The Challenge

[Jeff Ream]

I've read your writings on this in several different threads, spanning several years now... and I still don't have any idea of what you mean about "the lack of marketing for the Open Class corps."

well..not Surf when you were Open Class. But most Open Class corps do not do a lot of marketing to get their name out. IMO, a few World Class corps don't do it all that well either, but have the rub of being World Class.

It is too often incorrectly viewed that Open Class corps are 'inferior". Open Class offers a lot of great things for kids, from sometimes limited schedules, to training to help them move to WC, to just a great environment for kids that want to do drum corps.

And you don't see or read about it 95% of the time. A few corps do ok, such as Surf, but most don't, and yes, we all know DCI loses money on Open Class, but maybe they could also give the corps more rub and maybe...gasp...just maybe...they could break even on it.

I see tremendous value in Open Class. Shame is, most of those corps directors don't do a ###### thing to back up what myself and a few others say on here.

in fact...sadly on DCP anymore, most OC class news/discussion is about corps going belly up and horrible management.

And if DCI waned to make a few bucks on OC events in the Echo Dome...market it! That's what drew the huge crowd in Madison in 2002, which to this day is still one of the top 5 drum corps shows I ever watched in terms of quality and entertainment

[MikeD]

So if I had only picked Sword Excalibur as my first example instead, you would have seen the light and agreed with me 100%?

Um, no, but go ahead and keep talking about single examples as though it means anything at all when talking about the large numbers in total

[bawker]

I've read your writings on this in several different threads, spanning several years now... and I still don't have any idea of what you mean about "the lack of marketing for the Open Class corps."

. . .considering the small crowds that show up each year for Open Class Finals now, I'd think it would be very obvious.

That's not meant to be sarcastic. It's more along the lines of a plea to look after these groups from a press standpoint.

DCI itself markets its big boys all the time. Blue Devils this, Cavaliers that, etc. Example: plenty of those "Ask A Vet About Auditions" things on DCI.org recently were for World Class corps. How many of those were done on OC corps?

-How does one find out about Open Class?

If I'm a 15 year old kid with stars in his eyes after looking at DCI Finals (and obviously probably not able to march one of those WC units straight away), how do we take that kid and go from Cavaliers to Impulse/VK/etc?

How does one find out about Open Class corps then? Get cut from a big boy corps and hope they tell you some places you can go to improve? Hope they find DCP's OC board? Hope they look on DCI.org after they wade through all the press and pictures of the groups they can't make right now?

Open Class is such a revolving door right now, it's hard to keep up with who is new, who changed their name, who folded, etc. If someone like myself, who follows the activity fairly closely, has trouble discerning that . . .then what about someone new to the activity?

Right now, Open Class seems like an afterthought. Considering it's where a lot of kids who aren't in a competitive high school program might get their start to go march at other World Class corps or elsewhere, it doesn't make a lot of sense to take an asset like that and just leave in it's own little world to putter around aimlessly.

A recent posting on DCI.org for talked about the Open Class Advisory Meeting.

http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=2...07-15e98e7c9f1a

. . .amidst all the back-patting, there was this:

Strategic Planning

Directors engaged in a lively brainstorming session to formulate a strategic plan for the next five years. The plan is based on specific goals for Open Class corps within DCI’s overarching business plan for 2010 and beyond. As part of the planning process, the directors approved a mission statement to guide Open Class objectives:

Open Class exists to provide life changing experiences for our youth participants by encouraging, developing, and supporting existing corps, new or re-emerging corps, and those corps whose goal is to compete in DCI’s World Class.

Okay.

No explanation of:

1. What does the business plan include? Marketing the corps? Strategic partnerships? Hang onto WC's coattails? What does this mean for the "next five years" for OC?

2. For that matter, what is DCI's "overarching business plan" in general? What does this mean? DCI is a non-profit. . .shouldn't there be some sort of general thoughts from Dan Acheson/yourself about what exactly this is? What are you hoping to achieve? Why should we continue to donate?

Dan Acheson only speaks in generalities and seems to just come off as the smiling PR face of the activity to business leaders and everyone outside of DCI. Being a spreader of the gospel is great. . . .but, as executive director, isn't there some sort of "State of The Activity" he can offer each year?

Something that could sum up where we're at, where we're going, and how we can get there . . .so we aren't forced to try to pull out bits and pieces here and there and try to connect the dots. People are usually a lot more receptive to bad, or not-so-good news if you are upfront with them.

Yes, if there was some bad news in such a report . . . some people might lament the activity as dying, or whatever . . .but I guarantee you the free flow of this kind of information . . .even in general terms . . .will put more money into DCI into the long run.

Look at Warren Buffet's letters to his shareholders. He might occasionally be less than forthright about certain business decisions, but he always levels with shareholders about what was good and bad about the previous year, and people respect the hell out of him for that.

If Dan could offer such a thing . . .even just as a newsletter to the "Friends of DCI" (the equivalent of a "shareholder" position in DCI) . . .it would be a big step towards removing the arms length that DCI seems to hold fans at, which right now seems more along the lines of "Donate. We'll take care of it from there." than "Here's where your donation will go. Here are our initiatives for 2011."

( . . .yes, I went on a bit of a tangent . . .but this is a good a place as any to talk about the above.)

Anyway . . .

3. Basically, the mission statement sounds like "welp, we're here to teach you until you can go march Cadets/Cavaliers/BD." Why are we not promoting some sort of program loyalty in some fashion?

Otherwise, WC corps end up like many college basketball teams now . . . with their "stars" leaving early for the next level. How does that provide leadership role models for OC corps and those that might choose to join them?

There's a lot more we can do, at the OC level (and at the macro level of DCI as an org) . . . to market to everyone from the new fan who might want to march an OC corps to the 20 year fan who wants to know where their Friends donation is going.

Give OC more press in the DCI.org publications, in your partners uniform/equipment materials, at music conferences, etc. Let people know they're out there.

Everyone should know how great the kids and shows are. It doesn't need to be our little secret as an activity.

[TerriTroop]

Well, back to the OP:

I would modify the challenge to something reasonable, if you don't mind me taking a little liberty with it.

If a corps would simply program a show without any synthesizer, that would be challenge enough. It wouldn't kill their overall design, and it might even point out that GE can actually be greater without the electronic crutch.

I'll point out SCV 09 as an example. I honestly, truly believe that had they NOT used the synth in the big push to hype up the bass, that push would have been just as effective, if not more. (I LOVE the show, just wish the synth hadn't been there. This is said with apologies to the synth player - I know you probably had a great season and don't need old people like me baggin' on your instrument.)

[bobjacobs]

. . .considering the small crowds that show up each year for Open Class Finals now, I'd think it would be very obvious.

Give OC more press in the DCI.org publications, in your partners uniform/equipment materials, at music conferences, etc. Let people know they're out there.

Everyone should know how great the kids and shows are. It doesn't need to be our little secret as an activity.

Because of the apparent amount of interest in the subject on the part of many who have shared their thoughts here and who have contacted me via e-mail and PM, I plan to address some of the unique challenges related to the marketing and management of an Open Class corps in an upcoming edition of the DCI Direct column.

I have what I feel is a wealth of perspective on this subject, both in terms of having been a part of an OC organization for a really long time and by having a vested interest in the marketing of the activity as a whole... not to mention a personal stake in the success of the Open Class corps specifically.

The recently published poster/calendar is but one recent example of how the tide has turned with regard to getting more tangible exposure for OC. There are a number of other examples as well, which I will be happy to explore in greater detail. I can tell you here as a preview that although it may be easy to assert that OC is the "red headed stepchild" of DCI, in many cases "we the corps" have been our own worst enemies. Yes, DCI can do more and is doing more to promote Open Class corps... but there are so many factors beyond the control of DCI that sometimes proposed solutions which seem incredibly obvious just aren't all that easy to execute.

Perhaps you've identified one of the biggest inherent challenges:

Open Class is such a revolving door right now, it's hard to keep up with who is new, who changed their name, who folded, etc.

When the original group of instructors got together in 1989 to start forming the Jersey Surf, we contacted a DCI board member for assistance. It was explained to us that DCI's mission was not to assist corps in starting up... they weren't "that kind" of a sanctioning body. It was further explained the the original vision was to form a collective of the top corps in the country for the purpose of promoting those top corps. It was all very pleasant... perhaps somewhat sobering... but not all that helpful in providing a roadmap.

It took us a while to get our heads around that line of thinking. We learned quickly that we needed to figure things out for ourselves, and that there was no step-by-step instruction manual on how to do any of the stuff that would be necessary for what we assumed at the time would lead to "competitive" success. Fortunately, we were quick adaptive learners as a team, and we became comfortable with carving out a niche within the existing structure to offer drum corps to people who might not be able to do it otherwise because of summer classes or jobs, etc. We focused on building an organization, and not "just" a drum corps that competed on a football field. Unlike many of the 173 corps which have come and gone since we started, we created a plan for sustained growth and incremental success that did not put all of our eggs into the competitive basket.

Personally, I was very resentful that DCI wasn't seeing the bigger picture, and wasn't understanding what I thought was the unique opportunity it had to guide more groups to propagate the activity for the future. As I got more involved, however, I gained insight into why things were the way they were, for better or for worse.

Now... many years later... there has been a commitment to DEVELOP corps all along the DCI spectrum. Are we closing the barn doors after the horses have bolted? Frankly, I don't think we have the time to waste to even discuss that. Sure, we need to learn from the past... but we need to create a new future.

As far as the business plan goes, there are many conversations which are much better left for the boardroom, and there is a "State of the Activity" address in one form or another which opens the Annual Meeting every year. The business plan is pretty simple: sell tickets to shows. The more tickets sold the more money generated to push back to the corps which comprise the collective.

Sounds easy, right?

[audiodb]

Um, no, but go ahead and keep talking about single examples as though it means anything at all when talking about the large numbers in total

Well, at least you now admit there were large numbers of corps with DCI involvement. That was my whole point.

[audiodb]

Excellent post, Bawker.

To be fair, many of your questions actually have answers. I'm going to choose the few I feel don't.

Open Class is such a revolving door right now, it's hard to keep up with who is new, who changed their name, who folded, etc. If someone like myself, who follows the activity fairly closely, has trouble discerning that . . .then what about someone new to the activity?

This is a constant source of frustration for me - and I am more of an "insider".

My own self-imposed task for DCI is to provide audio recording coverage for every participating corps, if I can. I have no clue what new/prospective corps are planning. DCI will not publish tour schedules for them (or allow the corps to publish such on their own websites!) until evaluations are complete (usually not until June). Even after contacting the people within DCI that coordinate new corps evaluations and open-class show scheduling, I always face surprises when (or if) the corps are finally listed on DCI.org.

Now, how does a fan or prospective member find these corps if us insiders can't?

I already know the counter-argument for why DCI doesn't publish information on prospective corps. Since the vast majority of them don't make it to the field, the contention is that the credibility of DCI and their show sponsors would suffer from listing corps that don't pan out. I can understand that....but:

- Some show sponsors list them anyway. Why not let them choose?

- No wonder so many of these corps don't pan out, when their existence is such a closely guarded secret until they field.

There must be some way that DCI can provide basic information on prospective corps with enough disclaimers or big enough asterisks to protect their own credibility.

Right now, Open Class seems like an afterthought. Considering it's where a lot of kids who aren't in a competitive high school program might get their start to go march at other World Class corps or elsewhere, it doesn't make a lot of sense to take an asset like that and just leave in it's own little world to putter around aimlessly.

IMO, what it comes down to is segregation.

I know a lot of the history behind it, but sometimes you need to leave that baggage aside and take a fresh look at these issues.

- Why are so many open-class events separate from world-class?

- Why are there so many world-class events that exclude all open-class corps, or all but those within X miles of the venue?

- Why must DCI.org have separate lists for world-class and open-class?

- Why must open-class corps be excluded from DCI voting membership? Why isn't there even one voting representative for open-class on the working DCI board?

- Why is open-class completely excluded from DCI TV or theater broadcasts?

- Why are DCI's clinic programs segregated?

To elaborate on that last item....one of the best things DCI has ever done is the ramp-up of clinics held in conjunction with DCI events. I've seen a few myself. Band kids are brought in by the busload to a DCI major event, and brought down to the field for a couple of hours of hands-on demonstration alongside a DCI corps. These programs were ramped up around 1996-7, back when even top-12 corps customarily went through the entire off-season begging for members, and fielding with a dozen holes in the horn drill and a "Help Wanted" sign hanging on a tympani drum and/or the corps' booster stand. After a couple of years of these clinics, we saw transformational change in DCI's recruiting results. Now, many world-class corps are cutting November auditionees by the hundreds, and taking full corps through 3-4 weeks of all-days before wowing us at that first contest.

There's just one tiny thing wrong with it all....there is no mention of open-class in these clinics. In fact, there's usually no open-class corps allowed in the major event either. We bus thousands of HS kids in and sell them on drum corps so that they can come back in their college years (for the most part) and march world-class....and these kids can go through the entire day's experience and never once find out that open-class even exists.

I've asked various DCI people about this over the years, and to summarize, the prevailing attitude is to defend the status quo and resist the suggestion of even a minute's mention of open-class in this context. I am told that if open-class wants any benefit, they should run their own clinics.

A recent posting on DCI.org for talked about the Open Class Advisory Meeting.

(snip)

No explanation of:

1. What does the business plan include? Marketing the corps? Strategic partnerships? Hang onto WC's coattails? What does this mean for the "next five years" for OC?

You noticed that too. Honestly, reading that blurb, I thought the only product of the strategy session was that unfocused mission statement that basically told me what I already knew....that there are several different raisons d'etre for open-class corps. I hope there's more coming.

Dan Acheson only speaks in generalities and seems to just come off as the smiling PR face of the activity to business leaders and everyone outside of DCI. Being a spreader of the gospel is great. . . .but, as executive director, isn't there some sort of "State of The Activity" he can offer each year?

He does do that each year at the annual meeting....it just isn't broadcasted to the public.

3. Basically, the mission statement sounds like "welp, we're here to teach you until you can go march Cadets/Cavaliers/BD." Why are we not promoting some sort of program loyalty in some fashion?

Honestly, I don't know. I think some have given up on open-class as an operating model for any other purpose than the above.

[audiodb]

Because of the apparent amount of interest in the subject on the part of many who have shared their thoughts here and who have contacted me via e-mail and PM, I plan to address some of the unique challenges related to the marketing and management of an Open Class corps in an upcoming edition of the DCI Direct column.

When the original group of instructors got together in 1989 to start forming the Jersey Surf, we contacted a DCI board member for assistance. It was explained to us that DCI's mission was not to assist corps in starting up... they weren't "that kind" of a sanctioning body. It was further explained the the original vision was to form a collective of the top corps in the country for the purpose of promoting those top corps. It was all very pleasant... perhaps somewhat sobering... but not all that helpful in providing a roadmap.

I imagine that was very sobering, considering that DCI's mission statement and PR materials of that same time period declared DCI to be "the promotional, educational and service arm of the drum & bugle corps activity".

It took us a while to get our heads around that line of thinking. We learned quickly that we needed to figure things out for ourselves, and that there was no step-by-step instruction manual on how to do any of the stuff that would be necessary for what we assumed at the time would lead to "competitive" success. Fortunately, we were quick adaptive learners as a team, and we became comfortable with carving out a niche within the existing structure to offer drum corps to people who might not be able to do it otherwise because of summer classes or jobs, etc. We focused on building an organization, and not "just" a drum corps that competed on a football field. Unlike many of the 173 corps which have come and gone since we started, we created a plan for sustained growth and incremental success that did not put all of our eggs into the competitive basket.

Personally, I was very resentful that DCI wasn't seeing the bigger picture, and wasn't understanding what I thought was the unique opportunity it had to guide more groups to propagate the activity for the future. As I got more involved, however, I gained insight into why things were the way they were, for better or for worse.

Now... many years later... there has been a commitment to DEVELOP corps all along the DCI spectrum.

Wow. Please expand on that last sentence in your DCI Direct installment; that sounds like the kind of good news we need to hear more often, and in more detail.

[JimF-LowBari]

- Why are so many open-class events separate from world-class?

- Why are there so many world-class events that exclude all open-class corps, or all but those within X miles of the venue?

- Why must DCI.org have separate lists for world-class and open-class?

Coming from a Senior/All-Age background this is always the part that floors me. Hell, my corps was the designated "last place corps" for about two seasons every DCA show we went to. But we were local and/or getting better so, crappy score or not, people wanted to see we were up to. Wasn't just our corps, many shows I watched had the big guns in and one or two smaller "lesser" corps that still put out an entertaining package on the field. Those corps were not DCA member corps (top 10 or 12) but they were still fully part of the nights show. Usually they were there because of locality or possibly seen as being on the move up (IOW - screw last years placing, the crowd is interested somehow).

Two memories that have me shaking my head:

DCA Chambersburg around 2006: First corps show there in almost 40 years and two of the competing corps were Class A (smaller). Show sponsors tried a "Fan Favorite" deal where you put money in a bucket with your favorites name on it. One of the Class A corps (Fusion) won....

DCA Reading 2000s: Pre-show exhibition was Lehigh Valley Knights and post-show was Jersey Surf (Elvis show). Someone from one of the corps told me that the DCA crowd gave them the best response of the season.

So what the heck is the difference between the DCA/DCI "culture" that DCA appear to accept the smaller/lesser corps better than DCI.

Edited February 3, 2010 by JimF-3rdBari

[Jeff Ream]

. . .considering the small crowds that show up each year for Open Class Finals now, I'd think it would be very obvious.

That's not meant to be sarcastic. It's more along the lines of a plea to look after these groups from a press standpoint.

DCI itself markets its big boys all the time. Blue Devils this, Cavaliers that, etc. Example: plenty of those "Ask A Vet About Auditions" things on DCI.org recently were for World Class corps. How many of those were done on OC corps?

-How does one find out about Open Class?

If I'm a 15 year old kid with stars in his eyes after looking at DCI Finals (and obviously probably not able to march one of those WC units straight away), how do we take that kid and go from Cavaliers to Impulse/VK/etc?

How does one find out about Open Class corps then? Get cut from a big boy corps and hope they tell you some places you can go to improve? Hope they find DCP's OC board? Hope they look on DCI.org after they wade through all the press and pictures of the groups they can't make right now?

Open Class is such a revolving door right now, it's hard to keep up with who is new, who changed their name, who folded, etc. If someone like myself, who follows the activity fairly closely, has trouble discerning that . . .then what about someone new to the activity?

Right now, Open Class seems like an afterthought. Considering it's where a lot of kids who aren't in a competitive high school program might get their start to go march at other World Class corps or elsewhere, it doesn't make a lot of sense to take an asset like that and just leave in it's own little world to putter around aimlessly.

A recent posting on DCI.org for talked about the Open Class Advisory Meeting.

http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=2...07-15e98e7c9f1a

. . .amidst all the back-patting, there was this:

Okay.

No explanation of:

1. What does the business plan include? Marketing the corps? Strategic partnerships? Hang onto WC's coattails? What does this mean for the "next five years" for OC?

2. For that matter, what is DCI's "overarching business plan" in general? What does this mean? DCI is a non-profit. . .shouldn't there be some sort of general thoughts from Dan Acheson/yourself about what exactly this is? What are you hoping to achieve? Why should we continue to donate?

Dan Acheson only speaks in generalities and seems to just come off as the smiling PR face of the activity to business leaders and everyone outside of DCI. Being a spreader of the gospel is great. . . .but, as executive director, isn't there some sort of "State of The Activity" he can offer each year?

Something that could sum up where we're at, where we're going, and how we can get there . . .so we aren't forced to try to pull out bits and pieces here and there and try to connect the dots. People are usually a lot more receptive to bad, or not-so-good news if you are upfront with them.

Yes, if there was some bad news in such a report . . . some people might lament the activity as dying, or whatever . . .but I guarantee you the free flow of this kind of information . . .even in general terms . . .will put more money into DCI into the long run.

Look at Warren Buffet's letters to his shareholders. He might occasionally be less than forthright about certain business decisions, but he always levels with shareholders about what was good and bad about the previous year, and people respect the hell out of him for that.

If Dan could offer such a thing . . .even just as a newsletter to the "Friends of DCI" (the equivalent of a "shareholder" position in DCI) . . .it would be a big step towards removing the arms length that DCI seems to hold fans at, which right now seems more along the lines of "Donate. We'll take care of it from there." than "Here's where your donation will go. Here are our initiatives for 2011."

( . . .yes, I went on a bit of a tangent . . .but this is a good a place as any to talk about the above.)

Anyway . . .

3. Basically, the mission statement sounds like "welp, we're here to teach you until you can go march Cadets/Cavaliers/BD." Why are we not promoting some sort of program loyalty in some fashion?

Otherwise, WC corps end up like many college basketball teams now . . . with their "stars" leaving early for the next level. How does that provide leadership role models for OC corps and those that might choose to join them?

There's a lot more we can do, at the OC level (and at the macro level of DCI as an org) . . . to market to everyone from the new fan who might want to march an OC corps to the 20 year fan who wants to know where their Friends donation is going.

Give OC more press in the DCI.org publications, in your partners uniform/equipment materials, at music conferences, etc. Let people know they're out there.

Everyone should know how great the kids and shows are. It doesn't need to be our little secret as an activity.