Hi everyone,
thegene: Thanks for the good points. I hesitantly agree: that would have been the better way to frame the question. But I think new media attracts new audiences all the time, particularly young people. Blogs (and local arts filters like Squidlist) are where you find out what performances are new and interesting, far more than traditional advertisements or the arts section of the newspaper.
Having said that, the reason why many attempts to attract young people fail - particularly by arts organizations, particularly in the "serious" performing arts - is that they're predicated on the idea that young people don't already understand or appreciate or enjoy fine arts. People under 30 are the ones who read about what's going on year-round and splurge for a standing-room ticket once or twice a year.
There's the annoying "ballet but entertaining" ad I linked to in the blog post. I've also seen advertisements - both in old and new media - that go out of their way to say that "You can even come wearing jeans!" This condescension and misunderstanding of the audience is confused at best and outright offensive at worst. Most money spent advertising to young people would be more effectively spent on under-30 discounts.
john: Good to hear from you. The one thing I'd add to your list of considerations is "What do we want this new audience to do after encountering our message?" Getting a thousand-dollar donation or selling season tickets probably isn't in the cards. If the goal is to sell one ticket to a certain event or make one small donation, that's actionable. Make that action as easy as possible.
Cheers,
Elliot