Good Advice, Served up on a Very Bitter Cracker (Winkleman)

Arts blogger Ed Winkleman writes about the changing nature of corporate sponsorship for the arts. An excerpt:

“The Guardian offers an op-ed by Rena De Sisto, global arts and culture executive at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, on how arts organizations should re-think the way they interact with corporate sponsors. On the surface it seems to be a common-sense opinion piece on “know your customers’ needs.” Here’s a bit [via artinfo.com]:

Importantly, cultural institutions must understand that the days of arts support based on executive whim are over. Companies have many people to answer to – shareholders among them – and must extract sound business benefits, such as access for employees, brand visibility and client outreach opportunities. This need not be a Faustian bargain, but a mutually beneficial one. Treat your funders like valued clients and, like all satisfied clients, they will become more loyal. Some organisations, such as the Old Vic and Tate, do this very effectively and make it easy for Bank of America Merrill Lynch to continue our support of them. Going beyond the big financials and the energy companies will diversify institutions’ revenue bases. These are sound strategies for most businesses, certainly for financial institutions. So why not for the arts sector?

I wouldn’t disagree with the essence of that sentiment. Understanding your clients’ needs is step one in developing how to serve those needs. And I agree that if states are having to cut back on arts funding, it is a very good thing for corporations to step in to help keep institutions afloat.

What I find particularly shocking about this essay, though, is how anyone in the banking industry would, so soon after the historic tax-payer-funded bailouts that saved them from absolute oblivion, already feel so cock-sure about their own insights as to to lecture other industries on what makes for “sound” business strategies. Mind you, I’m not saying BoA isn’t savvy..

To read the complete post, click here.