Audience Alchemy Unlocks Behavioral Science in the Arts
Behavioral science is all around us. When Spotify and Netflix use phrases like “Most Popular” or “Trending Now” to nudge us toward specific content, or when Amazon’s “Best Seller” label makes us more likely to purchase a product simply because others have, we’re witnessing behavioral science in action.
But what exactly is it? Is it psychology? Economics? Neuroscience? In truth, it’s a combination of all three. Behavioral science traces its roots back to the early 1900s when American psychologist John Broadus Watson introduced behaviorism. He aimed to understand human and animal behavior by studying the reasons behind certain actions and how those actions can be influenced. For decades now, businesses, marketers, and advertisers have leveraged these insights, yet their application in the arts and nonprofit sectors remains largely untapped …until now.
Enter Josh Aviner, an award-nominated producer whose work spans non-verbal theatrical dance, contemporary circus, immersive experiences, and variety arts. His journey into behavioral science wasn’t theoretical, it was deeply personal. As ticket sales for one of his productions struggled to recover post-pandemic, he turned to marketing agencies and consultants for solutions. Yet, conventional strategies failed to reverse the decline. Seeking answers, Josh discovered behavioral science and quickly became fascinated by its potential.
Having followed Josh’s career for years, I’ve always admired his passion, dedication, and innovative approach—whether with Beyond Babel (New York Times Critic’s Pick), the touring circus show Stars Above, or his popular Hideaway Podcast. Over the past year, he immersed himself in behavioral science, studying its principles in university programs and applying them to the performing arts industry. His early experiments on his own productions led to measurable improvements in ticket sales, proving that these techniques had untapped potential.
Recognizing a critical gap in the industry, Josh just recently launched Audience Alchemy to help event producers and performing arts organizations harness behavioral science strategies to complement their marketing and development efforts. His startup follows a proven formula for success: born from personal frustration, validated by real-world results, and driven by passion and urgency.
As his project takes flight, I sat down with Josh for a conversation about how behavioral science is set to revolutionize ticket sales, audience engagement, and fundraising in the performing arts.
Andrea Honis: Josh, I looked at your website, and it’s absolutely fascinating. Congratulations! I’m sure there is a huge need for this kind of work. You’re really tapping into an important niche. What led you to explore behavioral science, and how did it connect to your background in the arts?
Josh Aviner: Thanks, Andrea! I’ve been producing circus and dance shows since 2016 alongside my wife and business partner, Lyndsay. Four years ago, we launched an outdoor circus, and for the first few years, our marketing playbook worked well. However, this past summer, ticket sales dropped significantly despite following the same strategies that had been successful before.
Confused by this shift, I hired a marketing consultant to improve our Facebook ads, spent more money on campaigns—and yet, ticket sales continued to decline. Frustrated, I decided to take over marketing myself, assuming I could replicate past success. Still, there was no improvement.
At this point, eight weeks into our 22-week tour, my wife and I realized that traditional marketing tactics weren’t enough. We partnered with multiple marketing agencies, optimized ads across Google and YouTube, experimented with different targeting strategies, campaign lengths, and audience segments, yet ticket sales remained stagnant.
It was during this time that I stumbled upon “Alchemy” by Rory Sutherland, a book that changed my entire perspective. His work highlighted how people don’t always make rational decisions, and that marketing should account for psychological triggers rather than just ad placements and spend.
That was my lightbulb moment: we had focused so much on the mechanics of marketing—where and how we placed ads—but we never truly considered the psychology behind why someone buys a ticket.
After delving deeper into the field, I started applying these principles to our own productions, and the results were striking. Small adjustments—such as tweaking ad messaging to align with audience psychology—led to measurable improvements in ticket sales.
A particularly eye-opening study from Germany in 2008 examined how weather influences ticket purchases. The research found that people buying tickets for an outdoor movie theater were not primarily considering the forecast for the event date. Instead, their decision was influenced by the weather at the time of purchase. If it was raining on Monday, even if the forecast was clear for Friday, ticket sales dropped by 20-30%. Conversely, if it was sunny on Monday but set to rain on Friday, sales increased.
This insight made me realize how much present bias affects decision-making and how we could adjust our marketing—increasing ad spend on sunny days and pausing promotions during bad weather—to drive ticket sales.
Ultimately, behavioral science became an obsession for me. I realized that the key to selling more tickets wasn’t necessarily spending more money on ads, it was about changing the messaging to align with how people think and make decisions.
Today, I’m working with clients across the arts and nonprofit sectors, running real-world experiments to refine these strategies. What excites me most is that many of these solutions cost little to nothing to implement, yet they can significantly improve sales and fundraising.
By understanding how people think, we can reshape the way the arts attract audiences and supporters, and that’s exactly what I aim to do.
AH: I love how the road revealed itself to you. So, how does behavioral science influence ticket sales and fundraising in the arts?
JA: Behavioral science plays a crucial role in both ticket sales and fundraising by influencing decision-making through psychological triggers.
One key concept is social proof, which suggests that people tend to follow the behavior of others. For example, if two restaurants serve identical food but one is packed with customers while the other is empty, new customers will assume the busier one is better. This principle can be applied to fundraising, highlighting the percentage of past attendees who have donated can make new patrons more likely to contribute, simply because they see that others have done so.
Another important concept is anchoring, where people’s perception of value is influenced by an initial reference point. If a customer sees a $100 ticket before a $50 ticket, the latter seems much more affordable. Conversely, if they first see a $5 ticket, the $50 ticket suddenly feels expensive. This means that the order in which ticket prices are displayed can impact purchasing decisions.
Framing also plays a major role in shaping audience perceptions. The same information can evoke different reactions depending on how it is presented. For instance, saying “Only 100 tickets left!” versus “10% of tickets still available!” delivers identical data but triggers different psychological responses. Similarly, in fundraising, stating that a donation “has a 95% success rate in supporting artists” is more persuasive than mentioning “a 5% chance of failing”, even though both statements convey the same information.
By strategically using social proof, anchoring, and framing, arts organizations can increase ticket sales, boost donations, and improve audience engagement through subtle yet powerful messaging adjustments.
AH: Larger venues often have in-house marketing teams. Do you see small and mid-sized arts organizations benefiting the most from your services?
JA: I primarily work with two types of clients: show producers (both individuals and organizations) and arts organizations. My role typically involves collaborating with their marketing teams to enhance their strategies rather than replacing existing marketing or development teams.
One key observation I’ve made is that while large Broadway advertising agencies have teams of 50 to 70 employees, very few have specialists dedicated to behavioral science in marketing. The challenge in the performing arts sector is that budgets are much smaller, making it impractical for organizations to have dedicated behavioral science experts in-house.
My approach is project-based. I provide targeted training sessions for marketing and development teams, equipping them with practical strategies for ticket sales, audience engagement, and fundraising. After an intensive period of collaboration, I step back, but I’m available to re-engage when new challenges arise or further optimization is needed.
AH: Let’s say I run a small 99-seat theater. How would your process work for me?
JA: First, we define a specific goal, Let’s say it is to increase your number of individual donors. The key is to identify specific behavioral changes that will lead to this outcome. For example, if you have a donation box at the exit, how do you encourage more people to contribute after the show?
To test different approaches, we’d run A/B experiments. One night, the director makes a personal appeal; another, we use loss aversion, highlighting what the organization might lose without support. We’d also test donation box placement—at the entrance for visibility or in the room to leverage social influence.
Another strategy is using the principle of the identifiable victim. Instead of a vague message like “Support the arts,” we highlight a personal story. “This is Susan, a recent resident artist whose project was made possible by donations. Without support, artists like Susan wouldn’t have this opportunity.” This personalized approach makes the ask more tangible and impactful.
After a few weeks, we analyze results to identify the most effective strategies, refine them, and implement the best approach. Six months later, we may revisit and apply similar techniques to improve fundraising efforts. The goal is to make small but impactful behavioral adjustments that enhance donations and audience engagement.
AH: Beyond marketing and fundraising, do you think behavioral science can impact the creative process itself?
JA: Absolutely, though it depends on the creator’s goals. There are two key ways it can be applied.
One approach involves using psychographic surveys to analyze audience personality traits and purchasing behaviors. For example, if data reveals that an audience scores high in openness, a programmer might lean towards more avant-garde productions, knowing this audience is more receptive to experimental work. Conversely, if the audience ranks high in neuroticism, marketing strategies might emphasize ease and convenience, highlighting features like reserved seating or stress-free parking to reduce decision-making friction. Understanding these insights allows artists and producers to align their programming with audience preferences without compromising artistic vision.
Another way behavioral science intersects with performance is through principles of audience engagement and memory. One widely studied concept is the peak-end rule, which suggests that people remember an experience based on its emotional peak and its ending, rather than an overall average. Circus producers have instinctively followed this principle for decades, placing their most spectacular acts right before or after intermission and closing with a strong finale. Research confirms this strategy enhances audience satisfaction and overall perception of a show.
While behavioral science doesn’t function as a dramaturgical tool in shaping artistic content itself, it provides valuable insights into audience psychology. It helps creators craft experiences that not only resonate emotionally but also drive attendance and engagement. Ultimately, it’s about bridging the gap between artistic expression and audience behavior, ensuring that people recognize the value of the art and feel compelled to be part of it.
AH: Ticket pricing has been a major talking point lately, especially as prices have risen significantly since the pandemic. From a behavioral science perspective, are there strategies or insights that can help producers set prices in a way that maximizes both revenue and audience satisfaction?
JA: There’s extensive behavioral science research on how to price offerings effectively, and I’ve been delving into this topic because it’s one of the most common challenges producers face—how to determine the right ticket price and pricing structure.
Many producers, myself included, tend to set prices by looking at industry standards, estimating the minimum needed to break even, and hoping audiences will buy at those tiers. However, behavioral science offers more strategic approaches, particularly when it comes to tiered pricing. For instance, if a front-row seat costs $99, the middle section is priced at $69, and the back is $39, there are psychological principles at play that influence how customers perceive the value of each option. Instead of relying on guesswork, pricing should be designed to not only maximize revenue but also make clear to the consumer why a higher price offers greater value beyond just a more expensive seat.
I encourage anyone curious about the intersection of behavioral science and ticket pricing to visit the insights tab on my website, where I explore how these principles apply to ticket sales and fundraising. I’m also developing a free, two-page guide on pricing strategies using behavioral science, which will be available in March. This resource will help producers take a more informed and data-driven approach to setting prices that enhance both revenue and audience satisfaction.
AH: How can people connect with you?
JA: You can find me at audalchemy.com or via my StageLync profile. I also share insights on ticket pricing and behavioral science for the arts in the Insights section of my website.
AH: Thank you, Josh, for the chat, and “break a leg” in this new endeavor. As you continue to refine and expand this exciting work, it’s clear that the intersection of behavioral science and the arts offers endless possibilities for those willing to think differently.
Main Image: Josh and Lyndsay Aviner during one their productions.
Editor's Note: At StageLync, an international platform for the performing arts, we celebrate the diversity of our writers' backgrounds. We recognize and support their choice to use either American or British English in their articles, respecting their individual preferences and origins. This policy allows us to embrace a wide range of linguistic expressions, enriching our content and reflecting the global nature of our community.
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