THE SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS
Category: Salford Star Readers Mary Burns Award:
Cappuccino-fuelled and Publicly Funded Disdain for the Working People of Salford
Winner: Creative Tourist
Back in September someone leaked to the Salford Star the marketing plan for the Manchester Weekender event, an "annual arts and culture extravaganza" to "experience the real Manchester" - except that loads of it took place in Salford.
Creative Tourist, the organisation which organised the event, was developed by the Manchester Museums Consortium, which includes The Lowry, Manchester Art Gallery, and the, er, People's History Museum, and is backed with lots of public funding from organisations like AGMA, the Arts Council and Europe, which have aims like `social inclusion' and `Better Life Chances in Deprived Areas' (see here for original Salford Star article).
Unfortunately, the marketing plan for the Manchester Weekender event stated that it was "not trying to reach those currently not engaged with art and culture" and identified target market groups including `Urbanistas' - `highly educated', `highly spending'…and the `Early Urbanistas' - `younger', `reasonably affluent'…
The marketing plan added that the `Urbanista' audience accounted for 3% of the population and "we would like to lead with a photographic image aimed particularly at the Urbanista/early Urbanista markets".
"We can assume certain characteristics across all markets" the marketing plan added "cultural literacy/awareness; further or higher education qualifications; comfortable use of digital technologies and social media; an understanding of how marketing/advertising works…and a position towards the top of the socio-economic scale."
Taking part in the Weekender, which starred famous waffle-meister Will Self, were Salford companies The Lowry (£1million from Salford Council), the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra (£3million per year from Salford Council), the University of Salford, Islington Mill, Hot Bed Press and Happystorm Theatre.
Organisers insisted that the event wasn't elitist but both the marketing plan and our reader nomination would seem to suggest otherwise.
So, ladies and gentlemen, sharpen your whippets and smarten your pit shawls for the winner of the Salford Star Readers Mary Burns Award for Cappuccino-fuelled and Publicly Funded Disdain for the Working People of Salford…
Cr-e-e-e-ative To-o-our-i-i-ist!!!
Applause…
If someone from Creative Tourist would like to make a thank you speech please fill in the Comments box below...
* The Reader's Award nomination was sent in by someone who we think might want to remain anonymous – but don't worry, there is a shining non-elitist Salford Star mug on its way for them to slurp their Tesco Value tea. To see a selection of other readers' nominations click here
See Other Salford Star Mary Burns Award Winners...
Unfortunate Website of the Year: Visit Salford – click here
Salford Folly of the Year: Greengate Square – click here
Fiddling While Rome Burns: Salford Council – click here
The George Bush `Read My Lips' Award: Ian Stewart– click here
Chicken of the Year Award: Ian Stewart - click here
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
(3).jpeg)
.png)
(1).JPG)
