1. Kauffman
Center for the
Performing Arts
Golden Valley Creative Group
Contributors:
Paige Barnow
Meghan Dolan
Chinyere Okoronkwo
Lee Searcy
Demi Stevens
Margaret Westervelt
5. Overview
The Kauffman Center for
the Performing Arts is Kansas
City’s premier venue for the arts.
Home to Kansas City Ballet,
Lyric Opera and Kansas City
Symphony, the Kauffman Cen-
ter hopes to touch the lives of
many in the community through
incredible performances.
Golden Valley Creative
Group strives to connect youth
in Kansas City to the Kauffman
Center, communicate the op-
portunities with the community
and convey the values of the
Kauffman Center.
Golden Valley Creative
Group conducted primary re-
search and collected findings
from nine focus groups with a
total of 54 participants and a
survey that received responses
from 239 participants. One of
the biggest key findings from all
of the research is that children
need to feel as if they have a
1
6. Executive Summary
place within the Kauffman Cen-
ter.
Golden Valley Creative
Group has two main goals to
involve children with the Kauff-
man Center. The first is to estab-
lish an emotional connection
and a long-term relationship
between children ages 6-13
and the Kauffman Center to in-
crease engagement within the
Kauffman Center. The second
goal is to strengthen the Kauff-
man Center’s web and social
media presence for children
ages 6-13.
The two main strategies
that Golden Valley Creative
Group has developed are start-
ing an annual Grandparents
Day at the Kauffman Center
and expanding the Kauffman
Center’s website to include a
portal made just for children.
2
8. Golden Valley Creative Group
focuses on developing and
maintaining mutually benefi-
cial relationships through mak-
ing the client’s vision a reality.
As an agency, our objective is
to connect, communicate and
convey innovative ideas to all
clients.
“
”
OurMission
Meet Golden
Valley Creative
Group
4
10. The Kauffman Center for the Per-
forming Arts is a nonprofit organiza-
tion located in downtown Kansas
City, Missouri. The Center enables
residents of the surrounding area to
attend performances such as sym-
phonies, ballets, operas, plays, etc.
The Kauffman Center is home to
three prestigious organizations: the
Kansas City Ballet, Lyric Opera, and
the Kansas City Symphony. The
Kauffman Center’s mission is to en-
gage individuals with unforgettable
experiences through programs, cus-
tomer service, and education. The
programs consist of high-quality acts
from local companies as well as tour-
ing national and international acts.
Through customer service, the Kauff-
man Center strives to make each in-
dividual visiting the Kauffman Center
feel comfortable and welcome. The
education aspect allows visitors to
learn through the Kauffman Center’s
creative programs, activities and live
performances.
The center also aims to create a cul-
tural environment to make all visitors
feel at home.
Brand Image
The overall image of the Kauff-
man Center is that the building is
beautiful inside and out and that it
is a “must-see” attraction for Kan-
sas City. According to CNN, and
building data company Emporis the
Kauffman Center for the Performing
Arts was named one of the World’s
15 Most Beautiful Concert Halls. Time
Magazine also listed the Kauffman
Center as one of the top 24 Design
Spots to visit in the U.S. Architect
Moshe Safdie designed the build-
ing in 2002. Once the vision of the
Kauffman Center became a reality,
the Kansas City skyline was forever
changed. The nearly 285,000-square-
foot facility makes events unforget-
table and creates a lasting relation-
ship with artists and audiences in
the community.
To provide a diverse group of performing arts
experiences that will cultivate the audiences lives
and better engage them with the community.
“ “
VISION
6
11. GOALS &
OBJECTIVES
Strengthen the Kauffman Center’s web and social media presence
for children ages 6-13.
Objective 1:
Launch an interactive web
portal for youth in March 2015
and attract 800 youth mem-
bers by the end of 2015.
Objective 2:
Attract 1,000 more followers and
increase engagement by 15 percent
on Facebook by the end of 2015.
Tactic:
Increase online youth
participation by 15
percent.
Tactic:
Launch interactive web
portal in March 2015.
Tactic:
Grandparents Day
photos accessible online.
Establish an emotional connection and long-term relationship
between kids ages 6-13 and the Kauffman Center in order to increase
participation in Kauffman Center events.
1
Objective 1:
Launch an annual
Grandparents Day in
May 2015 and attract
350 families to the first event.
Objective 2:
Build two more kid-friendly kiosks in the
lobby area by the end of June 2015
that allow kids to interact and access
work online through the MyKauffman
web page.
Tactic:
Meet & Greet with
autograph book.
Tactic:
Kid-friendly gift shop.
Tactic:
Behind the scenes tours.
2
7
12. TARGET
MARKET
TEACHER PARENT
Teachers are primary deci-
sion makers when it comes
to academics and what to
do for school activities. Fo-
cus group research indicates
teachers have limited time
in the day for classes to at-
tend events at the Kauffman
Center and a limited bud-
get as well. However, teach-
ers believe there is value in
education through the arts.
Kauffman Center has a large
audience of teachers and
students it can connect with
in order to establish a rela-
tionship with schools already
active in arts programs.
Our target audience is chil-
dren ages 6-13. According
to the Kauffman Center, this
is the least engaged age
range within the center. Our
client also expressed that
their goal of this campaign
is not only to engage this
age group one time, but to
keep them returning back
to the Kauffman Center af-
ter their initial visit. Our client
stated that they wanted to
form a relationship with this
age group and allow chil-
dren ages 6-13 to feel like
they have a place within the
Kauffman Center.
Because this age group is still
reliant on adults, we wanted
to add parents into our tar-
get audience as well. Par-
ents tend to be the primary
decision makers in the lives
of children ages 6-13. We
also investigated this second
group (parents) through our
primary and secondary re-
search. According to Mintel,
kids ages 9-13 influence $200
billion worth of (their par-
ents’) household spending
and nine out of ten parents
ask their children’s opinions
on purchases related to lei-
sure activities.
YOUTH
8
13. Strengths
Weaknesses
Established brand/
reputation throughout
the KC area
Fundraising
Strong social media
presence
Lack of advertising/
promotion through schools
Uninviting ambience for
children
No engaging activities to do
throughout shows
Shows are not directed
towards youth
S W
9
14. Opportunities
Threats
Vast space with room to
conduct kid-friendly activities
Increase promotion of Open
Doors Program
Prestigious reputation in both
Kansas City and Lawrence
Location
O T
Kauffman Center structure is
too sophisticated/ not
comfortable for children
Coterie Theater is directed
specifically at youths
10
15. The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts’
main strength that we gathered is its ability to fund
events. We quickly figured out that it is well known
around Kansas City that the Kauffman Center is
well off in terms of capital. Another strength that
we noticed was the Kauffman Center’s presence
on social media. Staffers have done a great job of
staying connected with individuals through Face-
book, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Also, having an estab-
lished brand around the area is a strength for the
Kauffman Center because the majority of partici-
pants in our focus groups were already familiar with
the center and what it does. This is also a strength
because the center can truly focus on more youth
interaction and not focus as much on branding.
The existing brand name for the Kauffman Center is
strong and recognizable.
STRENGTHS
11
16. After speaking with teachers
in both Kansas City and Law-
rence, we discovered that
there are several areas where
the Kauffman Center needs to
improve in order to become a
more inviting environment for
our target audience. First of
all, our teachers felt that there
needed to be more of an in-
centive to get students to the
Kauffman Center. Very few of
the teachers in our focus groups
were aware of the Open Doors
Program. If they were aware,
they often felt that there was
not enough advertising for the
program. Teachers within the
Blue Valley School District stat-
ed that although their school
would not qualify for the finan-
cial assistance, there was still
not enough field trip budget to
send kids to the Kauffman Cen-
ter. Because of this, our teach-
ers stated that they wished the
Kauffman Center would cover
more financial ground in order
to get children through their
doors. Several teachers also
stated that the shows currently
offered at the Kauffman Cen-
ter are not “kid friendly.” These
teachers felt that the children’s
attention spans are not long
enough to withstand shows that
last several hours. In addition to
the lengthy shows, there is also
a lack of engaging activities for
kids to do at the center. Teach-
ers and parents across multiple
focus groups stated that they
think kids would enjoy going to
the Kauffman Center more if
there were engaging activities,
or backstage tours available.
Lastly, the teachers stated that
they felt that the center did not
make children feel particularly
welcome.
WEAKNESSES
12
17. OPPORTUNITIES
The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts has
a vast space with room to arrange kid-friendly activi-
ties. It also offers a variety of programs to schools in the
Kansas City metropolitan area. The Open Doors Pro-
gram allows students and teachers to connect with the
Kauffman Center. With more awareness about the pro-
gram there is more of an opportunity for schools to uti-
lize the program and bring in students to the Kauffman
Center. The majority of our teachers and parents were
surprised that the Kauffman Center did not have more
kid-friendly and engaging activities. Although that is a
negative, it still proves that teachers and parents think
highly of the Kauffman Center and expect the Kauff-
man Center to deliver an exciting educational experi-
ence to every child that walks through its doors. The
Kauffman Center has an established and easily recog-
nizeable name in the Kansas City community and with
the right strategic plans, the center should see an in-
crease in its desired target audience. It is clear that
the center has a strong reputation in both Kansas City
and surrounding areas. With its strong brand image,
the Kauffman Center has a broad audience it can
capture.
13
18. THREATS
The main threats are the competitors of the
Kauffman Center that are already engaging with
youth. Coterie Theater, which is also located down-
town Kansas City, is one of the biggest competitors.
Other competitors would be the Starlight Theater
and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Although the
architecture is impressive, the Kauffman Center
isn’t exactly “kid-friendly.” This has raised concern
for those that are already hesitant to bring their
children to the center. Since the Kauffman Center
is located downtown Kansas City, the majority of
the schools are going to be at least a 30-minute
drive. This can be defined as a threat because we
found out that not all schools can sacrifice a whole
day off in order to plan a visit to the Kauffman Cen-
ter. Location of the schools plays a big factor when
bringing in more youth interaction.
14
20. Midland
Coterie
Starlight
The Starlight Theatre is an outdoor theater
located at Swope Park. The theater strives to
bring in a diverse audience of all ages and
offers special events for families in hopes
of keeping them coming back. They also
promote education in the arts and com-
munity outreach programs. With affordable
prices, the Starlight Theatre offers live music
and resources to keep its cultural tradition
alive for generations to come. A few things
it offers in contrast to the Kauffman Center
are pre-shows with local Kansas City artists,
different programs to attract children and
young teens, such as classes and camps and
scholarships.
Opened in 1927, the
Midland Theatre resides
in Kansas City’s Power
& Light District. Recently
renamed the Arvest
Bank Theatre at the
Midland, this venue looks
to continue the tradition
of hosting well-known
artists and performanc-
es. Since reopening in
2008, the Midland has
hosted 600 events and
held more than 500,000
people.
DIRECT COMPETITION
The Coterie Theater was estalished
in 1979 and is a nonprofit organization. Its mission is to provide
professional, classic and contemporary theater and to challenge
audiences and artists while providing educational outreach pro-
grams to the community. During each season, the Coterie puts
on six full productions. These productions are broken down into
three productions for junior high, high school students and adults,
and three productions for younger audiences and families. The
Coterie does a great job of presenting itself as a kid-friendly en-
viornment.
16
21. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Museum’s mission is “Every day, in all we do, the
Nelson-Atkins is committed to nurturing excellence, in-
spiring creativity and building community through the
power of art.” The museum offers free admission to all,
which is something that differs from the Kauffman Center.
It also offers various programs for children and teens to
take part in. For example, there are homeschool days, in
which registration is required but does not cost anything.
The museum also offers many different options when it
comes to touring the building. You can take a self-guid-
ed tour, a group tour, a class tour or an audio-guided
tour.
Sprint Center
Another indirect competitor is Sprint
Center. Sprint Center opened Oc-
tober 10, 2007. This is Kansas City’s
premiere venue for sports, concerts,
family shows, collegiate competi-
tions and special events. Located
in downtown Kansas City, Missouri,
Sprint Center has hosted more than
750 events and 7 million guests. It
has been recognized as America’s
8th busiest arena.
INDIRECT COMPETITION
17
22. SOCIAL MEDIA
According to our second-
ary research, about half
of all first-through fourth-
graders and 75 percent of
fifth-through ninth-graders
go online several times a
day. Also, more than 60
percent of tweens have
a social media presence.
Within that presence, the
majority of kids and early
teenagers are on Face-
book more than any other
social media outlet. The
Kauffman Center considers
Facebook and Twitter to
be their primary social me-
dia sites. Instagram, though
still relevant, is a secondary
social media site.
Within the 2013-2014 digi-
tal analysis, the number of
Facebook followers in-
creased by 7,731. Current-
ly, the fan page has 30,671
“likes” and 22,374 visits. The
page has 1,921 ratings,
averaging out to 4.8 out
of 5 stars. It is evident that
Facebook is an effective
and popular outlet for the
Kauffman Center to con-
tinue using.
According to the
2013-2014 digital analysis
by the Kauffman Center,
the total number of Twit-
ter followers increased by
5,005. Currently, the Kauff-
man Center Twitter page
has 12,600 followers. The
Twitter page has a strong
online presence, with a
steady continuity around
each post.
The Kauffman Cen-
ter created its Instagram
account in 2013. After the
first seven months the total
number of followers was
598. As of November 2014,
the number of followers
increased to 846. The Insta-
gram account has posted
120 times since it was acti-
vated.
After conducting
focus groups and distribut-
ing surveys to both parents
and teachers, we discov-
ered that Facebook is the
most popular social media
website for our target audi-
ence. 81 percent of teach-
ers chose Facebook as
their preferred social media
website. 94 percent of our
parent participants also
chose Facebook as their
most used social media
website.
After we reviewed
our social media findings,
we suggest that the Kauff-
man Center incorporate its
social media into all events
possible. On Grandparents
Day, the Kauffman Cen-
ter will establish a specific
hashtag to promote the
event such as #KCGrand-
parents. This hashtag will
be used on both Instagram
and Twitter to tie the event
together. The visitors will
also have access to sharing
and sending photos from
the event on their social
media profiles.
18
23. TARGET MARKET
According to Mintel, there are 41
million kids and tweens (ages 5-14) in
the US, making up 13 percent of the
population in 2014. The population
of kids/tweens is more racially and
ethnically diverse than any in history,
about 25 percent are Hispanic, 15
percent are Black, and 5 percent
Asian. According to Mintel, between
2014 and 2019 the number of kids
aged 5 to 9 is projected to increase
by 2.4 percent, while the number of
tweens ages 10-14 is expected to
stay the same. Kids/tweens ages
9-13 influence about $200 billion
worth of household spending. It is ev-
ident that our target audience is one
that provides a large opportunity for
the Kauffman Center financially.
Measured by attendance,
theme parks, museums and plays are
all equally of interest to kids and ac-
cording to an article from Mintel, girls
are more likely than boys to have at-
tended an arts/cultural event. Kids/
tweens from lower-income house-
holds are less likely to have attended
most types of events.
Amusement parks and theme parks
are the only arts, entertainment, or
sporting events that hold the interest
of kids and tweens alike (when they
are given the choice to attend or
not). Other activities of interest
include museums, with attendance
levels of 41 percent kids and 37
percent tweens. Plays or theater
performances have attendance
of 29 percent kids and 37 percent
tweens while concerts have 18 per-
cent kids and 35 percent tweens in
attendance, according to Mintel.
Attendance at different types of
arts and entertainment events dif-
fers based on gender. Boys in first
through eighth grade are more likely
than female peers to have attended
a professional sporting event in the
past year. Fathers take more sons
to baseball or football games than
daughters, according to an article
on Mintel. Household income is less
of a factor for less expensive and
more inclusive venues like state fairs,
the circus, or a local/
school-sponsored event.
Market Analysis
The most accessible market for the
Kauffman Center for the Perform-
ing Arts is the Kansas City metropoli-
tan area. In 2013, the United States
Census Bureau estimated the com-
bined population of Kansas City,
Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri,
to be 615,490 people. The surround-
ing Kansas City metropolitan area
includes a total of 15 counties. Kan-
sas City is the second-largest metro
in Missouri, and the largest metro in
19
24. Kansas. According to the US Cen-
sus report, the total population of
the Kansas City metro area is slightly
over 2 million people. According to
visitKC.com, Kansas City is the 29th
largest metropolitan area in the
United States. Within the KCKS coun-
ties of Johnson and Wyandotte there
are 120,830 K-12 students (Kansas
City Area Education Research Con-
sortium, 2012). In the KCMO counties
Clay, Platte and Jackson, the K-12
student enrollment is 145,554. In total,
this adds up to be 266,385 K-12 stu-
dents, not including charter schools
(KCAERC, 2012). According to the
demographic profile within Kantar
Media’s SRDS, there are currently
309,500 males under the age of 18,
and 296,100 females. Though these
numbers do not specify our exact
target audience of children ages
6-13, they still give a rough estimate
to how broad our target audience
within the Kansas City area truly is.
Within Kansas City, there are a to-
tal of 1,603 establishments that fall
under the “arts, entertainment and
recreation” category (SRDS, 2014).
Within these establishments, there
are 31,471 total employees (SRDS,
2014).
In addition to Kansas City, the
Lawrence, Kansas, community is
another valuable arts community
that would benefit from use of the
Kauffman Center of the Performing
Arts. As stated by the US Census, the
Lawrence 2013 population estimate
is 90,811. According to the Lawrence
Convention and Visitors Bureau,
Lawrence has been rated among
the top 15 in “The 100 Best Small Arts
Towns in America.” The Bureau also
states that, “The National Endow-
ment for the Arts has ranked Law-
rence in the top 12 among cities in
the U.S. with the largest percentage
of professional artists in the
workforce.”
OVERVIEW
20
26. Summary
To figure out how the Kauffman
Center can increase participation
from children ages 6-13, Professor
Seo’s class conducted nine focus
groups. These nine focus groups
were aimed to target three dif-
ferent audiences that will help us
better understand how to engage
children in the arts. The three audi-
ences that participated in our focus
groups were parents, teachers and
children. From these three broken
down groups, there were a total of
54 participants that gave our class
the information we needed in or-
der to better understand how to
help the Kauffman Center engage
children. Each of the five agen-
cies conducted these nine focus
groups in the same structure. There
were two main moderator discus-
sion guides to direct us through the
focus group, one for teachers and
one for parents. Each agency’s re-
search director designed the focus
group discussion guides through
collaboration. The guides helped
all of the focus groups stay on
track and get the most out of the
time we had with the participants.
A lead moderator asked the ques-
tions while other members of each
agency took notes and observed.
The focus groups lasted anywhere
from 20 minutes to an hour and a
half.
After each agency conducted
its focus group, a focus group tran-
scription was developed and given
to each agency so that we could re-
view what other agencies found out.
Through this, we developed overall
themesandtrendsthatemergedfrom
all nine focus groups. This allowed us
to work together and get the most
out of our time. Our agency found
four overall emerging trends: first, the
Kauffman Center must keep kids en-
gaged and interested; second, by
engaging parents and teachers you
can engage children; third, although
the Kauffman Center is breathtak-
ingly beautiful, it is not always seen
as a “kid-friendly,” hands-on kind of
place; fourth,teachers have limited
funds and time for field trips, but see
value in education through the arts.
With these three trends, our agency
plans to develop a plan of action
to revamp the Kauffman Center in
order to make it seem as not only a
breathtakingly beautiful place, but
also a hands-on, kid-friendly environ-
ment, where children have a home.
The information we received from our
participants was vital to our agency’s
campaign.
22
FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS
27. Children lose interest quickly and they need to
stay engaged.
One of the largest factors identified about children and performing arts
is that in order to keep children interested, you have to keep them stimu-
lated. A director of arts education at a youth art center in Kansas City
said, “I think gone are the days where kids just sit and watch something.
Kids want to be engaged, they want to touch it, they want to expe-
rience it and be engaged in it.” Another participant said, “For kids you
get taught that a story is verbal. Even looking at pictures is commu-
nicating a story. It all comes from that interaction. Have the kids
dance before the ballet. Tell them about it. Talk about how it was a story
being communicated through feelings and movement.”
The Kauffman Center is an icon of beauty, but it
is not “kid-friendly.”
The atmosphere of the Kauffman Center is not kid friendly, but it offers a
unique experience to participants both inside and outside of the musical
halls because of its unique beauty. Participants agreed that the center is
breathtaking. Another focus group participant said, “At the
Kauffman Center, including the walk-in, it kind of prepares you that
something fantastic is going to happen and it puts you in a different
frame of mind.” The beauty of the center itself attracts many people but
a key point is having people, especially children, find value in the
performances and productions.
23
28. By engaging parents and teachers, you can engage
kids.
When it comes to engaging teachers and parents, their main concern is their
children’s education and excitement level about the activity. Most
participants agreed that art classes, excuses to get up on stage, and summer camps
are all beneficial experiences for children. The Blue Valley School District teacher said,
“Lots of parents love having an opportunity to drop kids off at a program that they
know they (the kids) will get some education through an activity.” Many parents were
particularly focused on wanting their children to see something “cultured” and
having their children participate in “an enriching experience” at the
Kauffman Center.
Teachers have limited funds and time for field trips, but
see value in education through the arts.
With limited resources and time in a teacher’s day, it is hard for classes to attend
events at the Kauffman Center, and parents want to feel confident that their kids are
gaining education and excitement through opportunities available at the
Kauffman Center through performances, summer camps, dance and art classes, and
other learning activities. A focus group participant said, “Not all classroom teachers
understand how we can help them deliver their curriculum using an art form. People
see us maybe as cultural, as artistic, as fun and engaging but they don’t necessarily
see us as an educational partner.”
KEY FINDINGS
24
30. That’s how you end up with kids who grow up and feel like the
Kauffman is a second home. The reasons my kids feel so at
home at the Nelson is because they’ve taken those classes
where they go on a little tour in their class and
they get to experience something in such a visceral way.
“ ”With my kids, it would be teaching them that
there is more to learning than sitting at
school. You can learn through a play or music.
“
”
For kids you get taught that a story is verbal. Even looking at
pictures is communicating a story. It all comes from
that interaction. Have the kids dance before the ballet.
Tell them about it. Talk about how it was a story being commu-
nicated through feelings and movement.
”
“
Lots of parents love having an opportunity to drop
kids off at a program that they know they (the kids)
will get some education through an activity.
“ “
KEY QUOTES
26
31. 239
There were 239 total responses, 152 were from parents and 87 were
from teachers. These 87 teachers work in the Greater Kansas City Area. The
county with the most teachers who participated in our survey were from
Johnson County, Kansas, with 42.1 percent. Jackson County, Missouri, was
the next highest with 36.0 percent.
On average, teachers who participated in our survey have been
teaching in the Kansas City area for about three years. 31 percent of teach-
ers have been working for six years or more so it is evident that the majority
of our respondents have a lot of experience working with our target audi-
ence. Respondents were allowed to choose multiple options for what sub-
jects they teach. 27 percent teach music while only 8 percent teach art.
The highest numbers of respondents were math teachers at 41 percent of
responses. Although the majority of teachers who took our survey were not
music or art teachers, they still provided important data that is useful for our
campaign.
Total Responses
SURVEY FINDINGS
27
32. Female 87% Male 13%
87% of the respondents were female. 25% of our respondents
were between the ages of 45-54, which is around the average age
of people the Kauffman Center identified as attending performanc-
es regularly.
The fact that the majority of the teachers taught children of
the age of 6-12 is relevant to our study, since this is our target au-
dience. This shows that our information gathered throughout the
survey will be useful in order to help the Kauffman Center.
Demographics
Communication
In terms of reaching teachers to offer
information pertaining to arts-related
activities like the Open Doors program,
77 percent of teachers said they rely on
recommendations from other teachers.
62 percent of teachers said that email/
newsletters were the two best ways to
communicate with teachers. Respon-
dents were allowed to select multiple
answers. 46 percent of teachers said
that social media/mobile apps were a
good way to communicate while 37
percent of teachers said that print ads/
flyers were another good way to re-
ceive information pertaining to arts-re-
lated activities. In terms of social media,
Facebook is the most popular outlet for
teachers with 81 percent followed by
YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram/Twit-
ter. From this information we have gath-
ered that YouTube and Facebook offer
the Kauffman Center a strong outlet to
create promotional videos that teach-
ers can like, share, send to each other
and also present to students in order to
raise awareness for programs like the
Open Doors program and/or shows
coming to the center soon that would
be interesting for parents/teachers and
their children. Also, print ads and flyers
were identified in focus group feed-
back as a good way to grab teachers’
attention, especially in break rooms at
their schools.
28
33. Teachers ranked how important the
arts are when planning curriculum at
their school. They could choose be-
tween 1-5, one being not at all impor-
tant and five being extremely impor-
tant. The majority of teachers found
that arts were an important part of
their curriculum with 54 percent of re-
sponses being between 4-5. This pat-
tern tells us that teachers see a direct
benefit for their students when they
make art/music an important part
of the curriculum. But 24 percent of
teachers reported that they found
the arts to be not important at all or of
very little importance by ranking be-
tween 1-2. This is relevant to our cam-
paign because it is good to see that
the majority of teachers do see the
importance and benefits of arts in the
students’ curriculum. By knowing this,
we are able to alter our campaign in
order to better engage these teach-
ers and bring in their students to the
Kauffman Center.
Teachers
WHY THE ARTS?
When planning curriculum how
important are the arts?
“
“
29
34. Parents
As for the parents, the majority of the
parent respondents also found that
exposure to the arts was important.
Over 60 percent of parents strongly
agreed that exposure to the arts is an
important benefit for their children.
However,there werestillafewparents,
2 percent to be exact, that strongly
disagreed with this statement. For the
most part though, parents agreed
that exposure to the arts is impor-
tant for their children. 90 percent of
teachersreportedtheirschoolshavea
current active arts program. This num-
ber shows that the Kauffman Center
has a large audience of teachers and
students it can connect with in order
to establish a relationship with schools
already active in arts programs. Out
of the arts programs offered in these
schools, the highest two classes were
music and visual arts. According to
the survey statistics, other schools
have students involved in dance, ce-
ramics, theater, creative writing and
other arts-related programs. Know-
ing that 90 percent of teachers said
that their school has an arts program
is huge. This was valuable informa-
tion to our agency because it shows
that schools do place an importance
on the arts. If schools see the arts as
something that is beneficial, then
they should be more willing to work
with the Kauffman Center in order to
broaden their students’ horizons and
give the students more opportunities
to be introduced to the arts.
“
How much do you agree with this
statement: Exposure to the arts is an
important benefit for children.
“
30
35. CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
GOAL 1: Establish an emotional connection and long-term
relationship between kids ages 6-13 and the Kauffman Center in order to
increase participation in the Kauffman Center Events.
OBJECTIVE 1: Launch an Annual Grandparents Day in May 2015 and attract 350
families to the first event.
TARGET: Youth ages 6-13 as well as grandparents.
TIME: Saturday, May 23, 2015, 9-11a.m.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION:
The Kauffman Center stated that its most recurrent visitors are around the ages of 55-65. We
want to take advantage of this already active demographic and invite them to bring their
grandchildren to an event in hopes to engage more youth within the Kauffman Center. The
specific date of this event is up to the availability of the Kauffman Center, but the Kauffman
Center informed us that its most available time slot is Saturday mornings around 9-11a.m. Dur-
ing this event, the Kauffman Center would take photographs of the grandparent with his/
her grandchildren, and then after the event there would be an option to “share, send, save”
these photos on social media and email through the pre-existing Kauffman Center website.
We would also incorporate a social media hashtag for the Kauffman Center and visitors to uti-
lize that day. An example of this hashtag would be #KCGrandparents. This would imply both
Kansas City, as well as the Kauffman Center.
BENEFITS:
This event would initially be held once before the Future Stages Festival. Depending on the
success of the event, we would hope to implement it at a twice-yearly frequency and in-
crease from there. It not only keeps the existing audience engaged, but it also incorporates
the audience that the Kauffman Center has yet to bring in: the Kansas City youth.
1
31
36. OBJECTIVE 2: Build two more kid-friendly kiosks by the end of June 2015 in the lobby
area that allow kids to watch videos about the symphony, opera and ballet, and also actively
draw pictures to be saved online and accessed later.
TARGET: The Kauffman Center Youth audience before and after performances.
TIME: Active Kiosks by June 2015.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION:
We noticed that the Kauffman Center already has one activity kiosk in the lobby. This is a great
step, but still does not go far enough to engage kids in the most effective way. After discussing
with both teachers and parents, we learned that one downfall that prevents kids from
attending Kauffman Center performances is that the kids often need something tangible or
an activity to keep them engaged. An interactive kiosk would not only teach the youth about
the performance they are attending, but it would also allow for them to create their own art.
This art could then be posted to the Kauffman Center website and hopefully projected on
screens within the lobby. This would take away the “untouchable” feel of the Kauffman
Center and promote youth engagement.
BENEFITS:
These kiosks are a clean, non-intrusive way to make the youth audience feel welcome within
the walls of the Kauffman Center. The kids can engage with the performance, and will
ultimately feel more of a sense of ownership towards the Kauffman Center, which is our
ultimate goal.
More Possibilities to Promote Engagement:
TACTIC 1:
After performances, kids have the opportunity to take part in Meet & Greet sessions with
singers, actors and dancers. The kids will bring their “Kauffman Center autograph book” to the
Meet & Greet and work to fill every page of their book. The book is similar to those at Disney
World and serves a similar purpose. It is something that kids can physically take home, and
remind them to come back for another performance.
TACTIC 2:
The gift shop is an easy outlet to promote engagement among youth ages 6-13. Anything
tangible that a child can take home with them is an automatic memory that the child
associates with the Kauffman Center. Whether it’s a coloring book about the symphony or a
nutcracker ornament to go along with the Kansas City Ballet, it will promote a stronger
relationship.
TACTIC 3:
Create an interactive class/backstage tour where students can learn what it takes to put on
a performance. Student would also have a “behind the scenes” look at the Kauffman Center
halls. Our focus group participants explained that kids would want to feel a part of the action,
and this class directly fulfills that need.
32
37. GOAL 2: Strengthen the Kauffman Center’s web and social media
presence for children ages 6-13.
OBJECTIVE 1: Launch an interactive web portal for youth in March 2015 and attract
800 youth members by the end of 2015.
TARGET: Youth ages 6-13 with assistance from parents.
TIME: Launched in coordination with marketing efforts in March 2015.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION:
Making the Kauffman Center kid-friendly doesn’t start and end at the physical center itself - it
also is important to create an online presence that is kid-friendly and engaging. Revamping
the website so that there is a web portal specifically for children, called “MyKauffman,” is an-
other objective we believe will help create an educationally beneficial and hands-on place
for children to learn and spark interest about the arts in general. The web portal would include
online games, interactive videos, printable music sheets and coloring activities and a place to
vote on upcoming shows/performances. This allows children to access the Kauffman Center
through the comfort of their own home and with parental supervision.
BENEFITS:
Promoting a kid-friendly space online allows students to access the Kauffman Center and
receive educational benefits without physically coming to the center. By catching their atten-
tion online, children will be more engaged with arts and music. This engagement will increase
children’s interest levels and in turn increase participation at the Kauffman Center.
OBJECTIVE 2: Through advertising on Facebook and a more active presence, attract
1,000 more followers on Facebook and increase engagement by 15 percent.
TARGET: All audiences active on Facebook, especially parents and teachers.
TIME: From the launch of our initial campaign in March 2015 to the end of June 2015.
2
33
38. BRIEF DESCRIPTION:
The Facebook advertisements are composed similarly to the ads within Google AdWords,
which our client is already familiar with. The main plus of Facebook advertisements is that you
can target them by age, gender, and location. The cost to launch Facebook ads is also signifi-
cantly lower than Google. We would want to launch these ads as cost per click; therefore our
client would only have to pay for the advertisement every time a Facebook user clicked on
the ad. Currently, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts has 30,547 likes on Facebook. It
is evident that there is already a fan base, and we think that implementing these new adver-
tisements would strengthen the Kauffman Center’s social media presence even more.
BENEFITS:
Expanding and strengthening the Kauffman Center’s social media presence allows more of
our target audience, primarily teachers and parents, to access information about perfor-
mances and opportunities for their children. The increase in Facebook advertising will allow a
greater reach for parents and teachers in the Kansas City area and boost participation within
the Kauffman Center. It will also help communicate opportunities through pre-existing events
like the Open Doors Program and the Future Stages Festival.
More Possibilities to strengthen the Kauffman Center’s
web presence:
TACTIC 1:
By the end of 2015, increase online youth participation and interaction by 15 percent as a
result of utilizing the Kauffman Center’s online presence.
TACTIC 2:
Create an interactive web portal to be launched in March of 2015 where children can have
their own web page and have a place at the Kauffman Center with printable activities, games
and options to vote for upcoming shows.
TACTIC 3:
Grandparents Day pictures from the May 2015 event can be accessed online at the kauffman-
center.org and shared via social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) in order to increase the
average time spent on the site to over 5 minutes.
34
39. MARCH APRIL MAY
TIMELINE
Begin more Facebook
posts and ads
Launch My Kauffman
Web Portal
Gift shop begins selling
merchandise for
children
First Grandparents Day
35
40. JUNE LONG TERM
Activity kiosks up and
running
First Meet & Greet with
autograph books
Future Stages Festival
Increase youth
participation by 15
percent by the end of
2015
Begin classes/
backstage tours for
students at the start
of the new school
year
Grandparents Day
2016
36
41. When deciding how to allocate our money to enforce our campaign ideas we
broke them down into four categories: large impact with a large cost,
large impact with a small cost, small impact with a large cost,
and small impact with a small cost. By doing this we were able to see
where we needed to use the most money in order to get the greatest benefit.
We decided that our web portal would be in the large impact with a large cost
category. In order to do this, an IT person would need to be hired to create a
separate web space that children can personalize. Grandparents Day falls into
the large impact with a relatively small cost category. The only expenses for this
idea would be hiring a photographer to take pictures and the reduced ticket
prices for the grandchildren. Creating a kiosk for children in the Kauffman cen-
ter is going to be a higher cost. This idea fell into the small impact with a large
cost. Backstage tours for children is our small cost, small impact idea. It is a small
cost because a volunteer can lead children around backstage of Helzberg Hall
and the Muriel Kauffman Theatre to get a “behind the scenes” look at what
goes on during and after performances.
BUDGET
37
Large Cost Small Cost
Large Impact
Small Impact
Backstage Tours
Interactive Web
Portal
Grandparents
Day
Interactive Kiosks
$2,000
$2,300 $0
$700
42. REFERENCES
Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland :: Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2014,
from: http://www.midlandkc.com/venue-info/overview
Begley, S. (2014, May 20). Map: 24 Design Spots to Visit in the U.S. Retrieved November
13, 2014, from: http://time.com/travel-design/
CNN Staff. (2014, March 3). Worlds 125 Most Beautiful Concert Halls. Retrieved
November 13, 2014, from http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/02/travel/beautiful-con
cert-halls/
The Coterie Today. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2014, from http://thecoterie.org/
coterie-today
Kauffman Center: About. Retrieved November 13, 2014, from http://www.kauffman
center.org/about/
Mintel. (2014) Marketing to Kids and Tweens-US-May 2014: Online Usage and Social
Media Presence. Retrieved September 28, 2014 from http://academic.mintel.
com.www2.lib.ku.edu:2048/display/703670/
Museum Mission. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2014, from http://www.nelson-atkins.
org/welcome/Mission.cfm
Sprint Center :: Arena Info. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2014, from http://www.
sprintcenter.com/arena_info
Theatre History. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2014, from http://www.kcstarlight.com/
about_starlight/starlight_history.aspx?mobileBypass=true
38
45. Kauffman Center
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Buy your tickets for Future Stages Festival today!
http://www.kauffmancenter.org/
Kauffman Center
30,547 people like this
Sunday June 28, 2015
11:00 am- 4:00 pm
41
46. 1601
Broadway
Kansas
City,
MO
64108
816.994.7200
Kauffman
Center’s
2nd
Annual
Future
Stages
Festival
–
June
2015
KANSAS
CITY,
Kan.
–
The
Kauffman
Center
for
Performing
Arts
is
holding
its
2nd
Annual
Future
Stages
Festival
for
youth
artists
in
June
2015.
Last
June,
the
Kauffman
Center
hosted
its
first-‐ever
Future
Stages
Festival
for
youth,
as
a
“thank-‐you”
to
Kansas
City
for
welcoming
the
Kauffman
Center
into
the
community
3
years
prior.
Last
year,
500
youth
performed
in
the
Muriel
Kauffman
Theatre,
as
well
as
on
an
outdoor
stage.
There
were
6,000
people
in
attendance
at
the
free
event
last
June.
The
Kauffman
Center
created
this
event
to
open
up
its
stages
to
not
only
youth,
but
also
artists
and
performers
who
had
not
had
a
chance
to
perform
in
the
premier
space
for
the
arts.
This
year,
the
Kauffman
Center
hopes
to
welcome
even
more
performers
and
members
of
the
community
to
join
the
audience.
This
year,
the
Kauffman
Center
will
integrate
its
new
online
portal,
My
Kauffman,
with
the
Festival.
There
will
be
printable
programs
with
facts
about
the
performers
and
a
schedule
so
that
audience
members
can
follow
along
with
the
performances.
The
Kauffman
Center
will
also
post
video
clips
and
photos
from
performances
to
the
portal
after
the
festival
is
over.
This
Festival
is
linked
to
the
Kauffman
Center’s
Open
Doors
Spotlight
on
Youth
access
program,
which
provides
transportation
from
schools
to
see
weekday
matinees
as
the
Center
and
free
community
tickets
for
non-‐profits
organizations.
All
of
these
opportunities
are
the
Kauffman
Center’s
way
of
encouraging
the
development
of
creativity
in
future
generations.
###
42
Below are example templates of media pitches and press releases for the Kauffman Center
for the Performing Arts. The goal behind these pitch templates and press releases is to
increase awareness of and promote the events that the Kauffman Center hosts. We suggest
that the Kauffman Center send these media pitches to local media outlets in Kansas City, as
well as Lawrence, Topeka and Wichita. We have also included three press release
examples: two regarding two of our largest ideas and a third that is regarding the Open
Doors Program. We suggest that any future press releases are sent to the same outlets that
the media pitches are sent to. The list we primarily suggest is: Lawrence Journal World,
Wichita Eagle, Topeka Capital Journal, Kansas City Star, This is KC, Kansas City Business
Journals.
47. 1601
Broadway
Kansas
City,
MO
64108
816.994.7200
Kauffman
Center
for
the
Performing
Arts
to
Host
First
Annual
“Grandparents
Day”
KANSAS
CITY,
Kan.
–
The
Kauffman
Center
for
the
Performing
Arts
is
Kansas
City’s
premier
venue
for
fine
arts
entertainment.
The
Kauffman
Center
is
hosting
its
first
“Grandparents
Day”
to
engage
youth
and
senior
citizens
in
the
performing
arts.
The
first
“Grandparents
Day”
will
be
held
on
Sunday,
May
24
at
2:00
p.m.
in
the
Muriel
Kauffman
Theatre.
Ticket
prices
will
be
half-‐priced
for
all
grandchildren
in
attendance,
if
accompanied
by
a
grandparent.
Children
under
the
age
of
13
will
be
eligible
for
the
half-‐
priced
tickets.
The
Kauffman
Center
wants
to
welcome
pairs
of
grandparents
and
grandchildren
of
all
ages.
Grandparents
and
grandchildren
are
encouraged
to
come
early
before
the
performance
to
take
a
photo
inside
the
Kauffman
Center.
These
photos
will
be
posted
to
the
Kauffman
Center’s
new
online
portal
for
children
for
view.
The
photos
through
the
children’s
portal
will
be
available
for
“Sharing”
on
Facebook,
Twitter
and
Instagram.
The
photos
will
also
be
posted
to
the
general
Kauffman
Center
website
and
available
for
order
and
purchase.
For
this
event,
the
Kauffman
Center
is
creating
the
hashtag
#KCGrandparents.
The
Kauffman
Center
encourages
all
in
attendance
to
get
the
event
trending
on
social
media.
###
43
48. 1601
Broadway
Kansas
City,
MO
64108
816.994.7200
Kauffman
Center
Launches
New
Online
Portal
for
Youth
Engagement
KANSAS
CITY,
Kan.
–
The
Kauffman
Center
for
the
Performing
Arts
is
launching
an
online
portal
for
youth
through
its
main
website.
This
online
portal
will
be
accessible
through
the
Kauffman
Center
website,
with
a
log
in
feature
that
will
be
personalized
for
youth.
Children
will
have
the
opportunity
to
create
a
profile
through
the
Kauffman
Center
that
will
then
open
up
to
an
online
world
made
just
for
youth.
The
online
portal
is
projected
to
include
videos
of
interviews
with
performers,
virtual
tours
of
the
Kauffman
Center
and
behind
the
scenes
looks
at
the
Center.
It
will
also
feature
easy-‐
to-‐read
articles
about
performances/performers
and
printable
activity
and
color
pages
that
will
be
related
to
the
performing
arts.
The
Kauffman
Center
is
creating
this
online
portal
to
give
children
a
place
that
is
unique
to
them,
but
that
is
still
branded
with
the
Kauffman
Center
name.
The
main
goal
behind
this
online
portal
is
to
get
children
more
involved
with
and
engaged
in
the
performing
arts
and
the
Kauffman
Center.
Another
goal
will
be
to
increase
web
traffic
to
the
Kauffman
Center’s
website
in
general.
###
44
49. The Kauffman Center
for the performing arts
presents
Grandparents
Muriel Kauffman Theatre
Join us for a special day at the Kauffman Center! Tickets will be half-priced for chil-
dren under the age of 13 who come accompanied by a grandparent. Come in before
the show to take pictures and share them using the hashtag #KCGrandparents.
Day
May 24, 2015
