THE IMPORTANCE OF BRANDING MUSEUMS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF HOW MUSEUMS CONTRIBUTE TO A CITY BRAND
The purpose of this exploratory study was to contribute with expert’s
knowledge and experience to the actual literature, exploring how, why, and what is happening regarding the branding of museums and how museums can contribute to the city brand.
Due to the exploratory nature of this study, qualitative data has
been collected through face-to-face and telephone semi-structured
interviews to managers from marketing department in museums, brand consultancies and public cultural organization.
The interviews were carried out in Spain (Madrid and Bilbao) and the UK (London) where active and energetic cultural activity is enjoyed through their relevant cultural brands, considered as a model to be followed for other cultural institutions in other countries.
Previous reading of existing literature, journals and case studies was necessary in order to help the researcher to identify the research key areas.
This reserach was conducted on Nov-Dec 2008.
Abstract
Cultural institutions and specially museums are changing their traditional role towards one adapted to new demand of the 21st Century. Now, the idea of developing strong museums brand into city is having even more importance. Despite that museums practitioners critic the commercial aspects of branding, it is inevitable that museums are developing branding strategies not only in order to attract more people and to become a must-see within cities, but also to survive to the wide offer in cultural attractions that are competing across the globe.
Background There is a clear movement in the cultural and creative sector. Cultural tourism has experienced a high development over the last few years (Zeppel and Hall, 1992; WTO and ETC, 2005): 20% of city tourists in Europe respond to cultural motivations, while 60% are interested in cultural aspects during their trips (Mintel, 2004). In response to this touristic movement, cities are increasingly adopting ‘creative’ and ‘cultural’ as positioning to push their images towards ‘cultural destinations’ and differentiate within the destination marketplace (Holden, 2007).
Florida (2008) reflects clearly what is happening when he mentions that there are two significant aspects to be considered: people that now choose to live in creative cities and the cultural institutions that attract them. Following this idea, cultural institutions, and especially museums, are changing their traditional roles (Message, 2006; Rentschler, 2007) from mere observes towards most participative ones, interacting with their audiences through every single museum element. Branding museums strategies development help to attract people that seek a dynamic and active cultural lifestyle (Florida, 2008).
Creativity and culture are clearly important drivers of the future of city development (Brecknock, 2004). This is clearly reflected in European cities where cultural programmes are been created to push their city images towards cultural values (Kolb, 2006; Fuentes La Roche, 2008).
Every year, cities such as Cannes (France) or San Sebastian (Spain) produce festivals based on cultural and creative industries. Other programmes such as European Capital of Culture, Long Night of Museums (Germany) or Light Night (Paris, Brussels, Madrid, Riga, Bucharest, Rome or Malta) are some examples that reflect the important development in the cultural and creative sectors within European cities. All of them are becoming an attractive cultural place not only for visitors but also for citizens (Fuentes La Roche, 2008).
A new role has been attributed to museums and galleries, particularly in ex-industrial cities that are seeking to modernise and rebuild their economies (Travers and Glaister, 2004). One of the most famous re-branding of cities through cultural characteristics was the well-known
‘Bilbao Effect’ that successfully transformed
the Bilbao city image thanks to the help of the complete urban regeneration plan and the implementation of a prestigious cultural brand like the Guggenheim museum is (Plaza, 2008; Baniotopoulou, 2001, Wally Olins, 2003). The perception of the Bilbao city, from a city with a de-industrialized image, to other based on cultural, has changed radically over the last 10 years around the world, becoming a spectacular cultural destination. (Plaza, 2008).
Museums have become in one of the most important attractions to bring people to the cities. In the UK, 4 out of the top 5 tourist attractions most
relevant for tourists are museums,
being the prime reason for visiting the UK.
(MLA-Museums, Archives and Libraries Council, 2004).
Burton and Scott (2003) mention that museums face strong competition from other museums to new venues, destinations and leisure attractions.
Museums around the world are reinventing themselves. Museums such as Tate, Guggenheim,
Baltic, New Museum, Victoria and Albert, Prado, MoMA, Reina Sofia, Louvre, amongst others, have started to introduce themselves in this new movement to adapt themselves to new cultural sector demands, creating
branding strategies to survive and establish a relationship with their audiences (Message, 2006; Rentschler, 2007; Hyland and King, 2006).
Museums as mentioned above have achieved a high prestige and international recognition, developing a strong link between the museum and the city, becoming
‘must-sees’ within cities as cultural destination
(Twitchell, 2004). It has made museums work as magnets for tourism and inward investment (Baniotopoulou, 2001).
Literature Review
Expanding frontiers towards a new lifestyles
There i as a ‘fa that it and th clothing how the Buhalis 2
is a tendency to consider ‘tourism destinations’ ashion accessory’, (Luhrman 1998), in the sense t is a way to define people’s identities, (Caldwell Freire 2004). ‘It is not only how people present hemselves to others in terms of matters such as g or what they eat and drink, but also it is about ey travel’, (Butler and Hall 2006: 95 in Costa and 2006 ). So, ‘tourism destination’ is a new way of representing a lifestyle.
Factors such as the improvement the augmentation
in living standard,
of cultural diversity, the
importance of leisure time and better educated
people, demonstrates that a lifestyle of leisure and tourism are becoming essential parts of modern life. In addition, other factors such as the entrance of low cost
airline companies, changes
in holiday behaviour, for example, the significant increase of short breaks,
(Mintel, 2004; Smith, 2006), has caused the fragmentation of the tourism industry into specialist niche tourist markets such as ‘ecotourism’, ‘adventure tourism’, ‘alternative tourism’, ‘health tourism’, ‘dark tourism’, ‘cultural tourism’ amongst others, giving an answer to different travellers’ demands and lifestyles.
(Costa and Buhalis, 2006; Cooper et al., 2006 in Costa and Buhalis, 2006; Bencendorff, 2006; Smith 2003).
Different places image attract different people
According to Anholt (2004) ‘The human beings can not experience the world except through perceptions’. Every country’s, city’s and
region’s brand would be develop an image based on the core values
and perceptions of the place, (Iversen and Hem, 2008) and must be very specific about what they want to market and to whom, (kotler and Getner, 2002).
Kolb (2006) notes that the first step in creating a place brand is to focus on the benefits of a core product, creating a positive association for
the tourism marketer to make a decision. In addiction, tourist product
of visiting a place is an experience in itself, which results from tourist’s consuming of tangible (goods) or intangibles (as services, feeling or ideas).
People make sense of a destination in their minds through these
perceptions and images, (Iversen and Hem, 2007), and choose to
travel to certain destinations according to their desires for particular characteristics (Coshall, 2000).
“If the brand name does not provide an of the city’s benefits to the potential trave never be visited”, (
n accurate image eller, the city may (Kolb, 2006: 223).
Normally, coun
based on value
Authenticit
authenticity, d
ntries sell themselves as pure intangibles
es, ideas and experiences such as escapism,
ty
discovery and so on (FutureBrand, 2006).
Therefore, a number of countries have developed their images through product-of-origin as ambassadors of their images.
embassadors
‘Sydney is seen as a modern, globalised city with a modern infrastructure and economic potential. It is also recognised as one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world … Asian countries recognized Sydney’s presence the most with the Sydney Opera House, The 2000 Olympic Games and the Harbour Bridge were strongly associated with the city’, (Anholt, City Brand Index, 2007)
‘Other example is the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, well-known as ‘Bilbao Effect’, which has helped to enhance the city’s image and at the same time the effectiveness of the museum has reactivated the city’s economy, (Plaza, 2008).
In contrast to countries, cities have created their brands based on tangibles, (goods). Creativity
and cultural aspects are being used as strategy, where base on their communication, offering different benefits to their visitors.
Cultural attractions are becoming a new way to engage new visitors such as Opera House in Sidney or Guggenheim in Bilbao.
There is a minority of museums that are universally famous (Plaza, 2008) and that they are high associated to city of origin, becoming to be recognised in the entire planet. Museums have become tourist destinations to rush through with a checklist; recognition museums belong to the category of must-see in a city or just elegant places to meet others or wonder around and shop (Twitchell, 2004).
But what is happening with museums today? Why do people like visiting museums?
The high demand of visiting museums has meant that most museums have broken with their traditional roles to offer an ‘alternative and effective framework of cultural production and engagement’, (Message 2006:202), offering new alternatives of entertainment to visitors.
Museums’ role development: the global new museums role in the contemporary society.
Originally, the term museum comes from Greek ‘mouseion’, a temple or place sacred to the Muses, in Greek mythology, goddesses of inspiration and learning patrons of the arts, (Kotler et a, 2008; Twitchell, 2004). Since then, the role of museums has changed, adapting themselves to different moments of their history from cabinets of curiosities, contemplative retreat changing the core of their activities. Different authors coincide that most museums have modified themselves from information, education and cultural achievements to offer learning and entertainment experiences, (Kotler et al, 2008; Rentschler and Hede, 2007). In the last decade, museums around the world are reinventing themselves to meet the needs of a changing world, (Message 2006; Rentschler 2007). They are not only a place to preserve collections as a public trust for future generations (Kotler et al 2008:3) but they must also focus more on people rather than collections, (Simpson 1996).
The changes in the museums role reflect, at the same time, the changing of managers’ role. According to Rentschler (2007: 15), managers and marketers must recognize their new role facing challenges presented by the new mission found in today’s museum sector. The role of a traditional manager, ‘custodial’ would evolve towards ‘entrepreneurial’ manager. The big differences come not only from focusing their activities of research and collection but also from the maintenance of the organization through creative programming such as the generation of funds through changing exhibitions, using consultants strategically, preparing market analysis, relationship marketing programmes to encourage visitors to become members, between others. Museums have been forced to change their roles and it has been called the modern patron of museums, (Twitchell, 2004), or new museums (Wallace 2006).
Branding museums
“A brand new museum needs a brand. It needs an identity that instantly communicates what it is, has and does. A brand new museum needs a mission, a personality, so people feel they know it, and are predisposed to like it. A brand new museum needs an image, which is how others perceive its identity and which helps in creating a reputation. Brand new museums need friends and supporters of like minds, who believe from the gut and the heart that this is the place for them. It helps if a brand new museum has to set of symbols and logos that tie all materials, publications, programs, departments, and events together. A brand new museum may not have a store or restaurant or outreach program, but it needs a reputation so that when it starts adding features, they are really accepted�. Wallace (2006: 06)
Branding museums is a recent trend that is emerging in literature. Considering the Wallace (2006) definition, a brand museum has to transmit who and what it is through everything it does. From logos, signage, exhibitions, leaflets, advertising, word of mouth, posters, internet, uniforms, education programs, wall labels, collection, press releases, museum shop, virtual communities, newsletters, networking, activities, programs, events, cafĂŠ, staff, and therefore building something highly attractive for visitors, (Hyland and King, 2006; Twitchell, 2004; Message 2006).
Criticism has emerged as an answer to this trend because branding has been an incompatible discipline for a big number of artists and cultural institutions across history. Although, there is evidence that important artists have used branding in order to sell their artworks in the past, (Schoroeder 2005). Different authors coincide in the notion that ‘Museum marketing is still a dirty word to some museums’, (Rentschler 2007:12). ‘They don’t sell a product, they are not an industry … not merchants are in these temples’, (Twitchell, 2004:68). In addition, Cole (2008) suggests that the application of marketing concepts and commercial philosophies may be problematic for cultural institutions.
“Art against commercial�
Despite this negative point of view, Hyland and King (2006) refer to branding museums as a need to adapt themselves to demands of new audiences in the 21st century. The recognition of new museum roles has identified the notion of the contemporary brand museum, (Rentschler and Hede, 2007) where they need to build a strong brand image in order to compete for visitors not only with other museums, but also with other cultural brands, touristic attractions, for the time and resources of people, as well as for the hearts and minds of bureaucrats, funding agencies, sponsorships and private philanthropy, (Kotler and Kotler, 2000; Wallace, 2006; Hede, 2007; Scott 2007).
Undoubtedly, and although most museums are nonprofit organizations, there is a relation between branding museum and economic factors. Rentschler and Hede (2007: 158), states that ‘It is unlikely that any museum is not already using some form of branding’ because one of the main needs for museums is to compete for funding and therefore, ‘governments require value for money in terms of public service from their museums’, Cole (2008: 117). If museums are strong and efficient enough brands, they will be rewarded with funds (Hyland and King, 2006). Another reason why governments are interested in strong cultural institutions is because they have a powerful city repercussion, (Fuentes la Roche, 2008).
Economic is an inevitable factor because museums must survive in a saturate society. Branding a museum offers an opportunity to distinguish itself from another museum, (Hede, 2007) and from other attractions. The function of marketing and brand strategies linked to the museums’ mission can help to achieve their core activities and continue working within the public funding system, increasing the attractiveness of the museum (Cole 2008), always when they keep their integrity in their core activities, (Twitchell, 2004). The branding of museums will help create better knowledge of what they stand for to visitors as well as to develop their images in order to connect with their audiences. Creating a solid brand will help to develop loyalty with the visitor (Rentschler 2004) and it will help to the museum to match with the goals of donors and sponsors (Wallace, 2006).
Museums and their visitors: segmentation as a tool to engage new audiences.
One example has b of the future and ar with a variety of eff
Concretely, Tate Mo on careers in art, ex an annual arts festi attracting young Lo
Museum s need to generate sufficient levels of visitor income to survive and compete with other providers that fight for the same visitors, (Cole, 2008). In addition, museum managers need to make strategic decisions in order to get different audiences according to the museum objectives (Hayes and Slater, 2002; Kotler and Kotler, 1998; Tobelem, 1998; Cole, 2008). Each communication channel, activity, event, program, exhibit, etc. will help to target their own audiences.
been Tate where Briggs in Kotler et al, (2008) mentions that the younger people are the audiences re extremely important to Tate. Tate has made a gallery-wide decision to target younger visitors fective strategies as the development of programmes created by and for young people.
odern has created “Young Tate” that is a website where include interviews with artists, information xam help and podcasts. Other successfully program was the “UBS Openings: The Long weekend”, ival that includes live performances, a mix between film, music, dance, performance and art, ondoners who did not usually visit galleries.
Segmentation is crucial for most large museums in order to attract new audiences and subsequently generate loyalty.
A new approach to segmentation is to think about potential visitor’s time and how they might want to spend their leisure time. Segmentation shows that museums have the potential to appeal to existing and new audiences as they offer a range of experiences. Museums need to change the way they market themselves by communicating their diversity, flexibility, facilities and the experiences they can offer in contrast to their competitors in the leisure market. (Slater 2007: 100-101 in Rentschler and Hede 2007).
Following Slater’s idea of an experience offer, Kotler et al (2008) suggest that museums
can differentiate themselves in terms of the experience they can offer to their visitors.
The categories as shown in the follow table are
only illustrative and there is some interaction and overlap among them. (kotler pp. 136)
Range of museum experiences Excitement
Amusement
Contemplation
Learning
Thrill Adventure Fantasy Immersive experience
Fun Play Pleasure Laughter Sociability Diversion
Musing Meditation Reverie Reflection Aesthetic experience
Curiosity and discovery Observation Pattern discernment Instruction Skill=building practice Experimentation
Visceral
Emotional
Intellectual
In addition, museums should seek to develop a wider understanding of visitors, their motivations, needs and the way they explore and engage with exhibits, (Black 2005). Researchers including (Mori, 2004; Longhurts et al, 2004; Falk and Dierking, 1992; Richards 1999, 2001, 2002; Slater, 2007; The Henley Centre, 2000) have investigated about the leisure motivations of consumers. All are agree that factors such as the need to escape, entertainment, fun, social interaction and at the same time to do worth activities in the sense of learning and enriching their lives are important.
They have redefined these as: ‘Edutainment’, represents styles and designs that fulfil the dual goals of entertainment and education the visitor, (Kotler and Kotler 2000). *********************** ‘Money rich poor, time poor’: the need to escape after long hours of working has stimulated the demand for new forms of entertainment and recreation, (Smith 2006: 220). ************************* ‘Constructive chillers’: offers experiences that allow visitors to do something worthwhile and relax at the same time, for example, visitors might meet a friend in the museum for lunch and then browse in the shop, (Slater 2007: 96 in Rentschler and Hede 2007 ).
The new museum should meet a combination of these motivations, needs, lifestyles and aspirations in order to identify and drive their marketing communication strategies to attract visitors, (Slater, 2007). Museums have become relevant institutions for cities because of arts acting as a potent magnet for destinations, engaging people to stay and spend money in the local economy, (Smith, 2003). Consequently, the changing museum role is not only a challenge for museum managers but also for cities managers who want to enhance their images towards a more creative and cultural positioning through cultural attractions.
Museums and their role into creative cities
Creative cities are mainly born to strengthen the arts and the art industry as well as cultural institutions. Cities such as London, Amsterdam, Berlin or New York are considered creative attracting and sustaining young talents (Cooke and Lazzeretti, 2008) According to Landry (2001) bringing young talents will be able to mobilize and push new ideas in creative organizations and cultural institutions.
Fuentes La Roche (2008) suggests that when art and artists move to depressed areas used to translate in a cultural and economic development, it increases the number of visitors and even the number of citizens. They are attracted by creative atmosphere and add value to the leisure offer modifying consequently the image of the city. In addition, Florida (2008) suggests that the best cities where people want to live are those cities with the most dynamic cultural institutions and whose strategy is to attract a creative class (Fuentes La Roche, 2008). Museums have an important role in cities in order to support them and promote themselves as cultural centres for internal audiences (citizens) and for external audiences (visitors) (Deffner and Metaxas, 2006) and in preserving the identity of the city as well as performing various functions as a centre for the urban life of the city (Jong Ho, 2008).
On the other hand, a research report commissioned by the Museum, Library and Archive Council (MLA) in UK (2004) sp about the contribution of museums to the city in terms of: >> Museums as an economic impact.
>> Museums as key partners in travel: museums are one o major attractions for both domestic and international tour >> Museums and regeneration.
>> Museums as civic and community spaces: museums gathering places for people to meet and spend time with fa and friends.
>> Museums as catalysts for individual creativity and inspir >> Museums as centres of research and inspiration.
>> Museums as agents for social change and promotin intercultural understanding.
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Hence, museums are becoming relevant institutions and play a significant role in supporting and contributing to cities (MLA, 20064). The identity of big cities like London and New York are largely due to having museums such as the Tate or MoMa (Fuentes La Roche, 2008). Lord (2008) supports this idea saying that ‘It is increasingly acknowledged that the museum has become an engine of urban design’. In addition, the architecture of museums makes them city attractions (Young kim, 2008). An example of this is the future project in the construction of Louvre and Guggenheim in Abu Dabi in order to transform itself into the Arab Emirates capital of culture (Fuentes La Roche, 2008). The result is the constant planning for and creation of what could be described as “super-museums,” which receive international recognition for their splendour and are hailed as the new multifunctional means of renewal of the urban areas, (Baniotopoulou, 2001).
SO >> Why museum
>> What is the real importance
>> Who shou
>> What is the importance fo >> What is the contribution of
O ... ms need a brand?
e of branding museums today?
uld create it?
or cities to have a museum? museum brand to city brand?
What do managers from marketing and communication museums departments, brand consultancies and public cultural organization think about branding museums and their contribution to the city brand?
Fin
ndings
Most of the professionals interviewed considered that branding a museum as an essential
requirement today, In most cases, branding a
museum was relative to the size of the institution, being crucial for larger ones. Other respondents mentioned that branding a museum would
depend on what their museum’s objectives are. Museums have started a new phase in their
histories, incorporating branding strategies as a
new way to present and adapt themselves to new society demands.
“The importance of that is to answer the question ‘why?’ brands can help museums assert their importance, increase their presence, and unlock their potential”
(Head of Media communications, Wolff Olins)
**************************
“I think that we are in one of the most important historic moments in the museology history…” (Head of communication, Centro de Arte Reina Sofía)
“I consider that museums should take care about branding because they could become in a pure commercial concept as well as the museums could only be associated with consumerism. As I has mentioned before, we are living in a consumerist society that we cannot forget, it is a reality, but I think that it consumerist society should have a balance with a museum project… it means, that museums don’t become only as a hook for cultural tourism, because sometimes the concept of cultural brand is in relationship with this new movement in cultural tourism consumption”. (Head of communication, Centro de Arte Reina Sofía)
On the contrary, there was also criticism about attempts to commercialise the museum in
the way that museums could become a pure
commercial concept with the consequence of losing their integrity as cultural institutions.
Main reasons why branding museums is considered of relevant importance
1. Museums’ need for differentiation: Most of respondents in this study agreed that one of the benefits of branding museums was the need for differentiation due to the variety of leisure choices as well as the increased number of cultural attractions available to the general public today. The interviewees viewed that museums need to differentiate because they should compete not only with other museums and galleries but also for the leisure time and resources of the people as well as for the funds from governments and donators in order to get a relevant position in the people minds.
“…the competition for the leisure time, that’s not just visits to other museums and galleries. That’s shopping, going to parks, going to sports events, anything that takes people’s leisure time away from what we offer in museums and galleries” (Senior Marketing Manager, Tate Modern)
**************************
“…institutions which are competing for the time, the attention, the interest of the general public and of the people who are potentially donating money to the museums, the patrons. (Curator, Victoria & Albert Museum)
**************************
“…I think that the museums brands emerge because they are understanding that have to compete for the people time and resources assigned to leisure time” (Managing Director, Lord Cultural Resources)
“… to attract more visitors, a broader range of visitors, as well, from a broader cross-section of the population, that has been the overall benefit (of branding museum)” (Senior Marketing Manager, Tate Modern) **************************
“…evidently the concept of commercial brand put to the museum in the line of consumption. The museum is introducing itself in the list of leisure activities because it is a brand to consume. However, there is something positive in the way that people who don’t use to visit museums in their own cities and due to this cultural consumption they have visited museums in other cities, this help to become in a potential visitor in their own cities. This is without doubt positive” . (Head of communication, Centro de Arte Reina Sofía)
Main reasons why branding museums is considered of relevant importance
2. Attendance Another important reason to brand a museum was to ‘attract visitors’, allowing museums to continue growing. The respondents referred to attract visitors not only in terms their actual attendance but also of increasing visitors: broad tourist and engage new audiences even if they are not specialize in cultural consumption. Regarding these new audiences that don’t use to be involved in cultural activities, branding museums is positive when it would help to active them.
Main reasons why branding museums is considered of relevant importance
3. Segmentation Segmentation is important factor in order to bring relevant people to the museum, being essential for museums that are bigger enough. In this way, respondents considered that the brand museum values are transferred through each activity, exhibition, communication channel and so on in order to attract different audiences. In addition, younger audience was considered as value segmentation for the future of the organization.
“If the museum was large enough, under a certain size, you’d probably have to target yourself a specific market … If you’re creating a brand, you’re getting to deeply understand the kind of people who are coming, the kind of potential you have to move other ways … You understand what are their ways of life, and what are they doing at the weekend or on Thursday evening, and who are they doing it with, and what kind of people … to get young people, and children, and to have things for them to start to become tied into their memories of when they were young, that they feel very closely and affectionately towards a place they went to when they were young …” (EVP, Head of planning, Y&R EMEA)
“If the museum creates itself as a strong brand, it makes it much more difficult for a government to withdraw money, and it makes it much easier to attract money from patrons and from benefactors� (EVP, Head of planning, Y&R EMEA)
Main reasons why branding museums is considered of relevant importance
4. Public and private support. Economic support by governments as well as by private corporations, as an essential element for museums to survive. It was mentioned that the role of the brand would help to museums to have a distinctive and strong position face to governments and donators and subsequently to justify their taxpayers. If museums had not a strong brand then the funds from government could be invested in other social projects.
Main reasons why branding museums is considered of relevant importance
5. Internal museums benefits. Interviewees coincided that branding museum helped to build the institution in order to be addressed in one direction. They added that all activities should be carried out under the same values of the institution in order to guide the internal decisions of the museum in a coherent and consistent direction. It was translated to internal benefits for the museum in the way that museums could attract the right people who matched with the values of the museum.
“When you have defined the museum brand clearly, you build the brand in a consistent way and this is reflected in each one of the internal departments of the museum. When all your whole team shares this vision, those values, they are transmitted in each of the actions that the museum develops in order to get the audiences that museum is interested on, so what you’re doing is to help the institution to move forward toward one direction …” (Managing Director, Lord Cultural Resources)
“The strongest way has to be word-of-mouth, but you should encourage that a lot to build a brand. So, that needs to a strong PR department, with good relationship with the trade press, with the general press, media in general and so on” (Curator, Victoria & Albert Museum) *******************
“The overall experience of visiting the gallery has to be exceptionally good from the moment you enter the door to the moment you leave, and that includes things like the toilets, the welcome the front of house staff give you, the ease of which it is to get a ticket to a major exhibition. All those factors contribute to our overall brand” (Senior Marketing Manager, Tate Modern)
The branding process The museum brand process was associated with the way the brand is transmitted through every element and action that the museum develops. Interviewees mentioned the communication strategy as an important element in the process of brand developing: all pieces that museums create and develop in order to communicate each exhibition, programme or activity. On the other hand, respondents referred to the behaviour of staff, atmosphere, collection policy, architecture, building and all ways that the brand is presented to different audiences. Similarly, all museums elements are in continue interaction with the consumer, belonging to the whole consumer experience.
Successfully factors about museums that have an international coverage (MoMA, Guggenheim and Tate) were explored. Although respondents gave different opinions according to their individual point of view, all of them agreed that these museums are a benchmark for the rest of the museums. One of the main reasons mentioned was that these museums have known to adapt to people interests and needs.
“They are a referent, each one with good and bad things, they are a prototype of cultural brand building” (Head of communication, Centro de Arte Reina Sofía)
***************** “I think those museums are going to change in nature in the next 10-20 years and they will meet with that only to adapt for world in which they just want to be participants rather than just observers”. (Head of Media communications, Wolff Olins)
“… most museum directors are not good at projecting and nice warm image for their museum. It has to project; it has to counter the belief by most museum
curators that they are there to be academics that they are not there to sell the museum. They are not there to attract visitors. They are not there to make
money… and that can be very true of a lot’s of big museums and some of the biggest in London lack commercial attitude and need to have more of that” (EVP, Head of planning, Y&R EMEA)
**************************
“…museum managers have to think in the museum values as well as where
the museum wants to reach. Then the external consultants have to help to
put in perspective all elements gave by museum managers. The perfect is a combination between both”
(Managing Director, Lord Cultural Resources) ***************************
“I think larger museums, it helps to have outside consultants like us involved
because we bring a bit of experience of doing this, we bring perspective, and also ability to be neutral so that we can act as facilitators successfully” (Head of Media communications, Wolff Olins)
Managing branding museum process
It should be a combination between museum managers and external experts in branding. Both, museums as brand consultancies respondents, coincided that the external experts should help with their experience to develop the brand concept inside museums in order to obtain a commercial perspective as well as a neutral position, working as facilitators in branding process.
“A museum, an art centre, a production centre, a theatre … start to attract to different audiences that they are not the people who normally live in the city, they are a kind of tourists that the society didn’t use to see on the city, it is Bilbao situation, people didn’t use to see Japanese people and other foreigners …” (Manager, Fundación Arte Bilbao)
************************** “People need things to do as they are tourists…I think they give people an idea of how they are going to go around the city. Because the problem with most cities is that I’m not that sure what I’m going to do with them. I think, a lot of cities don’t have much to speak for people to want to see … And, I mean for a lot of cities it’s just a question of putting it on the map because before the Guggenheim appear in Bilbao, Bilbao didn’t exist to me.” (EVP, Head of planning, Y&R EMEA) ************************** “I think the museums attract people; they are visitor attractions … but also because they stand for something thoughtful and creative and not merely commercial.” (Head of Media communications, Wolff Olins
The contribution of museums brands to city brand
1. Museums brands as cultural attraction for the city brand. Respondents mentioned museums brands help to establish a direct association with the city of origin in the way that the museum becomes a cultural attraction attracting cultural tourists. Additionally, it was added that people need to do things as cultural tourists that they are; and the museums, as cultural attractions, start to introduce in the list of important things to visit in the city. On the other hand, museums brands become an attractive offer for cities in the way that they represent something more creative and worthy for cultured people. Museum brands belong to a new kind of city called ‘creative city’ that is actually emerging.
The contribution of museums brands to city brand
2. Museum brand contribute to general perception of the city. Most of the interviewees agreed that a museum brand help to contribute to the city brand image in terms of perceptions. Respondents mentioned the importance of having a museum brand enhanced the perceptions of the city brand in cultural aspects not only for visitors but also for citizens. They added terms as extra dimension, city status, increase of city visibility and the cultured city. Regarding the perception of citizens, respondents considered the pride of belonging along with the change of mentality towards the city. Another factor is the mutual collaboration between museums and tourist organisations when it came to promote the city.
“What the Guggenheim does is change the perception for the city because the first association that comes to your mind when you say Bilbao is ‘that’s where the Guggenheim is’… so it changes your initial opinion. It just generally changes the tone of the place … And because they affect other people and the people who live in the city …” (Curator, Victoria & Albert Museum)
“Museums can be important to attract tourist visitors and business visitors. They can help the economy of the city…” (EVP, Head of planning, Y&R EMEA)
************************** “From beginning the Guggenheim has had a good acceptance within Bilbao society. Guggenheim produced some doubts in local governments about funds in the way that if government helped to museum it could be a threat for local and regional funds for the arts. Afterwards, it has been shown that the funds and loans and other kind of government support not only the funds have been kept but also they have enhanced.” (Manager, Fundación Arte Bilbao)
The contribution of museums brands to city brand
3. Museums brand help to economic city development. Economics was considered an important factor in terms of external benefits for the city. Economic factor had a high association with cultural tourism consequences, in the way that if a city had a museum, the museum helped to bring more cultural tourists and citizens and subsequently permitted to create and develop more business and cultural institutions. In addition, other respondents mentioned that having a strong museum brand in the city not only garnered government support but also helped to generate new funds in order to support new and local art projects.
The contribution of museums brands to city brand
4. Museums brand help to develop urban spaces. Museums play an important role in place development, to push some areas of the city or the city as a whole. Urban regeneration: having a strong brand in one determinate place help to develop the area; bringing other cultural attractions and visitors. In addition, city needs of a urban regeneration plan (infrastructures) as support to the areas where the museum is going to be localized as well as to add value to the city. The museum in this case worked as an attractive reclaim for people who were interested in cultural attractions.
“Tate modern, its location in London, prior to it opening, was an area in need of mass renovation. It was not a tourist area, that area of the Southbank and Bankside. That area has really changed over the last eight or nine years, and the number of different cultural attractions that are now on the south bank – places like the Shakespeare’s Globe, the Millennium Bridge – there’s a whole destination, a whole area just designated as Bankside, which has really transformed it. I think that’s really similar to what has happened in Bilbao.”
(Senior Marketing Manager, Tate Modern)
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Conclusions Conclusions
A new orthodoxy has emerged regarding the cultural and creative sector within cities.
We are in a new age within creative and cultural sector where a big number of cities are adopting cultural and creative strategies as a distinctive alternative to reinvent themselves and to compete against other cities for cultural positioning in the marketplace. Increasingly, cultural attractions are being created. Museums, as cultural attractions, have become essential part of cultural and creative cities strategies to attract more visitors. There is an important movement into museums sector where museums around the world, especially in Europe, are changing their traditional roles to adapt to new society demands and facing to the needs of a changing world, considered as a new phase within the museology history by cultural practitioners.
The new museums role.
In this overall changing role, museums are becoming an interesting attraction within cities, helping to push to so called ‘creative’ or ‘cultural’ cities. Museum practitioners criticize the commercial aspects of marketing and branding strategies because of ‘art and commercialism are incompatible disciplines’. One of the biggest threats that branding presents is that museums will become purely a commercial concept, losing their integrity as cultural institutions.
Although practitioners criticized the commercial issues that ‘branding’ word produced, it was considered that branding has a significant importance, being inevitable the development of branding strategies to survive within a leisure-saturated society.
Criticism has emerged regarding branding museums. Guggenheim is one of the most controversial because of its global brand expansion, where its quality has been questioned. In this negative point there is also a positive aspect to be considered by cultural practitioners and policy makers in the way of if a museum has developed a strong brand and it is well-known abroad, can contribute to attract audiences that don’t usually visit museums in their place of origin or they are not usual visitors; it will be helping to wake up a cultural interest that haven’t been created in their cities before, could be applied to their cities of origin later. In spite of the Guggenheim critics, it can be demonstrated through statistics that Guggenheim has attracted a big number of national and international visitors.
Branding strategies present opportunities for museums as cultural institutions in the way that help to differentiate within a saturated marketplace, giving solutions to new demands of a sophisticated audience, as public’s interests and motivations have moved towards the search of a combination between education and entertainment. In this way, branding strategies help to evolve their museum roles from mere observers towards most participative ones, interacting with their audiences through each organization element.
Branding a museum presents a challenge for managers.
The museum manager should progress from a ‘custodial’ to an ‘entrepreneurial’ role in the way that managers should evolve towards the maintenance of the organization through creative programming such as using consultants strategically, preparing market analysis, and relationshipmarketing programmes facing new challenges of the actual society. According to the findings from professionals’ opinions, the development of a museum brand should be a combination between museums managers and professionals in branding in order to contribute, with enough experience, to the branding museum process. Hence, a commercial vision will be fundamental in order to carry out the new museums direction.
Museums needs for differentiation.
Museums now compete not only against other museums and galleries but also for the resources and time of the people. Leisure time has been widely investigated by a number of researchers, trying to understand the main drivers that push to people to make decisions about how they want to spend their free time. Museums start to introduce themselves as a viable alternative within the multiple possibilities that the marketplace offers them. Hence, museum brands are an important element to be developed in order to attract visitors, and especially, new audiences being the segmentation crucial for larger museums to understand audiences’ interests.
A strong brand helps to keep and get funds.
Funds are fundamental for museums to survive, without money there isn’t any form to live within marketplace even more competitive and full of alternatives. Evidently, governments and private sector will invest more money and efforts in those institutions that have a greater recognition and prestigious and subsequently a local and international repercussion. For governments and private sector will be easier to keep their funds in those strong institutions more than others with a weak perception.
The creation of museum brand strong enough helps to keep and get funds from governments and private donators. Today, in moments of uncertainty where governments are reducing and spreading the funds with other cultural attractions, museums need to have a strong position into cities and a relevant role for citizens and visitors in order to justify their government’s funds and to be more active supporters.
Branding helps to the organization internally.
Branding acts as a bridge between institution objectives and demands of their actual and potential audiences. Therefore, branding museums help to address the institution towards one single direction. It will help to museums to develop their concepts under an umbrella of institutional values.
The capacity of developing internal benefits for the organization in the way that brand helps to address the museum under the institution values in a coherent and consistent direction in order to achieve the objectives of the institution. If museums have not clearly defined what their values are along with their mission, they will communicate different messages towards different directions, could create a confusion not only for visitors but also for artists, governments, private donators and own staff.
Branding museums is something more that a mere marketing tool.
Branding a museum is not a wrapper, branding is every element that the museum develops and creates to establish a contact point with their audiences.
Branding museums is much more than a process of transmitting their values through each aspect of the organization. Following the idea of Neumeier (2005), a brand is a person’s gut feeling about the organization; branding a museum is each exhibition, activity, program, communication; it is the building, atmosphere, staff, website, shops and so on. In summary, it is the holistic consumer experience that the museum creates and how they inspire their visitors through every single element. From the pre-visit, during visit to the post-visit, museums should translate this feeling using different tools in order to engage with the interests and needs of their audiences, creating a strong affinity and consequently develop loyalty of the brand. People need to feel attracted and inspired by museums at all times. People need to know what is going on in the museum, trying to attract them and making the consumer experience different each time.
Museums are playing an important role strongly associated with their cities of origin that seek to attract cultured tourists.
Museums around the world are introducing themselves into the shortlist of attractions to be visited by cultural tourists, belonging to a new generation of must-sees within cities. Cities are branding themselves through cultural attractions such as the examples that have been shown in the literature review (Sydney Opera House and Guggenheim in Bilbao). Other examples such as the offshoots of Louvre and Guggenheim that will be opened in Abu Dabi in order to become a cultural island called Al Saadiyat. Cities should have something to offer their visitors, tangibles; people need to know what they can do as tourists in the city and what kind of attractions cities can offer them to call their attention. The change of perception towards a positive and cultured city image is not only for outsiders but also for citizens. Cultural cities with cultural attractions help citizens to be more critical and drive their minds towards cultural values helping to develop pride of belonging to a city.
In spite of the apparent lack of information regarding how a museum brand can enhance or contribute to the city brand. An ongoing research using BrandAssetValuatorŽ at Y&R EMEA 2008 has unveiled results that appear to support the key research of this study. For instance, there is evidence of a clear alignment between the brand image of Bilbao and the city’s main museum – the Guggenheim. exits a direct relationship between a museum brand image and a city brand image in the way that they influence and enrich each other. The Bilbao image is the same as the Guggenheim image. In contrast, images have been compared with other cities and museums in Europe and there is evidence that there exists a relation between their images but on a smaller scale.
There is evidence that cities with a post industrial background are mainly associated with negative characteristics. In situations like these the art and cultural industries are fundamental components that help push a city’s image.
It can be considered as logic in the way that the Bilbao city image was rebranded through Guggenheim. Due to the early stages of this research project, this finding should be analysed in depth in future researches.
Economics are important.
The report by the Museum, Library and Archive Council (MLA) in UK (2004) refers to an overall turnover of £715 million in 2003/4 with the national museums and with more of 40,000 employees in the UK. Museum brands can help the economic development in the city in terms of developing other cultural institutions, tourism, new business, infrastructures and so on. However, in this economic development there is an important point to be considered: a museum brand can help to bring people as hook for the city but cannot be exclusively responsible for the city’s success.
A museum is not enough to push city image. Museums can be an excuse to travel to a determinate place but is not a guarantee. If a city wants positioning as cultural destination, it should develop a whole urban regeneration plan in order to support its value and competitive advantage. Furthermore, museums and public organizations responsible for city promoting as well as other public organizations in cultural development should collaborate on a unique direction in order to create synergies between them.
Museums need to be supported by the city face to citizens and visitors. In the case of Bilbao, was necessary the development of strong plan in urban regeneration in order to support the promise of city cultural value, where a big number of new cultural institutions as well as the new infrastructures have been created. Guggenheim helped to contribute with its prestigious and recognition brand in order to push the city image and consequently the economic development. Each city is different and that the cultural strategies and museums specially can help to enhance the perception of the city is a reality, but have before to think in a museum as solution for cities should be considered other multiples factors before to start in this new way of refocus the city.
Carmen Ruiz 速 2009. carmen.ruizcardenas@hotmail.com