Change the Way You Do Business

2000, 16 pages, Business Committee for the Arts, Inc., 1775 Broadway, Suite 510, New York, New York 10019, (212) 664-0600.

Consider using arts images in advertisements to associate your company with quality and performance, giving a museum membership to new employees as a signing bonus, having an arts and crafts event in the workplace for employees' children, or inviting artists to show their work in your office or retail space to create traffic.

These are just a few of the creative suggestions offered to businesses in a new publication, Change the Way You Do Business, published by the New York-based Business Committee for the Arts, Inc., to encourage businesses to partner with the arts.

The publication includes excellent examples of businesses that have partnered with the arts and seen growth and sales and revenues increase, such as an Alabama car dealership holiday marketing initiative with a local vocal performing group that resulted in a 53 percent December sales increase over the previous year or a Houston jewelry store that underwrote printing of Houston Symphony Orchestra tickets in return for having its name printed on the back of tickets, resulting in increased visibility among affluent consumers.

Also scattered throughout the publication are quotes from business executives and statistics about the arts that bolster the case for corporate support and partnerships, all presented in a clear, easy-to-read format. The report is targeted to businesses, but it also should be useful in providing information and ideas for arts organizations that are trying to build the case for business partnerships and support in their own communities.

Reviewed by Deena Epstein