My Kauffman

My Kauffman
A Campaign for the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Fall 2014
Plansbook
University of Kansas
Created by Coffeehouse Solutions

Table of Contents:
Executive Summary.................................3
Introduction............................................4
Situational Analysis...........5-15

Client History............................6-7

Goals & Objectives.......................8

Target Audience..........................9
SWOT....................................10-12

Competitive Analysis............13-15
Primary Research...........16-26

Focus groups......................17-21
Survey.................................22-26

Secondary Research.............27-30

Brand analysis..................................28
Demographics...................................29
Psychographics.................................30
Creative Strategy.....................31-36
Media Strategy.........................37-44

Social Media......................................38

Media Executions.........................39-43

Media timeline...................................45
Budget.........................................46-47
Appendix.....................................48-51

Executive Summary:
The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts,
hereby referred to as the Kauffman Center,
is a nonprofit organization in the heart of
Kansas City, Missouri. The Kauffman Center
values the ideal that everyone deserves
access to the arts, and everyone deserves
excellence in the arts.

Kauffman Center as a child-friendly venue.
Our “My Kauffman” campaign was designed
to bridge the gap between youth and the
Kauffman Center.
Goals

Our two main goals for this campaign are to
establish sustainable relationships between
the Kauffman Center and families in the
Purpose for the Campaign
greater Kansas City area, and strengthen
Coffeehouse Solutions’ campaign “My
Kauffman,” was designed to create sustainable partnerships with schools and other arts
organizations in the Kansas City metropolitan
relationships between youth in or near the
area.
Kansas City metro area and the Kauffman
Center. The Kauffman Center believes in
creating traditions and relationships with
Strategies
children that will last their entire lives.
We have developed strategies in social media,
traditional media, weekend workshops,
guerrilla marketing, promotional video, as
Research Design
well as a strategic plan for how to better
Coffeehouse Solutions conducted primary
and secondary research to gain insight about communicate with youth who are visiting the
Kauffman Center.
the opinions of our three target audiences
(Parents, teachers and children ages 6 to 13)
about the Kauffman Center and the arts in
Budget
general.
Coffeehouse Solutions has an initial budget of
$5,000 for this campaign with an extra
$5,000 for recommended additional
Key Findings
programming.
A key finding from our research was that
parents and children often do not view the

3

meet

Coffeehouse Solutions:
Sara Anees
Research Director

Natalie Parker
Account Executive

Kristen Hays
Media Director

Jasmyn Eyl
PR Director

Kayla Finks
Presentation Director

DJ Owen
Creative Director

Situational
Analysis

5

Client History:
The Kauffman Center is a
nonprofit organization in the
heart of Kansas City, Missouri.
It holds a position of great
admiration and respect in
the local community, and
recently, the Kauffman
Center’s leaders have decided
to change their approach to
target youth in the Kansas
City area. The next step will be
to design a campaign around
the idea that the Kauffman
Center is a desirable place
for parents to bring their
children, a place where
teachers want to engage
their students in interactive
learning experiences, and a
place where children want to
visit frequently.

The Kauffman Center originated as an
idea of Muriel Kauffman before her
death, but it wasn’t until 1994 that
her daughter, Julia Kauffman, started
raising money for the organization.

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The board planned the center’s brand
to be the “cultural campus” of Kansas
City, and the 13 acre property on
which the center was to be built was
purchased in October 2006 (History,
2014). Aside from making the center
accessible to Kansas City patrons, the
organization also tries to brand itself as
the heart of the arts in the city through
its placement. It’s located close to the
city’s most popular venues, including
the Power and Light District, Sprint
Center, and perhaps most importantly,
the Crossroads Arts District (Kansas
City Info, 2014). The center’s windows
overlook the arts district, which was a
strategy implemented by the architect,
Moshe Safdie.
The Kauffman Center opened in
September 2011 during an open house
event with 55,000 people in attendance.
More than 475,000 attended at least
one event at the center after its first
year, which strengthened its place in the
Kansas City arts community (History,
2014). The Kauffman Center’s vision
is, “to enrich the lives of communities
throughout the region, country and
world by offering extraordinary and
diverse performing arts experiences
(History, 2014).” Its mission is to
provide performing arts experiences by
hosting programs, promoting education

and providing excellent customer
service. The Kauffman Center seeks
to complete its mission with a staff
of more than 30 individuals, led by a
three-person executive board. President
and CEO Paul Schofer, Vice President
of External Relations Amy McAnarney
and Vice President of Operations Bill
Miller oversee all other operations
at the venue. Finally, the Kauffman
Center’s primary revenue sources are
contributions and grants, revenue from
programs and services, and income
from investments (Foundation Center,
2014).
The organization’s employees began
reaching out to children during its
first year by creating the Open Doors
program, which provides resources to
schools so that they can bring students
to events at the Kauffman. Teachers and
educators can sign up for an email list
that provides information on upcoming
events at the Kauffman Center. These
emails provide information, such as
times, dates, and short descriptions
of shows, as well as the recommended
ages of potential attendees. Educators
are also given contact information of
the event planners to provide more
information (Open Doors, 2014).

The Open Doors Transportation Fund
also makes shows more affordable and
accessible to schools by lowering or
eliminating transportation costs. Schools
in the five counties within the Kansas City
metropolitan area can apply for an Open
Doors Transportation Allowance through
an online form. The program allows them
to book seats for qualifying performances,
and a reimbursement check is sent to
the participating school after the event is
attended. The reimbursement is based on
the percentage of students participating
in the free and reduced lunch-price
program. If the school has 40 percent
or more of students in the program, the
school is guaranteed a full refund (Open

Doors Transportation Fund, 2014). This
does not include tickets to the show.
The Kauffman Center also helps make
tickets more affordable through the
Open Doors Ticket Fund. The fund helps
reduce the cost of tickets, or even refund
the cost of them completely (Community
Tickets, 2014). Schools can apply for free
shows, as well as social service agencies
and even home schools. More than
29,000 students from over 27 different
school districts were able to attend an
event at Kauffman Center after its first
year (History, 2014).

The Kauffman Center can also be
accessed in a behind-the-scenes capacity
through its volunteer opportunities. There
are currently two-hour volunteer shifts,
which involve giving tours, greeting and
working at the gift shop. Greeters can
welcome guests, give information and
directions, and help visitors with special
needs. Ushers’ responsibilities include
checking tickets, escorting visitors to
their seats, and making sure patron traffic
goes smoothly. Tour guides are trained
and qualified, and then made responsible
to lead regularly scheduled tours
(Volunteering, 2014).

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Campaign Goal:
Within our strategic campaign, two primary goals guide our overall strategy. We have provided concrete objectives
based on these goals that take place in both the summer and during the school year, which, based on our research,
is the most cost-effective and simple way to build life-long relationships between children and the performing arts.

Goal 1:
Establish sustainable relationships between the Kauffman Center and families in the greater Kansas City area.
Objective 1:
Implement the “My Kauffman”
campaign by the end of 2015
and incorporate components of
the campaign into all community
outreach efforts.

Objective 2:
Offer eight annual workshops for
children ages 6 to 13 and their
families in the summer of 2015.

Objective 3:
Improve media coverage through
traditional mass media and social
media of youth-based events by
15 percent by the end of 2015.

Goal 2:
Strengthen partnerships with schools and other arts organizations in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Objective 1:
Retain current relationships with
partner organizations and build
relationships with at least five more
organizations, such as Kansas City
Young Audiences and the NelsonAtkins Museum of Art in 2015.

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Objective 2:
Improve the Open Doors experience
and increase school participation by
20 percent in 2015.

meet

the Target Audience

To fulfill our campaign goals by increasing the number of children who visit the Kauffman Center, we have
identified three target audiences for which our suggested programs will be relevant: children in Kansas City,
parents and teachers.

Bella: age 10

Bella attends Lakewood Elementary School. She enjoys her music and drama classes, especially because she is
not currently involved in any extracurricular opportunities that focus on art. After school is a pretty busy time for
Bella, because her evenings are booked with soccer practice, girl scouts and homework. This leaves little time
for Bella to spend with her family, and less time for Bella to add new activities to her already busy schedule —
despite the fact that she’d love to participate in the school play. Bella enjoys most every opportunity to dress up
and use her imagination, but she doesn’t enjoy trying new activities by herself.

Ms. Forte: a working mother

Ms. Forte is a working mother with three children. She wakes up each morning at 6 a.m. and returns home 12
hours later. She feels that her days are long, but rewarding. Ms. Forte greatly enjoys her work and spending time
with her family when she can. Unfortunately, everyone in her family has a busy schedule. Ms. Forte facilitates the
activities that her children participate in by selecting each activity for her children and taking them to and from
each activity. Money is definitely a factor when selecting activities for her children, especially when choosing new
activities. Ms. Forte prefers that her children will have a good time while learning new things and developing
a passion for at least one activity. During the week, Ms. Forte sees her children most when taking them to and
from their extracurricular activities and other commitments. She tries to incorporate family activities during the
weekend, but busy schedules make that a difficult task.

Mr. Legato: Teacher in KC Area

Mr. Legato is a teacher at East Antioch Elementary School. He is 50-years-old and he has taught choir for almost
30 years. He enjoys encouraging his students to take part in the performing arts, but there are few opportunities
available for students to be engaged. Mr. Legato is frustrated with the lack of funding for the arts and continued
budget cuts to education. Budget cuts cause him to reduce the number of performances and programs he can
offer each year, which makes it more difficult to convince the school administration that the performing arts are a
valuable asset to the curriculum. Mr. Legato would love to provide field trip opportunities for his students, but he
feels it is too difficult to convince the administration that field trips are worth funding and finite time in the school
day.

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SWOT:
Strengths:

The Kauffman Center has a recognizable
and prominent name.
The Kauffman Center has a good
financial base.
Opinions of the Kauffman Center are
generally positive.

Opportunities:
By taking advantage of partnerships with
schools, the Kauffman Center can increase
awareness of the Open Doors program.
The Kauffman Center has a strong donor
base that can provide the necessary
funding for programs.

Weaknesses:
The Kauffman Center is a nonprofit, so
funding for new and existing programs can
be of concern.
The Kauffman Center does not offer
education resources.
The Kauffman Center is not part of the Arts
Partners program.

Threats:
The Kauffman Center is viewed as being, “too
clean” and, “not a place for kids,” and is thought
to be boring due to low levels of interactions for
kids.
Parents don’t typically have the time or resources
to visit the Kauffman Center with their children.
Other arts organizations in Kansas City are
more popular.

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Strengths:
The Kauffman Center maintains a
fantastic reputation among arts
communities around the world. People
recognize its crisp, modern architecture
and enjoy the experience of its state-ofthe-art acoustics.

The Kauffman Center significantly
increased its financial base during the
few years it has been active in Kansas
City. This demonstrates the potential for
continued future growth, and it allows the
center to focus more on outreach towards
its target audience.

Most opinions gathered throughout our
research favored the Kauffman Center in
a positive light, again providing an easier
path towards audience and loyalty growth.

Weaknesses:
Because the Kauffman Center is relatively new to
the arts sector in Kansas City, funding for programs,
both new and existing, can be a challenge. In order
to put on lasting programs for children and families,
the Kauffman Center needs to ensure that they have
a minimum balance of funds
available for use.

During our focus group research, we
learned that many arts organizations
will not partner with the Kauffman
Center unless it is a member of the
Arts Partners program. Because the
Kauffman Center is currently not a
part of that program, partnering and
building relationships with other arts
organizations is more difficult.

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Opportunities:
The Kauffman Center, although relatively
new, has shown a tremendous increase
in funds from donors. By fostering
donor relationships, the Kauffman
Center can further fund its current
programs and continue to develop new
ones for children and their families.

As the most prominent performing arts
center in Kansas City, the Kauffman
Center has reason to facilitate arts
education for students and children
outside of the classroom. Parents often
look for meaningful activities that will
occupy their children, especially during
the summer months.

Based on our research, many teachers
showed interest in the idea of including
visits to the Kauffman Center as part
of the arts curriculum, mostly due to
the Open Doors program. Parents
often look to their children’s teachers
for information about educational and
recreational activities outside of the
classroom, so informing schools and
teachers of the Kauffman Center’s
programs can directly influence parents
and their children into visiting.

Threats:
Many state that the Kauffman Center
appears as a very clean and expensive
house for the performing arts that
primarily welcomes an older audience.
The vast amounts of white, empty
space can make younger audiences
feel uncomfortable and bored when
they visit. During performances that are
long and unfamiliar, children can feel
disconnected.

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From our research, many parents have
found it hard to set aside both time
and funding for a visit to the Kauffman
Center with their children.

Kansas City is home to many other
arts organizations and museums that
are open to the public. For example,
the Nelson-Atkins is a popular place
for all ages to visit. It appeals to
many audiences due to the fact that
admission is free, and there are
many hands-on activities for children.
Because the Kauffman Center is
relatively new in comparison to these
other places, it is harder to remain at
top of mind awareness for places to
visit in Kansas City.

Competition Analysis:


An analysis of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts’ competitors gives a representation of the current services
offered and allows us to gauge where we may want to make suggestions for change. Competition for the Kauffman
Center comes in three major forms: other arts organizations that focus on youth engagement, other performance
spaces in the Kansas City area that offer similar resources for the target market, and lastly, well-known names in music
and the arts that tour through Kansas City and draw large audiences away from local events.

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other

Children’s Programs

Competitors like Kansas City Young Audiences (KCYA), Mattie Rhodes, Paseo, Kansas Academy of Theatrical Arts, and all other Arts Partners can be
thought of as resources in many ways. However, the Kauffman Center should view these organizations as competition when youth would rather attend
programs offered by other organizations.

Kansas City Young Audiences’ original mission was to bring classical music programs to Kansas City-area school
children. The organization has since expanded its outreach to all areas of the performing arts including music, dance, theatre, creative writing
and visual arts. KCYA helps schools provide arts programs to students by providing resources and giving funds to arts programs. It operates the
Community School of the Arts, which provides children the opportunity to further explore their own artistic and creative abilities beyond the regular
school day. KCYA has served more than five million children in its history and is currently the largest provider of performing arts programs in the
Kansas City area (Kansas City Young Audiences). Kansas City Young Audiences is an organization that provides programs similar to those that the
Kauffman Center could provide to students in the Kansas City Area and could also be used as a partner organization.
The Theatre of the Imagination is an excellent resource for those looking to retain students interested in the

performing arts. The Theatre of the Imagination hosts “Play in a Day” workshops, which allow children in our target age range to learn, sing
and perform for an audience in one day. It also writes shows on an array of topics that affect young people including bullying, friendship, conflict
resolution, and more. The Theatre also hosts acting workshops and summer camps in Johnson County (Theatre of the Imagination). Similar to KCYA,
Theatre of the Imagination provides programs that are used to introduce children to the performing arts.

The Paseo Academy is a Kansas City, MO, public school that focuses on dance, visual arts, fashion design, graphic arts, video

production, instrumental and vocal music, technical theater, and drama. Students within the KCMO district with an interest in the arts audition in
order to be admitted. This school could be an excellent resource for those students who come from low-income communities, but are interested in
retaining their arts performance background in the future (Paseo Academy). Because this school targets students who are already interested in the
performing arts, it could be used to build strong relationships between students and the Kauffman Center.

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other

Arts Venues

The Kauffman Center also has competition with other performance venues and museums in the greater Kansas City area. It is especially important
to recognize this aspect of competition for the Kauffman Center because it is a new organization, especially in relation to the older venues in
the Kansas City area. Although these three venues are not the only organizations in competition with the Kauffman Center, they are important to
analyze – not only because of their proximity to the Kauffman Center, but also in terms of the services they provide.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has been a great resource for the Kauffman Center, but the museum does pose
its threats. Being almost a century old, the Nelson-Atkins has a huge connection with the community and a financial stake in the community. They
also offer free admission to the public, which allows easier access to those with a smaller income. The museum is trying to get the same audience
through its door: families in the Kansas City area. In terms of children’s programming, they offer Girl Scout workshops, youth art classes and special
activities for families that homeschool their children.

The Sprint Center is the largest performance venue in Kansas City, with a capacity of 18,000 people and has been open since
2007. The Sprint Center is a multi-purpose space that can host a diverse range of events, including sports, concerts and other arts performances,
as well as meeting spaces. This creates competition for the Kauffman Center because artists could chose the Sprint Center for their venue over the
Kauffman Center. The Sprint Center is also a widely known venue, which means it attracts a larger audience than the newly opened Kauffman Center
(Sprint Center).

Starlight Theatre is also a nonprofit like the Kauffman Center. Although the space for Starlight Theatre serves different purposes

than the Kauffman Center, the two organizations are driven by the same philosophies and similar missions. The outdoor theater seats about 8,000
people, which is greater than the capacity of the Kauffman Center’s two theaters combined. Starlight Theatre has also been an integral part of
the Kansas City community for almost 90 years and has developed many ways to strategically strengthen its relationship with the residents of the
metropolitan area and around the country. Some of the methods include an annual gala fundraise, the “adopt a seat” program and a “Walk of
Stars” that showcases every celebrity who has performed at the Starlight Theatre (Starlight Theatre).

15

Primary
Research

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Focus Group Method:
The goal of our research was to gather insight about the
target audience members’ impressions of the Kauffman
Center. We conducted several focus groups with area
parents, teachers and children within the target age
range. One of the research objectives was to speak with
them about past experiences with the Kauffman Center.
A second objective was to gauge interest in the venue
and the arts in general. Our objective for speaking
directly with children was to gather perspectives about
art and the Kauffman Center that can only be offered
from their point of view. We also spoke with local art
teachers to understand the inner workings of youthrelated art programs to better appeal to the target
audience. We believe that the information gathered
through primary research holds the answers we need to
initiate a plan for the Kauffman Center.
During the week of September 23, Dr. Seo’s JOUR 640
campaigns class conducted nine focus group sessions
with a total of 54 participants. The participants were
all children, teens, teachers or parents in or near the
Kansas City Metro Area.

This group included both public elementary school and
arts-specific teachers. Finally, one focus group was
conducted with nine teens, parents and teachers at
the Kansas City Young Audiences facility in Kansas City,
Missouri.

10 focus groups
22 children
22 parents
10 teachers

Three of the focus group sessions were comprised of 22
parents living in either the Kansas City or Lawrence area.
Children or teens comprised three other focus groups
that took place in the Kansas City Metro Area and Baldwin
City, Kansas, with a total of 22 children. Two other focus
groups were conducted with five teachers in total.

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Focus Group: Parents
In order to present reliable findings to the Kauffman Center, we
designed focus group discussion guides to better understand
our target audiences. We developed research questions to elicit
information about the role parents and teachers play in arts
appreciation and education for children, and how parents and
children choose activities to pursue. We asked questions that would
help us understand any common priorities and opinions that the
three groups would have.
Our research helped us determine the following:
• Why and how parents, teachers and children take interest in
specific activities.
• What types of conveniences, values and amenities are more
likely to motivate their choices.
• How teachers are involved in arts appreciation and engagement
both in and out of the classroom.
• How children play a role in choosing activities, both for
themselves and with their parents.
After evaluating the responses from each focus group session, we
determined that three primary factors are likely to influence the
decision of a parent: money, convenience and child’s preference.
Money: Parents want to invest.
When most parents consider different activities or events for
their children, they think of the following question: “What kind of
investment am I receiving when putting my child in this event?”
Parents want to know that an event or program is worth their
time and money. They value their child’s happiness, but the idea
of receiving a return on investment, so to speak, makes the
commitment more worthwhile. Parents want to know if there is going
to be some greater benefit derived from their children’s experiences
with art. Many parents mentioned that they enjoyed taking their

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children to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City because
the trip is educational and there are many hands-on programs
available for kids. Most focus group respondents indicated that they
like when their children enjoy engaging with the arts. The NelsonAtkins Museum of Art has left a powerful impression with many
Kansas City youth.

“The reason my kids feel at
home at the Nelson is
because they’ve taken
classes where they go on a
tour, and they get to
experience something in
such a visceral way.”

Some parents said that their children feel as though the NelsonAtkins belongs to them, which is part of the reason that those
families return to the museum often. We can conclude that parents
need their children to not only feel engaged, but also connected
to programs and places in Kansas City in order to establish lasting
relationships with those programs.
Parents generally want to expose their children to a variety of
activities when they are young, with the hope that their children will
find at least one activity that they really enjoy. Parents hope that
their children will develop a passion for at least one activity that
they will make a primary extracurricular focus. Parents operate with
a ‘quality, not quantity’ mindset. They want to see their children
develop skills in one or two activities at the most.

Parents who participated in our focus group sessions overwhelmingly
agreed that they would be more likely to bring their children to the
Kauffman Center if it were more affordable or free to attend. While
parents largely agreed that the performing arts are important, they
also believed that the performing arts are not very accessible to
children. Parents indicated that they would be more likely to bring their
children to the Kauffman Center if there were more performances that
could appeal to an audience of many ages.

for parents, as most parents leave work at that time. Respondents
indicated that programs with times that are conducive to their
schedules are more desirable options. Furthermore, respondents also
said that more convenient times would make a visit to the Kauffman
Center a more pragmatic and feasible option. Respondents from
Lawrence noted that the distance between Lawrence and Kansas City
would be a deterring factor when deciding to attend the Kauffman
Center’s programs regularly.

Some respondents brought up the fact that they enjoy the performing
arts, but that they struggle to find ways to make the performing arts
entertaining for their children.

Media Preferences: Parents want traditional recommendations.
Parents prefer to hear about events and programs through word of
mouth, email and teacher recommendations. Some parents said that
they had Twitter accounts. They primarily use Twitter to read about
news stories, and they do not tweet very often.

This can prove challenging for parents to encourage their children to
be interested in the performing arts. Parents want their children to
enjoy the arts so that they can experience unique programs that they
can enjoy together.
Convenience: Parents are busy.
Most focus group respondents said that they worked or were
homemakers with busy schedules. Given that parents are largely
the facilitators of family activities, it is important to determine when
families are free to better coordinate family programs for the Kauffman
Center.
When asked about planning family activities, most respondents
indicated that it was difficult to coordinate activities for the entire
family. Some families must balance the schedules of multiple children.
Respondents indicated that their families are so busy that coordinating
a family dinner is challenging. For many school children, extracurricular
activities take place in the evening, after parents have had a long day
at work. Activities that begin at 5 p.m. are particularly inconvenient

“Kids want to be
engaged, they want to
touch it, and they want
to experience it and be
involved in it.”

“My kids find the arts so
boring that it’s very hard
to try and do things with
them…anything that
doesn’t involve running
around. They’re highstrung....”

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Focus Group: Teachers
Our focus group research indicated that teachers value all forms Distance: Teachers would be unable to facilitate recurring trips
of art, but they face obstacles that impede their ability to make to the Kauffman Center.
Most respondents said that the Kauffman Center is expensive,
the arts more accessible for students in schools.
and the travel to the Kauffman Center is also a deterrent.
Money: Teachers have limited budgets.
These two factors make the option of field trips to the Kauffman
Center less feasible. Teachers were unaware of the Open
While teachers responded positively to the idea of providing
Doors Program, and actually mentioned that they, “wished
more options for arts education, they are severely limited by
that students could [be] bused to the Kauffman Center.” They
a lack of resources and time. Regulations and expectations
believed that outreach through schools could be improved, and
foster a more rigid learning environment where students must
accomplish a specific set of goals in order to progress in the
they recommended television advertisements for events, emails
to be forwarded to teachers and parents, as well as videos to
public school system. None of the respondents were aware
be distributed through schools by teachers. We have created
of the Open Doors Program. Respondents stated that their
students value the opportunity to be creative and artistic in
supplementary material to support these ideas.
their art classes. One teacher noted that her five-year-old
daughter went to the Kauffman Center and she “talks about it all
the time.”

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Focus
FocusGroup:
Group:Children
Children
Responses provided by children were arguably the most
insightful as they are our primary audience and focus of our
campaign. Respondents indicated that they greatly appreciate
arts programs, but they want to have more opportunities to be
engaged with the creation and production of art.
Engagement: Children do not want to sit still.
Our focus group study had a mix of youth respondents who had
varying levels of involvement with the arts. There were many
students who have been involved with the performing arts for
many years. Some students were interested in art, but they did
not have a program or outlet to explore their interests. Even
with varying levels of arts engagement, every respondent
provided the same opinion regarding their involvement: they
want more. One student who attends the Paseo Academy
for Performing Arts said that her school had very little arts
education, specifying that her school did not provide many
programs or outside opportunities to explore the arts. Younger
students emphasized that they would like to see programs and
performances more relative to their interests. Students who
primarily receive arts education in school said that they do not
have many options for exploring art or music. Older students
expressed interest in professional opportunities in the arts.

Center that are specifically related to their interests. Some
respondents said that the best way to pique their interest in the
Kauffman Center would be the opportunity to perform there.

“We feel afraid to even
touch the space at the
Kauffman because it feels
too pretty.”
“My favorite thing
about dance is
learning the skills.”

Media Preferences: Digital is the answer.
Teenaged respondents indicated that digital communication is
the best way to keep in touch with them. Youth that fell on the
lower end of the spectrum did not have as many social media
platforms available, but many had at least one. The mostreferenced social media platforms included: Facebook, Twitter
We asked older students to clarify what type of professional
and Instagram. However, it was noted that enticing young
opportunities they seek, and they responded that they would like children through technology is not always the best strategy.
an internship where they could learn more about the operations Rather, finding ways to pull children out of the technological
of the Kauffman Center show production. Younger students
world and into the living and breathing world is the best way to
indicated that they need to feel engaged when exploring
get them engaged.
something so new. They want to see activities at the Kauffman

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Survey Method:
Coffeehouse Solutions and four
other agencies collaborated
to produce a survey to gauge
teachers’ and parents’
views on the importance
of arts in their classrooms
and households. The target
participants were teachers and
parents of children ages 6 to
13 in the greater Kansas City
and surrounding areas. The
survey used a non-probability
convenience sample and
received the opinions of 152
parents and 87 teachers, who
were acquainted with the
students in the agencies. We
also used screener questions
such as, “Are you a teacher
in the greater Kansas City
area?” to ensure that our data
would not become skewed
with irrelevant responses. For
two weeks, participants were
recruited via social media
outlets or through personal
communication such as texting
and emailing.

22
22

Survey: Parents
Parent Demographics
Out of the 152 parents who were surveyed, 20 percent were male and 77
percent were female. The majority of parents surveyed were ages 35 to 54.
The vast majority of respondents live in Johnson County and the remaining 37
percent live in other Kansas City area counties. 55 respondents have children
ages 5 years or younger, 57 respondents have children ages 6 to 9 years
old, 44 respondents have children ages 10 to 13 years old, 74 respondents
have children ages 14 or older. 75 percent of parents described themselves
as middle class, while 12 percent said they were upper class and 13 percent
described themselves as working class.

Activities
children are currently involved in
Activities children are currently involved in
75

%

50

25

0

Sportsrelated

Community
service

School
organization/academic
club

Musicrelated

Religious
gatherings
Theater

Other

Dance

Parents have specific preferences for methods of outreach, and four vehicles
of communication were prefered over others. These vehicles were email
newsletters, social media, recommendations from trusted sources such as
friends and family and their children’s schools.
Parents’ Thoughts on the Kauffman Center
The majority (93 percent) of parents surveyed had heard of the Kauffman
Center, however only 48 percent of parents had actually taken their children
to the Kauffman Center. Only 28 percent of respondents follow the Kauffman
Center on social media.
Parent Findings
When we asked parents about the importance of arts in their children’s
development, they agreed that the arts are an important aspect of the
developmental process (as shown in the graph below). Mothers appear to
be slightly more in favor of the arts than fathers, with 94 percent of mothers
who either agree or strongly agree upon its importance. About 87 percent of
fathers agreed or strongly agreed upon its importance. When we evaluated
data about parents’ interest in taking their children to performing arts events in
the future, the percentages decreased. The majority of mothers (89 percent)
and 75 percent of fathers expressed a likelihood or extreme likelihood to take
their children to events in the future. This information tells us that, while parents
agree about the importance of arts in their children’s development, they are
less interested in facilitating those experiences for their children.
None
Importance of arts in child development
Importance
of arts in child development

Parents’ Preferences and Habits
meta-chart.com
Children of the survey participants are involved in various activities as shown in
the graph above. Other activities that were not listed that showed up multiple
times include Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts. During the summer
months, most children are enrolled in week-long camps or day camps, summer
school or other lessons and activities. available to participate in activities with
their children, 72 percent of parents said late afternoon to evening (2 to 8
p.m.). When asked about preferred activities of which the entire family could
partake, most parents either said they preferred sports activities, relaxing with
movies or music at home, hands-on nature-related activities or educational
outings.
Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neither agree or disagree

Agree

Strongly agree
meta-chart.com

23

cont.

Survey: Parents

We also found it necessary to cross tabulate responses to questions about
socioeconomic status and willingness to spend money on arts programs.
We found that there was quite a difference between income and willingness
to spend money on the arts. There was also a difference in willingness to
spend money depending on whether or not the whole family were to be
included in the activity.
When asked about the amount of money parents were willing to spend on
a single child, working class parents expressed almost equal interest on
all spectrums of cost. The majority (45 percent) of middle class parents
said they would be willing to spend money on the higher spectrum, being
$41 to $50 or higher. Of the upper class parents surveyed, 67 percent
also expressed interest in spending money on the higher spectrum for their
children.
As shown in the graph to the right, when asked about the amount of
money parents are willing to spend if the whole family were involved in the
activity, the likelihood that they would spend more drastically increased.
Over half (62 percent) of working class parents and 70 percent of middle
class parents would spend $81 to $100 or higher if the whole family were
involved. All of the upper class parents (100 percent) responded with the
willingness to spend money at the highest point of the cost spectrum ($81
to $100 or higher). This suggests that the Kauffman Center would generate
more money by involving an entire family rather than one child as the goal
would be to get multiple people involved and spending money, which is why
we suggest the Kauffman Center implements programs for an entire family
to enjoy.

can be a crucial factor in whether or not one thinks the arts are important.
This confirms the necessity for the Kauffman Center to engage children and
create positive experiences with children at a young age in order to create
sustainable relationships.

Amount of money parents are willing to spend on the
whole family to participate in an event
Amount of money preens are willing to spend for the whole child to participate in an event

$20 or less

$21-40

$41-60

$61-80

$81-100

$101 or more

meta-chart.co

There is also a relation between parents who believe the arts were
impactful in their own lives and those who believe the arts are a crucial
aspect of development. The majority of people, at 54 percent, who said
the arts were impactful in their own lives also believed that exposure to
the arts are crucial for developmental growth for their children. Those who
believe that the arts are not crucial for development tended not to have
had impactful experiences with the arts in their own lives. Therefore, we
can conclude that having positive experiences with the arts early on in life

24

Survey: Teachers

Teachers’ Preferences and Habits
Teachers were asked which social media platforms they use the most on
a personal basis. The majority listed Facebook (81 percent) as their main
social media platform. Pinterest and Instagram were next in line with about
40 percent each. The results are shown in the graph below.
Social media platform used the most
frequently
Social media platforms used most frequently
100

Where teachers get information about arts-related activities
100

Where teachers get information about
arts-related activities

75

%

Teacher Demographics
Out of the 87 teachers we surveyed, 87 percent were female and 13
percent were male. The majority of the teachers (73 percent) were under
54 years old. Over half of the respondents were teaching in Johnson
County while others worked in Jackson County (36 percent) and Wyandotte
County (8 percent). Respondents either taught English (36 percent), math
(41 percent), science (36 percent) or music (27 percent) in elementary
schools. The number of years spent teaching was widespread.

50

25

0

Email/newsletters

Print
ads/flyers
Newspaper

Social
media/mobile
apps

Television
ads

Recommendation
from other
teachers
Radio
ads

Other

meta-chart.com

In general, most teachers felt that art was influential one way or another.
Over half of respondents ranked arts as being extremely influential. (This is
based on a scale of 1-5: one meaning not at all influential and five meaning
extremely influential.) 24 percent ranked their personal influence of arts as
a four.

80

In terms of their classroom, 75 percent of teachers felt that their school’s
art programs were effectively engaging students with either a ranking of four
or five at extremely effective. Conversely, teachers had mixed feelings when it
came to involving the arts in their curriculum within their schools. While hardly
anyone believed arts were not important at all, ranks of 2-5 were fairly equal.

%

60

40

20

0

Facebook

Twitter Instagram

Pinterest

Tumblr

YouTube

Vine

Other
meta-chart.com

Teachers were also asked where they look to receive their information
pertaining to arts-related activities. The majority listed receiving
recommendations from other teachers as a primary source. They
also believed that they look to social media, mobile apps, emails and
newsletters for arts-related activities. The results are shown in the graph
to the graph in the next column.

On another note, teachers chose some programs they would like to see
offered in the Kansas City area for their students. Top programs included
in the survey responses were music, dance, theatre/dance, visual art and
creative writing.
Teacher’s Thoughts on the Kauffman Center
Almost all of the teachers surveyed (96 percent) had heard of the
Kauffman Center. Of those who were aware of the Kauffman Center, 37
percent were aware of the Open Door programs and 54 63 percent were
unaware. Of those who were aware of the Open Doors programs, 83
percent had seen the program used in their schools. Those who were
unaware read a description of the Open Doors programs and 79 percent
said they would take advantage of it.

25

cont.

Survey: Teachers

Teacher Findings
As discussed earlier, teachers thought that their arts programs were
extremely effective in schools but not important enough to include in their
own curriculum. We felt it was necessary to delve deeper into this subject
by comparing their ranking of importance in arts-related curriculum to the
subjects they teach. A cross tabulation proved that half of the teachers in
math and science thought that curriculum importance deserved a three or
below rank. The majority of teachers in music, art and history thought that
arts were important in their curriculum planning.

In terms of the Open Doors program, we thought it would be important
to know who was aware of Open Doors and from which county. We
thought this could help the Kauffman Center see which counties they are
excelling in outreach, but also the counties to which they need to improve
communication. Oddly enough, the results were split down the middle. In
Johnson County (over half of our total data set), 45 percent of them knew
about the program and 55 percent did not. For Jackson County, 66 percent
percent knew of the program. This data proves that the Kauffman Center
still needs to equally focus its outreach on all surrounding counties.

Most teachers (90 percent) said they would be would be interested in
taking their students to a musical or theatrical performance in Kansas City.
When comparing this to the influence of the arts in their lives personally, it
did not really make a difference. Those who said they would not take their
students to a Kansas City performance ranked personal influence of arts
greater than a three and those who said ‘yes’ to a performance in Kansas
City ranked their personal influence above a two (on a scale of 1 to 5: one
being not influential, five being extremely influential).
Importance of arts in the planning of
school curriculums
Importance of arts in the planning of school curriculums

1 (not at all important)

2

3

4

5 (extremely important)
meta-chart.com

26

Secondary
Research

27

Brand Analysis:
The Kauffman Center identifies how it wishes for the brand to be perceived
through its mission, “to enrich the lives of communities throughout the
region, country and world by offering extraordinary and diverse performing
arts experiences (History, 2014). After three years, leaders within the
Kauffman Center feel that it is well on its way to support that statement.
The Kauffman Center has received local, national and international media
coverage, and was named one of the world’s most beautiful concert halls
by the German construction and real-estate firm Emporis (CNN, 2014). It
was listed in Kansas City Public Media’s “Six Theatrical Things to Do This
Weekend in Kansas City”, which cements the venue’s position on the Kansas
City cultural scene (KCUR, 2014). The Kauffman Center additionally receives
media coverage for hosting events with other nonprofits in the area, like the
venue's partner, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey (KCLive TV, 2014). This
helps associate the brand with community support and public service. The
performances are frequently listed on local radio stations and newspapers
such as Douglas County (Lawrence Journal-World, 2014). This coverage
shows the Kauffman Center' has a far-reaching impact.
In multiple internal surveys of more than 5,000 attendees to the Kauffman
Center from 2011 - 2014, 95 percent of attendees would recommend
Kauffman Center Presents performances to a friend. About 16 percent of
people said that the number one reason that they attended an event at the
Kauffman Center was because of the venue’s reputation for high-quality
productions. Another 17 percent said that they attended because of the
comfort and convenience. In terms of how individuals learned about events,
50 percent of attendees learned about the show they attended through
an email or online newsletter. These statistics speak to perceptions held by
most patrons of the Kauffman Center, which are overwhelmingly favorable.
The Kauffman Center will be able to capitalize on this positive perception
as they continue to develop their brand as one that is welcoming of all
audiences.
We can start to develop an idea of how it has branded with the corporate
sponsors that choose to use the Kauffman Center to brand themselves.
These companies are in various industries.

28

Companies can brand themselves with the arts through corporate
sponsorships within the center. Sponsorship programs allow people to show
how their own brand ties to the arts, as well as use the Kauffman Center’s
facility and programming to promote products and services. Each of the
promotions campaigns through the center can be tailored to the sponsor’s
brand objectives (Corporate Sponsors, 2014).
These companies include high-end auto sales within Kansas City, such
as Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City and Aristocrat Motors, which sells
Mercedes-Benz. It is significant that these dealerships both wanted to brand
themselves within the center because of the immense relative size of the
companies’ brands. The Mercedes-Benz brand is worth $23.5 billion and is
the 16th largest brand globally (Forbes, 2014). They also brand themselves
with six key global value statements that can be directly identified with
Kauffman Center. These are the audacity to reject compromise, the instinct
to protect what matters, the commitment to honor a legacy, the vision to
consider every detail, the foresight to take responsibility and the ingenuity to
outperform expectations (Retailidustry, 2014).

Demographics:
We define our primary target audience as children ages 6 to 13 who
attend school in the greater Kansas City area school districts. Out
of the total 459,787 people in Kansas City, Missouri, 6.7 percent
are 5 to 9 years old and 6.2 percent are 10 to 14 years old. Also,
out of the 192,406 households 30 percent of them have children
under 18 years old (U.S. Census, 2010).
Schools like Garfield Elementary have 97.3 percent of students
who utilize the free and reduced lunch program as of 2012
(Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education,
2012). Garfield Elementary had 556 students, and 544 of them
utilized the free wand reduced lunch program in 2012 (Missouri
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2012). The
students who attend Garfield Elementary are of many different
ethnic backgrounds, and are quite close to the Kauffman Center.
The distance is only 2.9 miles (Google Maps, 2014). In 2012, the
student population was made up of 4.9 percent Asian students,
39.6 percent black students, 44.1 percent Hispanic/Latino, .2
percent Indian and 11.5 percent white students (Missouri
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2012).

The demographic breakdown below reflects the highly diverse
population of Kansas City, Missouri.
Kansas City residents often speak languages besides English,
especially when at home (City Data, 2009). Spanish is very popular
among residents who speak more than one language. According to
City Data, 88.3 percent of residents of Kansas City speak English at
home, 7.1 percent of residents speak Spanish at home (50 percent
speak English very well, 50 percent speak English less than very
well), and 4.6 percent of residents speak other language at home
(62 percent speak English very well, 38 percent speak English less
than very well) (City Data, 2009).
The Kauffman Center could better reach diverse audiences by
creating multilingual messaging. If it would not be possible to reach
out to all popular languages spoken in the Kansas City area, we
would recommend that the Kauffman Center provide at least some
material in Spanish.

Demographics of Garfield Elementary

29

Psychographics:
Children and Purchasing Decisions
In order to provide programming that would interest such a
diverse audience, we analyzed multiple market studies from
Mintel. We studied what factors contribute to the activities children
participate in, and how race affects the purchasing decisions of
our target audience.
In a Mintel Report from 2014 titled “Kids As Influencers,” we took
note of how children influence the purchasing decisions of their
parents, specifically with respect to how children influence the
selection of entertainment, leisure and family activities.
According to this study, children influence parents with most
purchasing decisions, but mainly in purchases that are directly
related to the child or the purchases that are specifically for
the child. Single parents are more inclined to buy items that
are requested by their children. The research stated, “[w]hile
household income has little effect on how parents and kids spend
time together, kids in more affluent households do have more
influence over purchasing decisions (Mintel, 2014).”
The internet is the best medium to advertise to children and parents
across the board (Mintel, 2014). Most families watch TV together,
as it is still the most common family pastime, however, most people
record their TV shows, which means that families are less likely to see
TV advertisements (Mintel, 2014). More often than not, fathers make
use of technology when bonding with their children and mothers are
more likely to bond with their children while doing everyday activities
like grocery shopping and chores (Mintel, 2014).

30

The report also examines how race can affect purchasing decisions.
According to this report, Hispanic and Latino children oftentimes
have a greater say in their parents’ purchasing decisions as
“Hispanic households are more likely to include children, to have
more children and to have younger children” states (Mintel, 2014).
Specifically, Hispanic children also have a, “greater say in purchases
of mobile phones, dvds, music, videogames, small electronics and
computer accessories when compared to other children of with
different demographics (Mintel, 2014).” Disney channel is a very
recognizable brand among this demographic. Mintel reports that
almost 9 out of 10 Hispanic children who are between the ages of
6 to 11 watch Disney Channel regularly. Mintel credits this to the
emphasis of Hispanic culture and outreach carried out by Disney.
Extracurricular Habits
Mintel also provided explanations of the online habits of teens
and kids in their report Activities of Teens and Kids Infographic
Overview. According to the report, children and teens prefer
to spend more time online. Girls generally prefer activities with
social components and boys generally prefer activities designed
for slightly older audiences (Mintel, 2013). Finally, 42 percent
of kids (out of 1000, ages 6 to 17) say that their parents
don’t have enough money to give them for activities they enjoy
(Mintel, 2013). In an analysis by PRIZM, it was indicated that
a group called ‘18 kids and cul-de-sacs’ is prominent in the
greater Kansas City area. With a high rate of Hispanic and
Asian Americans, these families are upper-middle-class living in
recently built subdivisions. The 22 to 44 year old parents are
college-educated and in administrative white-collar jobs. The
parents spend their time playing fantasy sports, reading Parents
Magazine and watching the X Games (Nielson, 2014).

Creative
Strategy

31

Goals and Objectives:
Goal 1:
Establish sustainable relationships between the Kauffman Center and families in the greater Kansas City area.

Objective 1:
Implement the “My Kauffman” campaign by the end of 2015.

Tactic 1: Create Kauffman Center
merchandise.
Target: Children visiting the
Kauffman Center.
Time: June – December 2015

Tactic 2: Focused social media and
#myKauffman hashtag.

32

Description: We recommend that the Kauffman Center use the “My Kauffman” logo on
merchandise such as buttons (possibly for their backpacks) and key chains to give to
children during field trips and youth-related events, such as Future Stages or Open Doors.
We want children to feel as though the Kauffman Center belongs to them, and in order to
do so, we want to offer them these physical mementos as a reminder of their experiences
with the arts and to encourage them to visit again in the future. After the suggested
timeline, the same buttons and key chains could be offered for a low price
and kid-friendly option in the gift shop.
Description: Adjust the communication style of social and traditional media to reflect
components of the “My Kauffman” campaign. Components would include highlighting any
and all hyperlocal arts events through social media, using a “My Kauffman” tone of voice.
This tone is kid-friendly and uses short, accessible phrases with this same tone, we would
recommend that 80 percent of your posts be geared towards your general audience and
the other 20 percent be focused on parents/teachers. We believe that this is the best
percentage to keep your current clients interested while also branding yourself as a kidfriendly venue.

Tactic 3: Wear a My Kauffman button
to the Future Stages Festival.
Target: Children who have come
to the Kauffman Center, either
through the Open Doors program
or for the “Center Stage Saturdays”
workshops.
Timeline: Give out buttons yearround, leading up to the Future
Stages Festival on June 28, 2015.

Tactic 4: Guerrilla marketing
Timeline: May 1 - 3, 2015
Target: Families attending the
Brookside Art Fair.

Description: Throughout the school year and during
the “Center Stage Saturdays” workshops, the
Kauffman Center will give children My Kauffman
buttons to take home. The buttons will then be
used as incentive for these children to return to
the Kauffman Center for the Future Stages Festival.
When said children and their families come to the
Future Stages Festival with one of these buttons,
they can redeem the prizes such as reduced or
free food prices. Not only will this give the target
audience incentive to return to the Kauffman
Center, but it will also put the merchandise to use.

Description: Young performers gather in a “flash mob” at the Brookside Art Fair to promote
the Future Stages Festival and the Kauffman Center. Performers would play orchestral
instruments to pop music, which would likely be familiar to children. This tactic relays our
campaign message in a lively and interactive way, just as the performing arts bring stories
and emotions to life. The audience would be encouraged to follow the Kauffman Center
on their social media by handing out merchandise contingent on proof of following. The
Kauffman Center would also have a photo contest of the event in which parents could
win tickets to a performance of choice. Young performers would come from the Paseo
Academy of Fine and Performing Arts or Kansas City Young Audiences. Incentives for young
performers could include volunteer hours, free food, t-shirts, free tickets or a chance to
tour the Kauffman Center in 2015. To establish regular performances with young audiences
each year to promote the Future Stages Festival, we would recommend providing some
compensation for performers. Reasonable compensation could range anywhere from $10
to $20 per hour per performer or a scholarship stipend, though the “flash mob” style
performance would require substantially less time.

33

cont.

Goals and Objectives:
Objective 2:
Offer eight annual workshops for children ages 6 to 13 and their families in the summer of 2015.

Tactic 1: Incorporate “Center Stage
Saturdays” workshops into the
summer schedule.
Target: Families looking for engaging
and educational activities that can
involve the entire family.
Timeline: May 23 – July 25, 2015

Jeanne Averill
Acting Instructor
The Coterie Theatre

34

Description: For eight Saturdays in the summer, the Kauffman Center should hold
workshops to include entire families and focus on performing arts aspects such as:
making instruments, comedy, dance, opera, etc. These workshops could be hosted by
area performing arts teachers who appeal to children, with a different art and teacher
highlighted each week. For example, Kevin Dolan currently works with Kansas City Young
Audiences to teach music and drama. He along with the other examples below could be
excellent instructors. Capacity of each workshop would include about 20 children, plus
one or two parents per child and would last about an hour and a half. Each workshop
would cost up to $50 per child depending on the types of materials needed. The
Kauffman Center can offer discounted prices or scholarships from donors for families
with financial need. Discounted prices can also be offered to those who sign multiple
children up for workshops, or if they book multiple workshops in a row.

Kevin Dolan
Improv Instructor
Kansas City Young Audiences

Liv Morrow
Dance Instructor
Quixotic School of the Performing Arts

Objective 3:

Improve media coverage through traditional mass media and social media of youth-based events and increase
social media followers by 15 percent by the end of 2015.
Tactic 1: Traditonal media options
Target: Parents and teachers
looking for programs for children
in the KC area.
Timeline: June – December 2015

Tactic 2: Social media platforms.
Target: Parents and teachers
looking for programs for children
in the KC area.

Description: Use radio, brochures, and digital advertising in order to increase attendance to
youth-based events. Parents like to receive brochures from their children’s school to gain trust
of a potential children’s activity. The brochures can be dropped off at schools for teachers that
may not know about the Open Doors program. We suggest a “My Kauffman” approach by using
photos of youth-based events. We believe radio and the Kansas City Star digital advertising are
good options for those who do not have time to sit and read a paper. The internet is the best
medium to advertise to children and parents across the board (Mintel, 2014).
Description: Use Twitter, Facebook, email marketing and Instagram to increase attendance
in Open Doors and youth-based events to appear more personal while also using the
#myKauffman hashtag. Incorporate some Spanish-language tweets, posts, or simple sentences
about the inclusion of workbooks and brochures in Spanish.

Goal 2:
Strengthen partnerships with schools and other organizations in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Objective 1:
Retain current relationships with partner organizations and build relationships with at least five more
organizations, such as Kansas City Young Audiences and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Tactic 1: Become a part of Arts
Partners


Description: Arts Partners in Kansas City is a partnership of 15 arts organizations that help
fund art curriculums in schools. Because the Kauffman Center is not a part of Arts Partners,
the 15 organizations tend to view the Kauffman Center as competition. If the Kauffman Center
were to join the Arts Partners, then the participating organizations (such as Kansas City Young
Audiences and the Nelson Atkins Museum) would be more likely to support the Kauffman
Center’s efforts to offer youth-based programs. This will benefit the Kauffman Center’s goal of
increasing youth-based interaction with the arts because the 15 Arts Partners already have
sustainable relationships with the Kauffman Center’s target audience.

35

cont.

Goals and Objectives:
Objective 2:
Improve the Open Doors experience and increase school participation by 20 percent in 2015.

Tactic 1: Host school performances.
Target: Educators in the Kansas City
area.
Timeline: August – May 2015

Tactic 2: The VIP experience.
Target: Educators in the Kansas
City area.


36

Description: The first option for an interactive field trip experience is offering music
teachers the opportunity to have their school bands and choirs performs in either of
the halls. Parents and students are welcome to watch the performance. Any school that
participates in the Open Doors Program is welcome. The Kauffman would either feature
the students on their website or social media. Students would still be offered My Kauffman
merchandise, such as buttons, and would be encouraged to post about their experience
on social media. The students would also be given Future Stages information to encourage
them to perform at the festival.

Description: Children, teachers and parents have overwhelmingly expressed that they wish
youth experiences at the Kauffman Center were more engaging, but they are not always able
to find the time. We have developed two different types of interactive field trip experiences
that schools can utilize through the Open Doors program, which can be easily incorporated
into a music or arts curriculum. The first experience is a VIP behind-the-scenes tour with
options to meet a cast or crew member from a show, which will allow the children to gather
a deeper understanding of how shows are produced. Children would be given VIP lanyards
with the My Kauffman logo. Tours would be given throughout various parts of the Kauffman
Center, including backstage and all of the performance spaces. They will also be given an
interactive workbook, available in English with smaller titles in Spanish, to be used that
relate to the tour and performances. When possible, the Kauffman Center can offer a special
matinee showing or dress rehearsal of whichever performance is currently running for the
schools, and offer a meet and greet with the cast afterward. Schools can specifically request
to visit during matinee shows, or they can be given the option to only participate in the VIP
tours and guided experiences.

Media
Strategy
Our main objective is to improve media coverage through
traditional mass media and social media for youth-based
events and to increase social media followers by 15
percent. We also believe it is important to improve the
quality of interaction with followers and potential followers
by changing the the voice of the Kauffman Center’s current
social media, from the current
professional tone to a more personal one.

37

Social Media Strategy:
Our target audience is parents and teachers in the
metropolitan Kansas City area. Based on census data
from 2010, most parents are between the ages of 25-44.
Younger parents are more connected to social media than
older parents, with Pew Research reporting that 82 percent
of adults ages 30-49 use social media. Parents in general
are more fond of social media platforms such as Facebook
and Pinterest. Our focus group and survey results suggest
that children in the greater Kansas City area are active on
Instagram and they oftentimes begin using it as a stepping
stone to other media outlets. Parents and teachers also
mentioned that they use Instagram and Twitter, as well.
We suggest taking a personal, “My Kauffman” tone with
all of these platforms by showcasing how the Kauffman
Center relates to the unique and memorable Kansas
City Experience. This can include posting about other
happenings relevant to Kansas City, such as First Fridays
or local sporting events. Our main goal is to increase the
Kauffman Center for Performing Arts’ social media following
by 15 percent on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For
Facebook and Twitter, we suggest holding a ‘win a free
class for your child’ competition for parents. Posts related
to this competition would be published twice a week leading
up to March 21st, 2015.
The posts would also be 140 characters or less and explain
that the Kauffman Center is hosting a summer-long weekend
program for parents and their children. The audience would
enter to win by retweeting, sharing or tagging a friend.
These posts would also include the hashtag #myKauffman
and a link to the Kauffman Center website where parents
can provide their email to receive more information on
the workshops being offered. We suggest that this section
is placed under under the ‘Kids’ tab with a section called

38

‘Summer Programing’ on the current website. Emails can
be used later on when the Kauffman Center hosts other
youth-related events such as the National Geographic
programs, among others.
The Kauffman Center does a great job of showcasing their
beautiful, pristine building and performance spaces on
Instagram. We think that the Kauffman Center should share
at least one photo a week of the Kauffman Center employees
or performers interacting with each other and with visitors.
We recommend that pictures showcase children who are
enjoying the Kauffman Center events or taking part in the
Open Doors Program. With this “My Kauffman” approach,
you are showing viewers that they belong in your space and
will enjoy their time there.

The current social media
and outreach statistics are as
follows:
Facebook: 30,528 likes and
22,055 “visits”
Twitter: 12,500 followers and
1,653 tweets
Instagram: 830 followers, 119
posts
Youtube: 84 subscribers and
7,630 views

Twitt
Media Executions:

er

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i
a

Em

Teacher email

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Parent email

Kauffman Center for Performing Arts

Face
b

ook

Today at 11:00 a.m.

Looking to fill your summer with music, theatre and fun? Look no
further than the Kauffman Center! Join us on Saturday mornings for
art workshops that will be fun for the whole family! #myKauffman

Kauffman Center for Performing Arts
Are you a young performer dreaming of the stage? Join us at the
#FutureStagesFestival for the chance to perform at the Kauffman
Center. #myKauffman

Kauffman Center for Performing Arts
Just now

We’re having a blast at the #FutureStagesFestival today! Bring the
whole family for a day of fun! #myKauffman

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Direc

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o
i
ad

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Radio Script (15 sec.):

Narrator: Where will you be this weekend?
Child: I’ll be playing at the Kauffman Center!
Parent: I’ll be with my family at the most beautiful building in
Kansas City.
Narrator: Bring the whole family to Center Stage Saturdays! The
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is hosting new interactive
workshops for the whole family for eight Saturdays this summer.
Learn. Play. Have fun at the Kauffman Center!
###

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Media Timeline:
February - July 2015
February 22:
Photograph and post about
children-focused events
(such as Peter and the Wolf).
Make sure to get interaction
with kids. Perfect opportunity to capitalize upon the
Kansas City Experience.

March 11:
Prep your social media
team on the message of My
Kauffman and make sure you
have images from classroom
Open Doors experiences to
share on your Instagram.
Implement Pandora
advertising.

May 15:
Cover Disney Fantasia
Live to use on Instagram,
Twitter and Facebook.
Parents need to know you
host family-friendly events.

March 1:
Finalize a schedule for the
workshops and release the
types of workshops on website.
April 1-July 1:
Start tweeting
twice a week about
programming in
April then increase
to three times a week
two weeks before
the Future Stages
Festival.

Start radio advertising of
Jack FM and Pandora.

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Budget:
Our total budget has been broken up into two separate parts in order to clearly indicate what we feel the primary priorities should be for
increasing participation among those in our target audience. The first $5,000 is what we recommend for the performing arts classes and
engaging with students during the summer. The second $5,000 includes our suggestions for full-time programs, particularly those during
the school year, which research has shown will help build full time community connections with the Kauffman Center.
Though some of our suggestions may at first glance seem minute, their impact will fundamentally affect how our target audience interacts
with the venue and performing arts in general. If more funding sources were allocated to the projects, they could be used to increase the
number of summer classes, print additional workbooks and increase the frequency or duration for the Pandora or radio advertisements.

First $5,000:
Category
Materials for instruments, crafts, any
additional props or theatre elements
Jack FM Advertising
Pandora Banner
Kansas City Star Digital Advertising
Brochures

Quantity
Per the number of students enrolled in
workshops*
15-20 mentions
250 impressions per day
Big Box Advertising
(30,000 impressions)
370 (100 in Spanish)

Workshop Instructors

Two instructors each for 8 workshops

Stipend for assistant intern (18+)

One

Timeframe
May 25-July 30

Cost
$800

May 10-16
April 21-May 21
April 21-May 21

$1,375
$200
$450

April 21-May 21 and $275
July 1-September 1
May 25-July 30
$1,600 (estimated from
$100/hr session)
May 25-July 30
$300
Total: $5,000

*Can charge $150/child for eight weeks or per session with a reduction for multiple children from one family.

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Second $5,000:
Category
Jack FM Advertising
Pandora Banner
Kansas City Star Digital Advertising
Brochures

Quantity
15-20 mentions
250 impressions per day
Big Box Advertising
(35,000 impressions)
630 (150 in Spanish)

My Kauffman workbooks

350

Backback buttons
My Kauffman Lanyards

250
350

Food for VIP tour guide training

Dependent on number of people
trained
Materials for VIP tour guide training Dependent on number of people
trained

Timeframe
August 15-30
September 1-30
August 1-30

Cost
$1,375
$200
$500

August 1, 2015 to
May 21,2016
August 1, 2015 to
May 21,2016
May 21-August 1
August 1, 2015 to
May 21,2016
May 21-August 1

$470

$200

May 21-August 1

$50

$1,500
$300
$400

Total: $5,000
*If you choose to not do any radio or digital advertising, we suggest you print 400 more brochures and 200 more workbooks.
Budget: $10,000 (initial $5000 + additional $5000)

Workshop materials
Jack FM advertising
Pandora banner
Kansas City Star digital advertising
Brochures
Workshop instructors
Intern stipend
My Kauffman workbooks
Backpack buttons
My Kauffman lanyards
Food for VIP tour guide training
Materials for VIP tour guide training
meta-chart.com

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Appendix

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References:
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City-Data (2009). Kansas City Missouri. Retrieved from
http://www.city-data.com/city/Kansas-City-Missouri.html#ixzz3EgNqnVEI
Census (2013). Kansas City Missouri. Retrieved from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_1YR_S0901&prodType=table
Census (2013). Kansas City Missouri. Retrieved from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/searchresults.
xhtml?refresh=t
CNN (2014). “World’s 15 Most Beautiful Concert Halls.” Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/02/travel/beautiful-concert-halls/index.html?sr=fb030314concerthall1130a
“Community Tickets” (2014). Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Retrieved from http://www.kauffmancenter.
org/kids/community-tickets
“Corporate Sponsorships” (2014). Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Retrieved from http://www.kauffmancenter.org/support-us/corporate-sponsorships/
Culture House. (n.d.). “Our Story.” Retrieved from http://culturehouse.com/our-story
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ve/431/431866550/431866550_201306_990.pdf
“Friends of Alvin Ailey Celebrate 30 Years in KC” (2014). KCLive.TV. Retrived from http://www.kshb.com/entertainment/kcl/community-kcl/friends-of-alvin-ailey-celebrate-30-years-in-kc
Google Maps (2014) Retrieved from https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Garfield+Elementary+School,+436+Prospect+Ave,+Kansas+City,+MO+64124/Kauffman+Center+for+the+Performing+Arts,+1601+Broadway+Blvd,+Kansas+City,+MO+64108/@39.1015728,-94.578266,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x87c0fa62cb89b9b9:0x34ec
db97467b908!2m2!1d-94.552115!2d39.109001!1m5!1m1!1s0x87c0f0436e78d7f7:0x586ce93f6c883360!2m2!1d94.587494!2d39.094112
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the-center/kansas-city-info/
“About” (2011). Kansas City Young Audiences. Retrieved from http://www.kcya.org/?page=about
“Kauffman Center Celebrates” (2014). Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Retrieved from http://www.kauffmancenter.org/2014/09/26/kauffman-center-celebrates-third-anniversary-milestones-with-a-focus-on-the-future/
Lawrence Journal-World (2014). “Today in Lawrence: Final Friday, Halloween events and more! Retrived from http://
www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/oct/31/today-lawrence-oct-31-nov-2/
McTavish, Brian (2014). “Six Theatrical Things to do this Weekend in Kansas City”. KCUR (2014). Retrieved from http://
kcur.org/post/six-theatrical-things-do-weekend-kansas-city

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Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2012). Free and Reduced Lunch 2012. Missouri Department of Education. Retrieved from http://mcds.dese.mo.gov/quickfacts/Pages/District-and-School-Information.aspx
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2012). Building Demographic Data. Retrieved from
http://mcds.dese.mo.gov/quickfacts/Pages/District-and-School-Information.aspx
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary (2012). Building Demographic Data. Retrieved from http://mcds.
dese.mo.gov/quickfacts/Pages/District-and-School-Information.aspx
Mintel. Activities of Teens and Kids- Infographic Overview (November 2013). Retrieved from http://academic.mintel.
com.www2.lib.ku.edu:2048/display/637813/
Mintel. Kids as Influencers (April 2014). Retrieved from http://academic.mintel.com.www2.lib.ku.edu:2048/display/680686/
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http://www.claritas.com/MyBestSegments/Default.jsp?ID=37&id1=1027&id2=34
Nielsen (2014). Retrieved from http://www.claritas.com/MyBestSegments/Default.jsp?ID=20&menuOption=ziplookup&pageName=ZIP%2BCode%2BLookup&filterstate=&sortby=segment_code&prevSegID=2611099#
Nielsen (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.claritas.com/MyBestSegments/Default.jsp?ID=37&id1=1027&id2=63
Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.kcpublicschools.org/paseo
Prizm: ZIP Code Lookup (2014, January 1). Retrieved from http://www.claritas.com/MyBestSegments/
QSPA Kizdotic Youth Division (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.quixoticschool.com/kizdotic-performance-division
ReStart (n.d.). “About.” Retrieved from http://www.restartinc.org/about/
Retailindustry (2014). “Company Mission Statements.” Retrieved from http://retailindustry.about.com/od/retailbestpractices/ig/Company-Mission-Statements/Mercedes-Benz-USA-Mission-Statement.html
Sprint Center (2014). “Arena Info.” Retrieved from http://www.sprintcenter.com/arena_info
Starlight Theatre (2014). “About Starlight.” https://www.kcstarlight.com/about_starlight/default.aspx
Synergy Services (n.d.). “Our Youth Services.” Retrieved from http://www.synergyservices.org/?page=Main_Our_Services_Youth
“Transportation Fund” (2014). Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Retrieved from http://www.kauffmancenter.
org/kids/transportation-fund/
Theatre of the Imagination (2012). Retrieved from http://dramakc.com
U.S. Census Bureau 2010 Census (2010, January 1). Retrieved from http://www.census.gov
“Volunteer” (2014). Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Retrieved from http://www.kauffmancenter.org/support-us/volunteer/

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Thank you!

Coffeehouse Solutions would like to give a huge thank you to Professor Hyunjin Seo for direction
in this campaign. We would also like to thank the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts for
facilitating this opportunity for us.

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