Raluca Radoi, Culturadata: "In this society bursting with information, cultural institutions need to find their unique voice"

Business Review recently conducted an interview with Raluca Rădoi, who serves as the Cultural Training and Development Director at The National Institute for Cultural Research and Training – Culturadata. In a groundbreaking initiative, The National Institute for Cultural Research and Training (INCFC) has unveiled The Cultural Consumption Barometer 2022.

This comprehensive report delves into the shifts in cultural consumption practices, placing a particular focus on the unique characteristics of such practices among the youth. Notably, the Barometer, for the first time in Romania, undertakes an analysis of the intricate relationship between culture and democracy.

The Cultural Consumption Barometer has served as a powerful analytical instrument for several years, offering insights into the prevailing cultural landscape. However, the latest statistics reveal a declining trend. What factors contribute to this decline?

Indeed, the Cultural Consumption Barometer, which is the most influential study conducted and published by The National Institute for Cultural Research and Training – Culturadata, has deservedly gained its positive reputation for providing reliable data and advancing unique approaches in the Romanian cultural field, throughout 18 editions.

The latest results on cultural consumption did not show up as a surprise. The main declines were reported for the public cultural practices, meaning that in 2022 Romanians have much less visited museums and art galleries, attended theatre performances, watched movies at the cinema, went to libraries. Conversely, the cultural activities happening online or at home have increased. Obviously, the primary cause is the Covid pandemic which, even if it may seem quite far right now, has impacted the way we perceive both outdoor and indoor activities in public spaces, as well as our social life.

As a matter of fact, the studies conducted during the pandemic, that consisted in measuring the trends of cultural participation, indicated more concerning declines. Less obvious, but somehow intuitive for culture professionals, the Barometer highlights another serious matter that led to these outcomes: a series of consumption barriers. While it is true that Romanians are facing barriers in terms of access to culture, but also infrastructure and affordability, the cultural barriers have also deepened. The lack of cultural education has a direct impact on the way people perceive culture and their understanding of artistic creation or cultural products.

Following the recent release of the Cultural Consumption Barometer, which highlights concerning trends in cultural attendance, have there been any official dialogues or initiatives within cultural institutions aimed at revising and optimizing their marketing strategies, particularly in response to the declining theatre, cinema, and art gallery attendance rates observed in the report?

The results of the Cultural Consumption Barometer created substantial echoes, especially in the mass-media. The launching event, that took place during the National Theatre Festival, was a very good context for starting a debate as it offered the premises for genuine dialogue around the concerning trends highlighted by the study, in the presence of cultural managers, academics and leading voices in the field of culture. Our goal, at Culturadata, was to raise as much awareness as possible across the country in such a way that the importance of these results regarding cultural consumption will not be overlooked.

The feedback following the event was encouraging and I am confident that there is a significant number of cultural managers and marketers who will adapt their strategies. Therefore, we have decided that the National Conference of Cultural Managers, which reaches its 10th edition this December, will focus on the public image of culture in our society and how cultural marketing and communication can be improved. Designed as a platform for consultation and dialogue, this edition of the Conference aims at encouraging the cultural actors to step up and enrich their discourse and communication actions, while fostering strategic partnerships. Still, we have to be mindful of the fact that the growth of cultural consumption takes time and, to the same extent, the results of cultural marketing strategies are visible over longer periods of time. In cultural marketing, one of the main objectives is creating the cultural consumption habit, so what we start building today becomes apparent in years.

Given the growth in online activities such as purchasing tickets and reading online, what measures should cultural institutions take to enhance their online presence and engage with audiences in the digital realm? Have you seen any best practice examples on the local scene?

It is gratifying that people are using online platforms to get to concerts or theatre performances more easily, yet I think there are still many aspects that could be improved in terms of the interaction of cultural institutions with existing and potential audiences – starting from basic steps, such as creating optimized and more user-friendly versions of their websites or using the appropriate social media channels for each audience segment.

One of the most valuable features of the online presence is that it offers insights about the audience, insights that should guide cultural institutions through building a strong identity and generate relevant content. From the cultural marketing perspective, I still notice a conventional approach, that mainly focuses on the active audience and too little on attracting new categories of consumers. When speaking of best practices, I always have two examples in mind: the Digital Stage developed by the “Radu Stanca” National Theatre in Sibiu, which also integrated online streaming into the annual program of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS), and TIFF Unlimited, the VoD platform created by Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF). Both of them act as tools for presenting the cultural offer to a larger audience, while consolidating the brand’s identity in today’s digital landscape.

Do you believe that cultural institutions are prioritizing marketing efforts to promote historical monuments and archaeological sites, which have seen a significant increase in visits, according to the Barometer? Can you give us some examples?

The first thing that came into my mind is the notable growing interest towards linking cultural heritage and tourism. Periodically, at Culturadata, we conduct studies regarding the needs and interests of culture practitioners in terms of professional training. This is how we found out that the professionals who attended our trainings would benefit from a course dedicated to promoting and valorising cultural heritage, mostly for designing cultural tourism strategies.

Hence, this autumn we are launching the ”Cultural Heritage and Tourism” course that offers theoretical knowledge and practical models of developing the touristic potential of cultural heritage for a wide range of visitors. So, while we mostly owe the increase in visiting historical monuments and archaeological sites to the pandemic, I would say that culture professionals are keen on refining their skills for further growing the number of visitors.

From your perspective, how are institutions leveraging social media and other online platforms to connect with the 88% of respondents who use social networks, as revealed by the Barometer’s findings?

The cultural institutions that are leveraging social media are the ones that have strong and integrated marketing strategies. Social media requires presence, dynamism, and consistency. The most successful of the cultural institutions follow a plan, create tailored content for each social network and its respective audience, adapt their messages accordingly, and, most importantly, are building communities around their brands. In other words, they take their actions seriously, without being too ”serious”.

We have some great examples of best practices, and the Romanian National Opera in Cluj-Napoca is one of them – in terms of how it manages to not only promote its cultural offer, but also to raise interest towards the opera in general by providing creative content.

Also, lately, I have noticed a slight revival in the tone of voice used by cultural institutions, particularly by theatres aimed at children and teenagers, and even some initiatives to carry out promotion campaigns, facilitated by media partnerships. Bottom line, social media offers endless possibilities of connecting with the audience, as long as the institutions are using them not only on occasional moments of inspiration and creativity, but as a constant communication approach.

In light of the decreased trust in mass media and the higher level of trust in news shared on social media, what should cultural institutions do to ensure their messages are effectively communicated through these channels?

This is a very broad subject on which both mass-media and cultural institutions should work together. But, looking from the perspective of the cultural institution, since I also coordinate the marketing and communication of Culturadata, we first reflect on our offer and our target audience. Then, we also refer to the role the institution has in the cultural field and our impact at the societal level.

With this in mind, we carefully outline the messages for each channel, while keeping an eye on the agreed marketing strategy. In social media, Culturadata mainly uses Facebook since the majority of culture professionals can be found there, Instagram for reaching the younger audience in certain projects, and LinkedIn for communicating with international partners.

The official website, www.culturadata.ro is always up to date. Simple and coherent actions meant to make us trustworthy. At the same time, media relations are an essential component and Culturadata aims at delivering accurate information and being a reliable partner in relation with journalists. In many ways, cultural institutions could and should contribute to improving the quality of the daily news.

What strategic marketing approaches can be employed to effectively raise awareness and stimulate increased cultural consumption?

First of all, at a national level, cultural institutions should start looking at marketing as a holistic process that supports the fulfilment of their missions. Because cultural marketing is a partner of creators, a promoter of the cultural organisations and an accomplice of consumers. Stimulating the growth of cultural consumption and raising awareness stand at the core of cultural marketing.

In this sense, the Cultural Consumption Barometer serves as a vital instrument for learning more about consumers and offers the premises for more in-depth studies that enable professionals to determine their current and potential audience. This is the foundation of any marketing action. Moreover, an important dimension of cultural marketing is the role it plays in educating the future generations of art consumers.

Cultural education initiatives can no longer be postponed, they need to be integrated in the institution’s activity and enhanced through marketing actions. And then there is the public communication – in this society bursting with information, cultural institutions need to find their unique voice, to go beyond traditional promotion actions and to be open to dialogue with other domains and their different ways of responding to the accelerated changes in everyday reality.

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