Businesses pour cash into the arts

Press, 1 June 1981, Page 16

Businesses pour cash into the arts

By

KEN COATES

in London

Profits might be down and companies cutting expenses, but sponsorship of the arts in Britain is rising. One estimate of total sponsorship by companies is ?123.5 million yearly, three times as much as five years ago. Most goes into sport, but spending on the arts has increased fastest of all, and may now be worth $9.8 million annually. The philharmonia orchestra, for example, receives $1.9 million from its company backers, and British archaeological

groups receive generous help from a big insurance company. Companies can'claim that what they give in sponsorship funds is part of their advertising and public-rela-tions budget. But one explanation of the trend is that banks, insurance companies, the oil industry, and tobacco firms, which provide 75 per cent of the funds for arts sponsorship, tend to be unpopular. This makes them all the keener to display their social concern and so build up goodwill.

The arts are a good avenue for aid. The tradition of private, personal benevolence has almost disappeared, and drastic Arts Council cuts have made orchestras and festivals anxious for funds. One London advertising company executive says: "We'll sponsor a festival for the cost of a 30-second television commercial, and though we will only reach a microscopic fraction of the number we hit on TV, the impact will be far more ■ lasting.”