Homepage · Knowledge Hub · Digital Culture Podcast Episode #19 – Hyperlocal targeting with David Yard from Gulbenkian Arts Centre
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Nov 2025
Digital Culture Podcast Episode #19 – Hyperlocal targeting with David Yard from Gulbenkian Arts Centre
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The Digital Culture Podcast is for creative and cultural professionals to get to know the Digital Culture Network team, learn how we can help your digital skills development, and find out what’s happening across the sector.
In this episode, James talks to David Yard – Head of Marketing at the Gulbenkian Arts Centre, winners of a 2025 Digital Culture Network Award – about how the team transformed its digital marketing approach to boost cinema audiences and strengthen its online presence.
With support from the Digital Culture Network, Gulbenkian repositioned its strategy to tackle post-pandemic challenges and increased competition. The project included revamping the website for a better cinema experience, launching a dedicated Instagram channel, and using creative on-campus campaigns to engage students. These changes led to a 75% increase in student attendance and set the stage for future audience growth.
They discuss:
Why redesigning the website to reflect cinema user behaviour improved the booking journey
How combining physical signage with QR codes drove hundreds of click-throughs and boosted engagement
What steps small arts teams can take to integrate digital tactics with wider marketing strategies
The Digital Culture Network is here to support you and your organisation. Our Tech Champions can provide free one-to-one support to all creative and cultural organisations who are in receipt of, or eligible for, Arts Council England funding. If you need help or would like to chat with us about any of the advice we have covered above, please get in touch.
For this episode of our Digital Culture Awards series, James speaks with Jonny Goode, Communications Manager at Blast Theory and winner of the 2025 Digital Ambassador award. They explore how Jonny’s championing of digital tools, data-led strategy, and open knowledge-sharing has helped shape Blast Theory’s communications approach and inspired others across the sector.
The Digital Culture Podcast is for creative and cultural professionals to get to know the Digital Culture Network team, learn how we can help your digital skills development, and find out what’s happening across the sector. In this episode, James Akers interviews Ollie Couling, the Digital Culture Network Tech Champion for Digital Marketing and Strategy.
Tree testing is a quick and easy way to test the effectiveness of your website navigation. It’s a technique that can also test a new website structure you may be planning. A tree test can confirm how easy (or difficult!) it is to find important information on your website. This article by Andy explains it all.
