Marketing & Audience Development Consultancy

Download the full brief on our website: www.hootcreativearts.co.uk

About Hoot
Hoot Creative Arts is a thriving arts and health organisation based in Huddersfield and working across Kirklees and surrounding areas. We offer a range of opportunities for people to get involved in music, dance and other creative activities as a way of improving physical and emotional wellbeing.

As specialists working with adults with mental health needs alongside a committed team of experienced community artists, we offer a full programme of quality creative activities with proven benefits for mental health and wellbeing. We work with older people too, including pioneering work using the arts with people living with dementia conditions and their carers and harmony singing for wellbeing for the over 55’s.

With experience gained across Yorkshire and the north of England, Hoot is also able to offer services for purchase: wellbeing at work and workforce development packages, one-off or blocks of workshops, showcase and awareness raising events & performances and consultancy and training.

We want to raise the bar artistically, create more challenging pieces of art and become more outward facing in our presentation of our work on a local, national and international scale.

More information about Hoot can be found at www.hootcreativearts.co.uk

Purpose of the consultancy

• To develop a marketing & audience development strategy for Hoot.

We want more clarity of potential markets for our work and the audiences to which it can be showcased. We have 2 staff currently dedicated to marketing and PR, producing literature for our work, managing the website and social media content. They are skilled and dedicated team members but require closer supervision, support and direction in identifying and reaching new audiences.

This will help us to

• Better understand our traditional markets – how we can improve communications with current audiences and develop relationships with new ones

• Develop our approach to building connections with the public sector.

We have quite a good understanding of our traditional market, people with mental health needs, or whose mental health is at risk. That is not to say that we are always consistent with seeking out new sectors of this core market, nor that we are up to speed with new commissioning arrangements through CCGs and the growing development of self-directed support. A more considered, proactive approach is required here, although there are solid foundations to build on.

• Identify potential arts audiences and develop a strategy for connecting with the various segments.

We have ambitions to produce high quality art that provokes debate about mental health, sanity and wellbeing.We want this to be seen and responded to by as many people as possible, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. We have begun this process by hosting a series of gigs, Hoot Roots, which showcase local talent http://hootroots.tumblr.com/ but we need to develop a better understanding of who our audiences are for our work and how they are best reached.

• Identify viable markets for the Hoot Academy

We want to develop the Hoot Academy, offering everyone associated with the organisation personal development plans and attendant training and support to meet these goals. We think there is scope here to draw in a wider range of people to access creative training and development opportunities, both from the public and private sector, as well as our more traditional customers.

We are looking for an individual or a team who has marketing and audience development experience in an arts context and some knowledge of the health and social care sector. We want someone able to quickly understand the ethos and practice of Hoot, help build partnerships and establish wider strategic networks and identify opportunities for new business and donations.

Time-scale
We envisage that the consultancy will have three phases: scoping, information gathering and strategy development. We estimate this will take 16 days, including meeting time with Hoot staff.

Reporting
A marketing & audience development strategy to be presented to Hoot’s senior management team and board of trustees.

Budget
A sum of up to £5000 - £6000 has been agreed to cover the project fee which includes research, planning, meetings, travel, mailings and other materials as well as the completed strategy.

Proposals
Respondents are asked to outline:
- Proposed methodology, budget and timetable
- CVs for all team members working on this project with relevant skills and experience.
- Details of two references

Closing date: 12pm on Friday 1st August 2014
Proposals should be emailed to info@hootmusic.co.uk with the subject ‘Marketing & Audience Development proposal’.

Queries: Email info@hootmusic.co.uk or call Phil Russell - 01484 516224

For more information visit http://hootcreativearts.co.uk/en/content/a298