Sweibel Arts

"The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude." – Friedrich Nietzsche Thanksgiving week is a great time to show gratitude, but we appreciate our clients and colleagues all year round. As we take a short break for this holiday, we are glad for another opportunity to thank everyone who set sail with Sweibel Arts this year.

In advance of Ridley Scott’s much-anticipated sequel, Cinemark and Paramount unveiled its exclusive “Gladiator II Popcorn AR-ena Coliseum” bucket, designed to look like the exterior of the Roman Colosseum. Scan a QR code and point your phone inside, and you can watch two augmented reality gladiators fighting each other in a virtual arena. It goes for $23, popcorn not included. Meanwhile, Regal partnered with Universal Pictures to create mix-and-match “Wicked” popcorn tins and toppers (including a $40 Emerald City lantern-shaped popcorn holder), along with collectible foam headbands and movie-themed snacks such as churros drizzled in emerald icing and pink-and-green-colored caramel popcorn. “The movie alone isn’t going to do all the work,” says Daniel Loria at Boxoffice Pro. “You have to make sure the experience does the other half—and what experience are you going to offer?” Not many figures exist to show whether collectibles equate to ticket sales, but according to the Hollywood Reporter, 15% of "Mean Girls" opening weekend attendees cited “merchandise inducements” as the reason for buying a ticket. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eQJ3eD-k [free registration required to read]

How to improve micro-giving results during online checkout: In a series of experiments involving more than 2 million PayPal users, researchers found that small adjustments to donation requests had sizable effects on how likely people were to donate and how much they gave: • Copy that quantified outcomes was nearly 60% more effective than more general narratives. References to a third-party charity rating didn't matter. • Being asked to give at checkout didn't significantly change future generosity. It didn't affect whether people later donated using PayPal, the average number of donations they made, or the total they donated. • In an “ask string” of default gift amounts—e.g., $25, $50, $75, $100—replacing $75 with $10 encouraged more people to donate and replacing it with $200 boosted the total money raised. These options also increased the likelihood users would donate again using PayPal—and donate more overall—for up to 18 months. Read more: https://lnkd.in/emNp7yGy

What percentage of arts patrons have disabilities impacting their visit? It may be more than you think. Colleen Dilenschneider of IMPACTS Experience reports: For orchestras, 30.4% of potential patrons reporting disabilities say that it impacts their planning or onsite experience, which is notably different from a statistical standpoint than the 24.1% of live theater patrons and 23.6% of other performing arts patrons reporting impact. At museums and other exhibit-based organizations, between 26.3% and 31.1% of guests with reported disabilities say that their condition impacts the planning of their visit or the onsite experience. It can take time to turn this tide of perception surrounding cultural organizations. If your organization is not yet considering these needs, the data suggest that now is a good time to start. Get curious. Train staff. Consider onsite interpretation and programs with an eye to these potential difficulties. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eABvZ-mm [subscription required to read]

Sustainability and AI were at the forefront this year at the Future of Museums Summit. Keynote speaker Rob Hopkins discussed ways museums are using AI: • Improving accessibility: for example, accelerating the production of visual descriptions, audio tours, or interactive labels using generative AI for blind or low-vision viewers • Understanding visitor feedback and engagement with art and museums • Extracting data • Partnering for creative brainstorming, such as generating title ideas for articles, donor letters, volunteer appreciation letters • Building chatbot with Open AI for visitors to ask questions about the exhibition piece • Generating dialogue with museum resources, such as extending the story beyond the museum area of the collection • Supporting neurodivergent staff members with additional communication resources so they can focus more on creative strength • Identifying potential pitfalls: for example, letting AI roleplay a visitor experience to give staff feedback on materials and things one might miss Read more: https://lnkd.in/eF3vZbMz

Rethinking your company’s visual identity? Read about these recent re-brands. MUSEUM: The Guggenheim gets its first true logo: https://lnkd.in/erTzS-dS THEATER: The Vineyard in New York City gets an “ever-changing logo”: https://lnkd.in/egZu7w7z ORCHESTRA: São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP)’s new visual identity reflects a major shift in its aesthetic: https://lnkd.in/ePTj2mTX DANCE: National Ballet of Canada shakes off elitist image: https://lnkd.in/eGa4-mbK

Why are younger people spending so much money on live events? FOMO. The “experience economy” has bounced back strongly from its pandemic slump. Personal expenditures on live entertainment admissions have shot up more than tenfold from 1990, compared with just a relative ~400% increase in overall consumer spending. And a survey found that Gen Z and millennials are much more willing than older generations to go into debt to pay for their live-entertainment fix. One significant driver might be social-media-driven effects of “FOMO” (fear of missing out). More than three-quarters of Gen Z respondents, as well as 69% of millennials, admitted to going into debt as a result of FOMO. Read more: https://lnkd.in/edsd-M52  

For teens today, influencing has increasingly become a viable career path, shaping a new, self-made vision of the American Dream. Nearly 57% of Gen Zers have the goal of becoming a content creator and research shows that, for some young people, becoming an influencer “seems more attainable than getting a job in corporate America.” WHAT IT MEANS FOR MARKETERS:   As Gen Z’s preference for authentic, peer-driven influence grows, brands should prioritize partnerships with nano influencers and highlight user-generated content. These creators have high engagement and a sense of relatability, making them more effective at building trust with young audiences. Today’s young influencers value brands that support their long-term growth and creativity, not just one-off partnerships. Marketers can stand out by handing the campaign reins to the creators, aligning brand values with Gen Z’s unique know-how—and ultimately supporting their career paths. To get more insights into cultural shifts driven by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, sign up for Archirival’s weekly Culture Brief: https://lnkd.in/eHurdXQ

Shock waves from the Mideast war have been felt throughout the arts and cultural world, with institutions and entire industries experiencing bitter conflict over what qualifies as tolerable speech about the conflict and its combatants. Many observers say that the narrowing of the discourse in artistic spaces since Oct. 7, 2023 — when Hamas attacked Israel— does not bode well for the cultural world’s traditional commitment to free and open-minded expression. A look at cultural institutions over the past year reveals a pattern: It has largely been institutional management who have sought to suppress perspectives critical of Israel, while lower-level employees and less-prominent artists were often those attempting to silence perspectives expressing solidarity with Israel. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eHyg4Sun

The world’s biggest beauty company, L’Oréal, and largest museum, the Louvre in Paris, have signed a three-year partnership. It’s a win-win as both seek to exploit their cultural capital and tap into new audiences. Under the partnership, L’Oréal Group and the Louvre have created a bespoke tour of the museum tracing the evolution of beauty through a variety of works, accompanied by a web app called ‘De toutes beautés!’ (“Of all beauties!”). The partners have also co-produced a six-episode web series [that] features young visitors discovering the artworks featured in the tour and is slated to broadcast early 2025. Read more: https://lnkd.in/esuWWHvp