Interview: 3A Entertainment’s Fiona Atwood

Fiona Atwood is the Marketing, Media & Promotions Manager at 3A Entertainment.

3A Entertainment is a leading independent concert and events promoter, ranked as one of the top two independent promoters in the UK. The 3A team have worked on a wide variety of prestigious projects over the years, and Fiona has been an integral part of it all.

With eighteen years’ experience in the events industry, it’s safe to say Fiona commands a wealth of knowledge. During her tenure at 3A, Fiona’s impressive resume includes working with the likes of Kylie Minogue, Blondie, WWE, The Cure, Eric Clapton, Paul Weller, Adam Ant, The Beach Boys, Crosby Stills and Nash, Pavarotti, Lord Of The Dance and, Cirque Du Soleil and the late-Joan River, to name but a few.

So we were incredibly pleased when Fiona agreed to take time out of her busy schedule to provide The Living Room with this exclusive interview.

It’s a brilliant read too. We got to grips with Fiona’s thoughts on the future of marketing, the rise of digital and the most important things to consider when drafting a new marketing strategy. Each answer affords an informative insight into an ever-changing industry!

 

• What inspired you to get into the world of marketing?

 

Concert & event promotion for me was a progression which evolved from managing and promoting a nightclub in the South West.   I don’t have a diploma in marketing, in fact, my degree is totally unrelated to marketing concerts.  However, I have had the fortune of an inspiring mentor who gave me hands-on experience enabling me to learn, grow and adapt to the ever-changing marketing world.

 

• Digital has revolutionised the music & live entertainments businesses. How has the digital world changed things and what further changes do you envisage in the foreseeable future?

 

Who knew 20 years ago that you could download an album while in the park, hear a song in the supermarket and use an app to find out what it is. Then use your mobile phone to buy a ticket to a concert by that Artist.  No skipping school or ditching work to queue for the best tickets when you get can priority booking online.  Social media platforms and fast communication are major developments not only for our industry.  Bands and Artists communicating directly to their fans and fans communicating with each other in real-time has had an enormous effect. The actual medium of digital is fast and flexible, B-rolls, GIFs and flash provide exciting and varied content. Given the speed with which digital is developing it will be exciting to see how we will be accessing and buying music and entertainment in the future.

 

• What affect has the rise of digital had on 3A Entertainment’s business specifically.

 

It has opened up another platform that has a very quick turnaround. Targeted messaging, remarketing, tracking and data capture are enabling us to effectively communicate with the diehard fan, regular gig goer, and the elusive fair-weather patron. We still find we are looking at the four Ps product, price, place and promotion and four Cs consumer, cost, convenience, communication; except we now have another channel via which our goals can be achieved.

 

• Other than digital, what do you believe are the other key channels that live entertainments advertisers should be utilising to most effectively market their brands?

 

TV is still a very powerful platform and for us specifically radio; I am a strong believer in combining digital with traditional marketing such as outdoor sites (albeit many of these are now digital screens) and for the right brand a full page press ad is still a strong message. Timing and combining promotional channels are key to effective marketing.

 

• What have been the most influential changes to the marketing industry in recent times?

 

A few things have come and not stuck or been surpassed by other formats, such as SMS marketing and QR codes.  However, the Internet and being able to access the Internet on the move 24/7 via mobile devices is arguably the most influential change.  The Internet has also led to e-shots, e-newsletters e-tickets, communication via social media apps and the digital database being a highly valued commodity.

 

• What other changes can we expect to see in the marketing industry in the next 5 years?

 

As consumer behaviour changes so will the marketing industry, already a high percentage are familiar with and comfortable making purchases on mobile devices.   The introduction of innovative apps will bring with it new opportunities, and challenge marketing to be more engaging as consumer attention spans are reduced.  Digital platforms are open to ad blocking, consumers are able to record television programmes, watch at their leisure and fast forward commercials, skip b-rolls and close pop-ups I feel developments here will change marketing strategy as we try to engage and retain the consumer.  In the next 5 years, the objectives will remain the same, get the right message to the targeted audience and translate to sales.  Technological advances and new tools available will enable these messages to be conveyed in different ways, however marketing existed before and outside of the Internet.

 

• Which marketers over the last 10 years have made the biggest impact on the industry?

 

I would have to say that Phil Schiller, Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing at Apple, has undisputed, widespread impact.

 

• What are your favourite ever TV commercials and why?

 

The TV commercials that have stuck with me are ones that were engaging because they had a catchy jingle or slogan, or they were great visually or musically.  I still have slogans from Australian ads embedded in my head some 24 years after I left the country which is either a testament to the copy writers or the fact I watched too much TV as a child, stranger still is that they are commercials for banks and beer.

 

• What are the most important things for advertisers to consider when implementing a new marketing strategy?

 

We subscribe to the belief that marketing and promoting tours is not a “colour by numbers” exercise. Each band or brand requires a tailored marketing strategy.  Which needs to be constantly monitored and reactive to emerging sales patterns and adjusted to maximise the return on spend.  It is imperative you research and know your brand and your audience.

 

• Outside of work how do you like to unwind and relax?

I enjoy live music, going to the theatre and dinner out with friends and family but also have unsociable hobbies like reading, running and bingeing on TV box sets. The unsociable hobbies are a luxury as between family and work commitments my downtime seems to fly by.

 

With thanks to Fiona Atwood of 3A Entertainment. For more interviews visit our blog’s homepage.