professionally and further my career. I was struggling to find a way to link my diploma experience with my new career but I believe I have finally found it!

Appendix C - http://livwarner.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/5b.html

I found some 'rules' for making ethical decisions in the work place on this website: http://www.chsbs.cmich.edu/leader_model/development/media/Targeted%20Lessons/workplace_ethics.htm

SOME BASIC PRINCIPLES TO HELP YOU MAKE ETHICAL DECISIONS

A key reason why decisions that have ethical implications may be difficult for leaders to make is that they may be encountering situations that they have never had to deal with before.  This lack of experience may be characterized by a great deal of ambiguity in terms of what to do.  Some basic principles may be useful in helping to guide the ethical decision-making process:

1.Don’t allow personal gains to outweigh the good of the organization

2.Recognize all perspectives when making an ethical decision

3.Respect people and their rights

4.Keep promises and honour contracts

5.Use feelings to help decide morale dilemmas

6.Get all the facts

7.Treat all people fairly

8.Define who you are, your company & personal values

9.Always challenge your decision to be in line with your values, beliefs and morals

10.  Never compromise your integrity

11.  Ethical decisions must use fair procedures and account for unjust action

12.  Don’t choose the easiest answer; consider all the options (don’t just go for a quick fix)

13.  Don’t overstep the bounds of what outsiders will tolerate while balancing company’s & outsider’s interest

14.  Consider the risk of setting & trying to achieve overly ambitious goals

15.  Communicate that all employees have a responsibility to keep the company’s moral & ethical standards in check

16.  When in doubt, don’t

17.  Instill proper checks & balances of  ethical behaviour that don’t create bottlenecks

18.  When possible seek the input of effected individuals at a moral crossroads

I think what stands out most about these point are how much your own personal ethics should influence you. Even if your companies values are clear if you do not feel you can apply them to yourself then you shouldn't use them. In most places there are probably easy solutions to differing ethics or they are vague enough that you can alter them to fit your own. From reading this I have realised that if I am ever asked to conform to ethics that I can't agree with I should just give in because it is company policy. Personal ethics are just as important workplace ethics!

 

Appendix D - https://www.gov.uk/data-protection/the-data-protection-act

 

1. The Data Protection Act

The Data Protection Act controls how your personal information is used by organisations, businesses or the government.

Everyone who is responsible for using data has to follow strict rules called ‘data protection principles’. They must make sure the information is:

·         used fairly and lawfully

·         used for limited, specifically stated purposes

·         used in a way that is adequate, relevant and not excessive

·         accurate

·         kept for no longer than is absolutely necessary

·         handled according to people’s data protection rights

·         kept safe and secure

·         not transferred outside the UK without adequate protection

Appendix E – An extract from my Ethics Form

Although this is an inquiry to help me achieve my degree it also directly involves someone’s career. Everything I do in the process of the inquiry must start with the aim of helping Tom get exposure, sell tickets and generally promote himself in a positive manner. It would be easy to get side tracked and spend too much time on methods that are not working. I must always ensure that Tom is completely happy and on board with everything I am planning and that at the end of the inquiry he will be majorly benefited.

It is also essential that I comply carefully with regulations on approaching the public and cannot be seen as employing pressurising techniques.  Anonymity will also be an issue that needs to be considered when asking people to fill in questionnaires. If follow up questionnaires are to be used people must be made aware that I will be using their personal contact details.

All data must be kept in a protected environment that cannot be accessed by anyone other than me. No data will be passed on to any other companies and fans will not have to worry about receiving junk mail after giving their details.

Care will need to be taken if any of the target audience are minors. Parental consent will need to be obtained for any information taken and anyone under 14 wanting to come to a gig must be accompanied by an adult.

Appendix F - https://www.facebook.com/groups/429924147095115/

Appendix G - http://livwarner.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/my-sig.html

I have been talking with my SIG group about what excites them about a new artist. From our discussions it has come to my attention that there is a chance a new artist will not even be noticed unless there is a physical presence of their branding in the run up to any gigs or events. To accommodate this I have decided I will need to employ promotional staff to flyer for my artist (Tom Savage) in the run ups to his gigs. I will also develop posters to be put up in key areas so that his brand becomes familiar to people in those areas. I need to do some research into the most ways of doing both of these things!

Appendix H – My interview with Anonymous Artist

When you first set out with your career did you realise how important marketing was to your success?

No not at all! I thought I could just get by on my talent, I thought that people would realise I was good and my career would take off from there. I spent a whole year getting it wrong and getting frustrated as I could see others succeeding where I was failing.

When you did realise the importance of self promotion how did you start putting it into practise?

The first thing I did was to create a logo for myself using my name. I started displaying this at my gigs so that my name had an image that came with it. I then got posters made and started displaying in the venues before the event. I then used the same poster to advertise my events on Facebook.

Did you think of putting posters up around the whole area surrounding the venue?

I did not do that at the time as budget was always an issue. I did not know if the cost of printing the flyers would benefit the ticket sales enough to justify it.

Do you think if you could have read someone else's inquiry into marketing a new artist that you might have done better in the first place?

YES YES YES! I had no idea what I was doing. At first I didn't even realise I should be doing anything and even when I did I was clueless as to what. I looked on the internet for ideas but there is just to much information! There are hundreds of ideas and reviews but it is all dotted all over the place and it is hard to know who is right. If there was a review that specifically looked into what methods are best for promoting a new artist it would have helped me! A lot of sites I looked at don't take cost into account and obviously for someone just starting out that is a big issue.

Did you ever think of fundraising?

I fund raised for myself all the time! But I never thought to do it specifically for marketing. It was always to buy a new guitar or mic. If I had done it for marketing I might have got further faster!

Did you realise how powerful and necessary digital is to promoting new music like you?

I used Facebook to promote my events to my friends but I have never been that great with technology so probably still don't use it as effectively as I could. 

I have been researching how pages and events get so many views on Facebook and have found out that for a relatively small cost you can advertise to a targeted audience. If you had known this at the time would you have done it?

Now I definitely would use that promotion method but at the time I would probably have felt the same about that as I did of the posters. I would not have known that my money would have a definite improvement in sales.

What do you think of leafleting?

I think that as long as the leafletters are enthusiastic about the artist they are great. On the other hand I think they can also have a very negative effect if they are not. People who just try to shove leaflets into peoples hands to get the job done just annoy the people they should be targeting. I think you need to be very careful about the image they give out and consider if it is the right thing for the artist.

What do you think, from a marketing perspective, helped you to get where you are now?

I think the best decision I made was bringing someone in to help me with the promotions side of the business. I couldn't see what needed to be done from the inside and needed an outside view to help me!

Survey Monkey

In my new job survey monkey is the main tool we use for collecting campaign data and results. I believe it is an efficient and effective way of quickly getting all the information you need. You can set them up easily and for free and choose for each question how the answer should be submitted. For example one answer could be checking a yes or no box whilst another could be free text. You can also get quantitative data by asking for just numbers to be recorded.
All the information can be quickly exported into an excel spread sheet and used in any way you want it. You can use the insights gained from the survey to prove to clients that the campaign was effective or to find where it went wrong. The most recent example of this is a commuter paper sampling campaign I am working on. Almost the same activity was completed in January and survey monkeys were filled in for every train station involved. When planning my campaign I could look through the old results to see approximate number of samples and staff needed for each station. This meant I did not make the same mistakes like over staffing or not supplying enough samples again.
I will definitely be using survey monkey to help me run my marketing campaign for Tom.    

6B

Qualitative and quantitative data.

I think for the purposes of this inquiry I will need to use both of these data collection methods. The measure of success of the marketing methods will be in numbers; how many tickets sold, page likes, followers, video views etc. This will all be found out by collecting quantitative data. To measure the reaction of the fans and public to the methods I will need to collect qualitative data. From the qualitative data I will be able to adjust my techniques and ideas to suit what the fans want.
Both data forms are equally important to my inquiry.

6c

I would like to choose BA Honours Professional Practise (Music Marketing) as my award title.

I believe this is the perfect title for my award because it combines two parts of my life. I did my diploma in Musical Theatre with an emphasis on singing and music. Now I have moved on from performing into marketing, I want to find a way to include my past experience into my new role. This inquiry will allow me to do exactly that. I will be able to develop my understanding of marketing in general by applying it to a subject I am highly familiar with. At drama school we learned a lot about self promotion but I don't believe that aspiring artistes in the music industry have that same benefit. I want to expand my knowledge of marketing and at the same time benefit others with what I learn.   

6A

I have completed an interview with an artist similar to Tom who has done all of his own marketing and managed to successfully promote himself to a point where his tracks are being sold on iTunes!

Here is what I asked and his answers:

When you first set out with your career did you realise how important marketing was to your success?
No not at all! I thought I could just get by on my talent, I thought that people would realise I was good and my career would take off from there. I spent a whole year getting it wrong and getting frustrated as I could see others succeeding where I was failing. 

When you did realise the importance of self promotion how did you start putting it into practise?
The first thing I did was to create a logo for myself using my name. I started displaying this at my gigs so that my name had an image that came with it. I then got posters made and started displaying in the venues before the event. I then used the same poster to advertise my events on Facebook.

Did you think of putting posters up around the whole area surrounding the venue?
I did not do that at the time as budget was always an issue. I did not know if the cost of printing the flyers would benefit the ticket sales enough to justify it.

Do you think if you could have read someone else's inquiry into marketing a new artist that you might have done better in the first place?
YES YES YES! I had no idea what I was doing. At first I didn't even realise I should be doing anything and even when I did I was clueless as to what. I looked on the internet for ideas but there is just to much information! There are hundreds of ideas and reviews but it is all dotted all over the place and it is hard to know who is right. If there was a review that specifically looked into what methods are best for promoting a new artist it would have helped me! A lot of sites I looked at don't take cost into account and obviously for someone just starting out that is a big issue. 

Did you ever think of fundraising?
I fund raised for myself all the time! But I never thought to do it specifically for marketing. It was always to buy a new guitar or mic. If I had done it for marketing I might have got further faster! 

Did you realise how powerful and necessary digital is to promoting new music like you?
I used Facebook to promote my events to my friends but I have never been that great with technology so probably still don't use it as effectively as I could.  

I have been researching how pages and events get so many views on Facebook and have found out that for a relatively small cost you can advertise to a targeted audience. If you had known this at the time would you have done it?
Now I definitely would use that promotion method but at the time I would probably have felt the same about that as I did of the posters. I would not have known that my money would have a definite improvement in sales. 

What do you think of leafleting?
I think that as long as the leafletters are enthusiastic about the artist they are great. On the other hand I think they can also have a very negative effect if they are not. People who just try to shove leaflets into peoples hands to get the job done just annoy the people they should be targeting. I think you need to be very careful about the image they give out and consider if it is the right thing for the artist.

What do you think, from a marketing perspective, helped you to get where you are now.
I think the best decision I made was bringing someone in to help me with the promotions side of the business. I couldn't see what needed to be done from the inside and needed an outside view to help me! 






These answers have helped me to come up with lots of ideas for how to go about marketing Tom! I think I am on the right track and he has already got through the hardest part of allowing me to help him!!