The term 'audience research' could do with a reband, in my opinion.
The term 'audience' is used by virtually every organisation in the cultural and creative sectors. Our audience is universally understood to be who we produce work for, design services for and create programmes for. They are who consume culture and who benefit from the work we do. They are our raison d'être.
But in talking continually about being 'audience-centred', 'audience-led' or 'audience-focussed', we forget who we're actually talking about - and that is people.
We run the risk, when talking about our 'audience', of forgetting that we are talking about multiple, different people, not one single, homgenous unit. People have different opinions, lifestyles, behaviours, and attitudes. They think differently, act differently and may wear multiple different hats when they're engaging with us.
In the context of the cultural sector, people can be:
People can also be from different backgrounds, have different values, different priorities and different interests. We need to understand the people who make up our audience.
If you ask someone to imagine 'audience research', what often comes to mind is focus groups, big budgets, research agencies and lots of time and resource.
But all audience research really means is understanding people. Understanding what individuals think of our programmes, our mission and their experience of our organisation. Understanding them as visitors, customers, users and donors.
Anyone in an organisation can speak to the people who use and consume their output - it doesn't require focus groups, or huge outlays of time and money.
What it might potentially require is upskilling so that you get the most out of people when you talk to them - but "research" can be done informally, it's actioning the insight that's the important bit.
I haven't quite worked out what the noun of that should be yet...
But audience research needs a rebrand so we remember what's important. Audience research shouldn't be a tick box exercise, or something people find daunting. It should be a sincere effort to understand the people we work to serve - our audience.
