Geoff Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 (edited) Readers of other threads about the "new ROH" over the last year might be interested in this news: https://slippedisc.com/2019/05/covent-garden-chief-is-plucked-by-google/ Edited June 2, 2019 by Geoff 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 I could list some of her other achievements, but not in terms it would be polite to record. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 45 minutes ago, bridiem said: I could list some of her other achievements, but not in terms it would be polite to record. a mastery of BS would be top of the list surely 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 "Lead team of 60 including Analytics and Audience Insight, Marketing Communications, Broadcast Production, Media Distribution, Creative Studios and Digital Product Management" The ROH has a marketing team of 60?! Would that her "data-led pricing" would leave with her ... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 2 minutes ago, alison said: "Lead team of 60 including Analytics and Audience Insight, Marketing Communications, Broadcast Production, Media Distribution, Creative Studios and Digital Product Management" The ROH has a marketing team of 60?! Would that her "data-led pricing" would leave with her ... 'Data-led pricing' seeks to imply that the data dictates the decisions. Of course all pricing for all products is informed by data; but it's still people who make the decisions. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 Norman Lebrecht gives "the achievements she lists" in italics - and are we to take it that the 4 words in a reversion to a normal font under her photograph is his personal comment on same? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 9 hours ago, Geoff said: Readers of other threads about the "new ROH" over the last year might be interested in this news: https://slippedisc.com/2019/05/covent-garden-chief-is-plucked-by-google/ Pass me a marketing-speak lexicon, please, someone ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 24 minutes ago, Ian Macmillan said: Norman Lebrecht gives "the achievements she lists" in italics - and are we to take it that the 4 words in a reversion to a normal font under her photograph is his personal comment on same? I sort of assumed that, though I wasn't sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveclassics Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 There are a few interesting reader comments on the article. I noticed that she claims to have increased the ROH's income by £2 million but one mathematically minded reader points out that with such a huge team it works out to about £33K+ per head. Hardly covers the salaries/consultancy fees surely, (don't forget the employer's NI at 11% on top) not to mention the high cost of buying airtime, ads etc. Plus extra catering costs of running the bars for longer periods which have to be paid even though many visitors will bring in their own refreshments now they can. No-one has factored in the negative cost of alienating a large group of regular customers either. I'd love to see a cost/benefit analysis, assuming that the accountants have actually produced one. Linda 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 Strange how she doesn't mention the negative brand perception shifts among regulars (i.e. presumably non-target consumers). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 12 hours ago, bridiem said: I could list some of her other achievements, but not in terms it would be polite to record. And I’m sure they’d be understandable, without recourse to acronyms! I struggle to understand the claimed achievements. It’s not just the acronyms CRM (Customer Relations Management) and 0KRs (Objectives and Key Results). But what meaning can be attached to a claim that she ‘Grew CRM results from 8% to 25% of total revenue, whilst halving the costs’? Incidentally the Baker Richards article included the statement: ‘Email marketing now contributes over 25% of ROH’s box office revenue, up from 16% two years ago when the changes began.’ So there’s a question about the 8% start point. But no evidence is provided whatsoever about the causality - what determines whether a ticket sale is a direct result of an email? Would those sales have taken place in any event? Whilst I can understand claims relating to increasing sales, I struggle with these delivering ‘a £2 million increase in profit’. The Royal Opera House financials tend to show a very modest surplus on general funds - £100,000 in 2018 and £200,000 in 2017. And unsurprisingly nothing on managing consultants where the Baker Richards ‘advertorial’ has caused massive reputational damage: in my view if she saw the draft she should have insisted on changes and if she didn’t see the draft she wasn’t managing her contractors. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) 10 hours ago, alison said: "Lead team of 60 including Analytics and Audience Insight, Marketing Communications, Broadcast Production, Media Distribution, Creative Studios and Digital Product Management" The ROH has a marketing team of 60?! Would that her "data-led pricing" would leave with her ... That was my reaction, too Alison. 60 is unbelievable. I was Commercial Director of the Barbican Cente and had Marketing in my remit. Including PR and Publications we had 17 in the Marketing Department to service a Concert Hall, Theatre, three Cinemas, 7 Conference Rooms, Two Exhibition Halls, three Restaurants and Two Bars. Her staffing is absurd. She will be far better suited to Google where the human element is nil. Edited June 3, 2019 by penelopesimpson 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) I assume that being the manager of media and audiences means that at the very least she had some sort of responsibility for agreeing that the new computer programme suited the needs of the ROH and its audience and that it was ready to be brought into use . I do so hope that she is still there when Autumn booking opens. It would be such a shame if someone else were to take the credit for the ease and efficiency of the new computer programme when it comes to using it to buy tickets next month. I accept that at Google there will be far less need for her to understand how the customers think and make decisions than there was at the ROH but I can't help wondering what she will achieve with her new employer. Edited June 3, 2019 by FLOSS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, penelopesimpson said: That was my reaction, too Alison. 60 is unbelievable. If they ever need to cut some corners .... Edited June 3, 2019 by Bruce Wall 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauxArts Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 60 - that is extraordinary. And not in a good way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 1 minute ago, BeauxArts said: 60 - that is extraordinary. And not in a good way. Especially considering the abandoning of printed material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 For some reason, this is calling to mind an email from one of the major players in my own sector which went viral a few years ago. It was apparently sent out to all their "suppliers" - i.e. the people at the coalface who actually produce what they're selling - and told them the sob story that they would be reducing the amount that they were paid because times were tough and they had all these sales staff who needed to be paid, and whose increasing hotel and travel bills (probably not done on the cheap, I suspect) needed to be covered while they were travelling around trying to find new clients. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Could somebody please tell me what a "data-led pricing strategy" actually is? To my simple mind, it sounds as though they up the prices for all the seats, and then check the computer to see if there is marked drop off in the number of seats sold. If there isn't, they up the prices a bit more. And continue to do so until they find that they are spending more on the salaries of those working in the marketing department than they are receiving in ticket sales. Do I get a "Good Effort" and a gold star? Or do I need to go back to school and study a bit more? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 That makes sense Fonty. Kind of like airline seat pricing in reverse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 We probably discussed the definition in the original thread, if you want to go and hunt for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 6 minutes ago, Fonty said: Could somebody please tell me what a "data-led pricing strategy" actually is? I’m afraid ‘data-led’ is as platitudinous as ‘evidenced based’. Who wouldn’t wish to claim that a plan is based on proper analysis of data or evidence? The Royal Opera House’s pricing policy is to make the most of price flexibility, setting prices for individual productions to maximise revenue. Hence there is no hard copy published price grid as it would require a separate grid for each production. Seats are moved from price category to price category depending on the production which has led to very high price increases for relatively cheaper seats. I assume the Royal Opera House realised that there was no reason to discount tickets for matinees as they were popular and audiences for matinees have seemingly been happy to pay the full price. I wonder if the Royal Opera House may at some point look at its various packages where significant discounts are available and there seems to be a great deal of flexibility in choosing dates/seats. I’ve never before considered a package but will do so for Autumn booking. But if no package were available I’d still most likely buy the tickets. I might possibly use the savings to go to more performances but I do think there’s a question about the need for such discounts and whether they are actually depressing revenue which is having to be made up elsewhere. I don’t necessarily have a problem with the pricing policy - it’s more the need for transparency in what is going on and honesty in public statements. I think it’s disingenuous of Alex Beard to talk about flexibility being ‘as much to do with lowering prices where it makes sense as nudging them up elsewhere’. A lot of people would suggest prices for some tickets have been significantly increased and not simply ‘nudged up’. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 3 hours ago, FLOSS said: I assume that being the manager of media and audiences means that at the very least she had some sort of responsibility for agreeing that the new computer programme suited the needs of the ROH and its audience and that it was ready to be brought into use . I do so hope that she is still there when Autumn booking opens. It would be such a shame if someone else were to take the credit for the ease and efficiency of the new computer programme when it comes to using it to buy tickets next month. I accept that at Google there will be far less need for her to understand how the customers think and make decisions than there was at the ROH but I can't help wondering what she will achieve with her new employer. Is this sarcasm, Floss? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Well quite, John. It’s adding impressive sounding jargon to common sense practices. People buy more chicken mayo sandwiches than pilchard and onion so you up the amount of chicken and call it evidence-based Marketing. Put the sandwich statistics on the computer and, hey presto, you have a data-led strategy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, penelopesimpson said: Well quite, John. It’s adding impressive sounding jargon to common sense practices. People buy more chicken mayo sandwiches than pilchard and onion so you up the amount of chicken and call it evidence-based Marketing. Put the sandwich statistics on the computer and, hey presto, you have a data-led strategy. 🙂 Penelope, maybe you should write a book with simple explanations of modern day marketing terms! Edited June 3, 2019 by Fonty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 I hardly think it would be a best seller! Anyway, in my day we were very much taught NOT to use jargon but to keep things down to earth. So much seems to have changed - that trade piece by one of their agencies was incredible. I cannot think of anything like that ever happening without the client approving every line. Which leads me to believe that La Sinclair may have been on the move and wanted some puff pieces. Similarly, I was wondering who wrote that list of what she has achieved - another first for it to come from the protagonist! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 It’s from her LinkedIn profile (the one which describes the ROH as a “global tourism destination”). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daisydance Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said: It’s from her LinkedIn profile (the one which describes the ROH as a “global tourism destination”). Oh strewth! Nothing to do with the arts or culture, then? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Here’s the listing for her replacement: http://recruitment.roh.org.uk/vacancyView.php?requirementId=3546 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 2 minutes ago, daisydance said: Oh strewth! Nothing to do with the arts or culture, then? Yes, and it’s “events”, not performances. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 "We want many more people to enjoy and engage in exceptional ballet and opera and have developed our 2017-2022 Plan to support us in this aim. The role of the Director of Audiences and Media is to engage and grow current and future audiences." I for one wasn't aware of this 2017-2022 plan. But I do notice the "engage ... current ... audiences" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daisydance Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 5 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said: Yes, and it’s “events”, not performances. This is such a terrible misdescription of one of the world's leading ballet and opera companies. It's all about the House, rather than the two companies who belong there. Also I noticed a confusion, to me, in the job listing: "around 60 employees and relationships with a number of external agencies" – does "around 60" mean "employees" or does "around 60" cover both the employees and the relationships with external agencies? I agree, if it's around 60 employees that's an extraordinarily high number, particularly given the cut-back in printed material. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) 18 hours ago, alison said: The ROH has a marketing team of 60?! The lady concerned has been Director of Audiences and Media. That post is advertised as follows "to engage and grow current and future audiences. Reporting to the Chief Executive, they will have responsibility for several specialist functions including: audience development, analytics and audience data, broadcast, communications, creative studios, digital products, distribution, marketing and oversee around 60 employees and relationships with a number of external agencies". Her blurb says that her team includes "Analytics and Audience Insight, Marketing Communications, Broadcast Production, Media Distribution, Creative Studios and Digital Product Management" . We don't know how many of her team are full-time, part-time, or casuals. Is 60 for these various functions particularly high out of a permanent workforce at the ROH of over 1000, plus casual casual and freelance workers? I really don't know, but I wonder if it is fair to conclude this to be an extraordinary number. Other performing arts institutions may employ less for those functions, but how comparable are those institutions in their scale and their roles to the ROH ? 16 hours ago, loveclassics said: I noticed that she claims to have increased the ROH's income by £2 million but one mathematically minded reader points out that with such a huge team it works out to about £33K+ per head. Hardly covers the salaries/consultancy fees surely, (don't forget the employer's NI at 11% on top) not to mention the high cost of buying airtime, ads etc. But presumably a good number of the 60 staff were established in their functions already, and are employed for various purposes, not least to help maintain existing income. I can't imagine a new team of 60 extra staff have just been brought in with the sole purpose of increasing income. A fairer analysis would look at any increase in staff, and other, costs, attributable to this claimed £2m increase in income. By the way if anyone is up for taking on this role, here is the link. You have a week to apply...! http://recruitment.roh.org.uk/vacancyView.php?requirementId=3546 Edit - I was too slow to compose this - I see the link has also been posted by Lizbie on the previous page of this thread. Edited June 3, 2019 by Richard LH Duplicate link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 1 hour ago, daisydance said: Oh strewth! Nothing to do with the arts or culture, then? Good heavens, no! It's a global coffee destination with a roof terrace. There may be something happening in the building but we won't go on about that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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