Mu Performing Arts
About
Mu Performing Arts’ mission is to produce great performances born of arts, equality, and justice from the heart of the Asian American experience. Home to Theater Mu, a theater company, and Mu Daiko, a Japanese taiko drumming group, Mu blends Asian and Western artistic forms to express Asian and Asian American stories and music.
Marketing Initiative
A situational analysis recognized that Mu is a leading artistic voice for Asian Americans in the Twin Cities, yet a large part of the Asian American community remains unaware of the organization. Based on a new mission statement and brand committed to social justice and inclusion, Mu dedicated itself to become core to the community whose voice it seeks to serve, while also maintaining and deepening relationships with current audiences. Mu set three marketing objectives: increase representation of Asian Americans in its mainstage production audience; institutionalize Mu’s new youth programs; and convert onetime attendees into multiple-show audiences.
Highlights, 2010-11
Mu targeted two groups crucial to Mu’s becoming an Asian American community leader: Asian American professionals and young Asian Americans interested in their heritage. From 2010 to 2011 season, Asian Americans increased by 4% to 29% of overall mainstage audiences, demonstrating progress toward the overall goal of 35%. With 198 students in Stories, a youth program, a second objective of 200 Asian American student participants was close to goal. To progress with these objectives, Mu created a Community Liaison position and shifted office duties to enable the current Marketing Director to focus completely on marketing, while all staff members were encouraged to have a role in connecting with audiences. Mu overhauled audience surveys and implemented a new database that provides clearer and more objective audience data.
Marketing Activities, Year Two
- Launch a redesigned, highly functional website with access to online social networking platforms communicating Mu.
- Use the new database to establish baselines to enable attendance changes to be tracked.
- Highlight issues of importance to Asian American audiences in mainstage shows, which has shown to result in audience spikes – as high as 49% – for particular shows.
- Continue to use promotional codes for discounted tickets, but also emphasize creating pre-production interest through panel discussion events.
- Further Mu’s plan of providing meaningful, relevant experiences for students through affordable and accessible means, such as a new “Backstage Pass.”
