Research report

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 1

Executive Summary Background of the research

The research done for the Client, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art (OKCMOA), will serve in conceptualizing the membership of the OKCMOA by identifying current attitudes toward membership by members as well as potential members. Through research and planning, the goal of Panoply Three is to support and enhance the research plans that the museum already has in place. After discussing with the client, it has been determined that one of the main issues is the subject of membership. With the OKCMOA being a not for profit entity, one must look at what makes people want to belong to organizations like these, as well as what they expect to get back from the organization once they do belong. There are many types of people that are not museum members, but still come in contact with the museum. These are all potential members that should be considered during the research process. Research must also be done on these subgroups in order to find out what the museum can do to assist them in making the decision to become long-­‐ term, consistent visitors and members of the museum.

In this research report there will be discussion over preliminary research, secondary research, a situation analysis and potential research methods for the campaign. Panoply Three will collaborate with the client over the next one to two weeks to finalize the campaign objectives, research questions and methods of qualitative and quantitative research that will be conducted.

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 2 Purpose of Preliminary Research

The purpose of this research is to assist the OKCMOA in creating and

implementing a research campaign with an emphasis on membership. Multiple sources and articles from several outlets were used to compile this information about museums, the museum industry as a whole and membership as it relates to museums. The purpose of the preliminary research is to gain information before creating the qualitative and quantitative research campaign. The more insight that exists, the more effective the rest of the campaign will be.

Secondary Research

For the preliminary secondary research, focus was put on learning as much

about traditional attitudes toward museums and membership in order to compare this information to the current attitudes of the OKCMOA’s members and target audiences posses. While finding scholarly articles to provide a well-­‐rounded and sound base of information, Panoply Three also looked at current, more unique sources and articles to get a more in-­‐depth perspective. While selecting these unique articles credibility was a very important part of the decision.

Primary Research Focus

The primary research is predicted to focus on members, museumgoers and

potential members. Through a series of surveys, focus groups and interviews, primary research data will be collected and analyzed at the end of the campaign.

These statistics, combined with the collaborated research between Panoply Three and the OKCMOA will aid in the overall objective of answering the specified research questions.

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 3 Recommendations In this step of the campaign, it is suggested that a discussion with the client about past research and results that have been found to take place. The more knowledge gained by members of Panoply Three, the more accurately the campaign will align with the needs of the OKCMOA. It is also recommended that conversations about potential methods of primary research be discussed in further detail. Access to old surveys and survey results or any other kind of qualitative or quantitative research would be of great use.

Introduction: Reasons for Doing Research Research is the foundation upon which successful campaigns are built. The research done by Panoply Three will aim to supplement the research being done by the OKCMOA to assist it in its future endeavors of building a successful campaign.

After discussions with the client, the assumption currently is that the museum’s end objective is to not only keep current members pleased but also increase membership numbers. In increasing membership, it is a sub-­‐goal that members will become more diversified. This research also has the potential to shed light on how to gain these more diverse members.

Situation Analysis Current State and Reputation of the Organization While the research campaign’s objective is to shed light on this area, there are some things currently known. For example, it is clear that many the museum’s 5,000

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 4 members are very active and vocal. Conversations with the client revealed that members are very active on social media; they enjoy and seek communication with the client. When the client does not communicate, the members will reach out to the client. It is also understood that the client’s current state includes a somewhat elaborate membership system. The OKCMOA has a well-­‐developed website, e-­‐ newsletter that is sent out three times per week and a monthly newsletter that includes a schedule of events.

The OKCMOA is currently the only organization to show short films in the Oklahoma City Area. A more accurate current reputation for the organization will be revealed after the research is concluded and analyzed. However, any previous research the museum has conducted will help shed light on past perceptions.

Main Issues Studied The main issues studied will be different aspects and opinions surrounding current membership and potential membership. In this, attitudes and opinions toward the museum in general will also be revealed. This research aims to study why frequent visitors of the museum that are not currently members have chosen not to participate in the membership program. It also aims to study the opinions and attitudes of current members and what they value in their membership and what they do not value in their membership. Increasing and decreasing trends in membership will be studied as well as the attitudes and opinions by visitors about the museum industry as a whole and how that relates to the OKCMOA.

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 5 Organization Performance in Relations to Identified Issue Currently the museum has identified its most frequent visitor as affluent, middle aged, white women. It is currently known that the museum has 5,000 members.

According to annual reports from the website, it appears as though this number has plateaued in the last three to five years or so, either increasing or decreasing by a very small amount since about 2009. If the client provides a market segmentation study, it will assist in creating a benchmark for the organization’s current performance. As previously stated, any other past research or reports will also aid in the creation of a benchmark and current state of the organization.

Environmental Analysis Panoply Three hopes to cross analyze the political, economical, social and technical issues to assess how these factors exist in relation to the core problem and opportunity of the campaign. These findings will help form specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and timely goals and objectives. Through these analyses, the client will be able to see, through evaluation and cross-­‐referencing, what aspects of the research campaign can be used in the rest of their campaign. The client must understand characteristics of its environment to better understand its publics.

External Environment (Oklahoma City Area) Oklahoma City, home to the OKCMOA, is a mid-­‐sized city and the state capitol of Oklahoma. The population of Oklahoma City is just below 600,000, with a population density of 956.4 persons per square mile. According to the Census bureau, 62.7 percent of the population is white, with 15.1 percent being African American, and 17.2 percent being Hispanic or Latino. The City is 50.8 percent

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 6 female, with a relatively young population, having just 11.3 percent of its population over the age of 65. This means that in order to attract a larger amount of young people to the museum, the OKCMOA is in a good environment to do so.

Museum Industry The museum industry as a whole has been associated with an elitist stigma for quite some time and this is a concern that the OKCMOA has expressed. This is an issue that will be discussed further in depth during the situation analysis. With thousands of museums in the United States, it is difficult for just one museum to break this stigma and be seen as a part of a community. In this analysis, a discussion of opportunities and threats associated with this stigma will be made in order to further understand the client and its relationship to the museum industry as well as the Oklahoma City community. The potential for interviews, surveys and focus groups has been discussed with the client to assist in getting a better understanding of this perception and its prevalence in the Oklahoma City area.

Competition Among the competitors for entertainment dollars are the Science Museum of Oklahoma, The Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, The Oklahoma History Center and The Oklahoma Museum of Osteology. Non-­‐museum-­‐oriented competition comes in the form of the various art galleries, restaurants and bars within Oklahoma City, particularly in the Paseo and Brick town areas. These areas are also potential drains for younger museum members to spend their entertainment money.

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 7 Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholders include donors, employees, visitors, members, schools, the museum industry, Oklahoma City, scholars and local artists. Further identification of stakeholders will come from the market segmentation study provided by the client.

Academic Peer-­‐reviewed Secondary Research Major Findings In this section, the secondary researched gathered thus far will be summarized and analyzed for the benefit and further understanding of the issues facing the OKCMOA. After each explanation, the issues within each piece of research will be related back to the issues facing the OKCMOA. From analysis of the research a few major findings have been revealed. For example, there are several tangible factors that are considered by potential members when considering a museum membership, but there are also certain intangible factors that can contribute to membership decisoins. These intangible factors can actually contribute even more to whether or not a membership is purchased or renewed after a certain period of time. These and other factors are determinants in whether a relationship between members and a museum can grow and become engrained within the lives of its patrons, or become “stalled” and falter.

The research also goes into what this term means and the implications for both member and museum alike. Additionally, the research points out that many museums around the country are experimenting with different interpretations to the member-­‐museum relationship, ranging from free admission to the general public, to live music, alcohol, and various other “perks” to members while maintaining a fee for the general public.

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 8

Literature Review Bhattacharya, Rao, & Glynn analyzed the degree to which members identify with the organizations that they are members of, in this case art museums like the OKCMOA. The researchers investigate members’ organizational characteristics, affiliation characteristics and activity characteristics in terms of social identity theory. The survey findings produced through the research process revealed that member identification is positively related to perceiving the organization as prestigious.

Other factors include donation activity and visiting frequency. Social identity theory could potentially lead to new understandings of the target audience for the OKCMOA, as well as other communication theories such as expectancy-­‐violation and attribution theory.

Austin Montgomery wrote an article in Chicago Talks about the art museum industry embracing the change in the long-­‐held stigma of “snootiness” that has been associated with art museum membership and attendance. The article states that by establishing relationships with local artists, bars and restaurants, art museums are establishing themselves as bastions of the community, rather than a safe-­‐haven for the elite from the rest of society. According to the article, other factors to consider when attempting to increase membership and attendance include collaborations with local musicians and the addition of alcoholic beverages to the museum experience. The OKCMOA is in a great place to utilize some of this knowledge considering that it is in a great area for collaboration with other entities and organizations.

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 9 Maher, Clark & Motley conducted a research study to measure service quality of a children’s museum. Maintaining that museums are inherently service entities, they must now try harder to compete for the entertainment dollars of the modern consumer. The research shows that while families can benefit the most from a museum membership economically, they are among the least likely to purchase a membership. The OKCMOA’s membership has traditionally consisted of older, affluent, educated, white women, and could possibly benefit from a more active family presence within its membership.

D.E.J. Pett analyzed the use of social media amongst museums in Britain, and how the use of social media can benefit museums by bringing in younger patrons and members. As a marketing tool, the article suggests creating an online brand in order to attract younger members to a museum and creating a “strong research presence” (Pett). This would allow for tools such as micro updates, photo/video-­‐sharing, mobile applications, and new archiving tools to be accessible to the museum. The OKCMOA has a solid social media presence thus far, with over 19,000 Twitter followers and over 18,000 Facebook likes. Social media, however, is always changing and therefore, must be analyzed in various ways to expand and better the presence of the OKCMOA’s.

Reavey, Howley, & Korschun addressed the issue of stalled and waning relationships amongst current art museum members. The researchers studied those who failed to renew or foster a relationship with the museum in particular. The researchers address what they call a “stalled” relationship with art museums, in which they “discontinue their formal museum membership yet maintain a positive

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 10 psychological affiliation with the museum” (Reavey, Howley, & Korschun). The studies find that members who leave their membership often do not place blame on the museum when they exit the relationship. The second study analyzes why this phenomenon occurs. These “stalled” relationships could be a potential problem for the OKCMOA, and therefore, will be researched further.

Paswan and Troy address the research issue of motivation for entering into a membership within a museum, particularly in relation to the different levels of museum membership. They found that museum membership motivation is comprised of many different levels of motivation, ranging from tangible to intangible benefits. There are also implications about motivation in regards to philanthropy and social recognition. The issue of income has significant implications on whether or not members rise up to higher levels of membership or continue their membership at its current level. Further researched is required in regards to how many members of each level are affiliated with the OKCMOA. This information is relevant the various levels of membership offered by the OKCMOA. John Falk interviewed hundreds of art museum visitors, and hypothesized that “visitors have a working model of what an art museum affords and self-­‐select to use the museum based on a limited set of identity-­‐related aspects associated with self-­‐ identification” (Falk, 2014). Using these aspects, visitors justify their visit retroactively after it is finished. This information is relevant because it allows for an understanding of how and why individuals are motivated to become members of the OKCMOA, and further, why individuals decide to stay members of the OKCMOA.

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 11 Robbins and Robbins have defined that market segmentation is a key factor in increasing the probability of museum attendance and membership. The OKCMOA has done a great job thus far of identifying its niche markets. We know from our initial research that the majority of members are affluent, older, educated white women. We also know from our client that membership amongst younger demographics is not where the museum would like it to be. Robbins and Robbins maintain that there is potential in the moderate attendee market. Depending on how the numbers for each membership work out, moderate museum attendees seem to be a large portion of the profit-­‐generating population, and according to Robbins and Robbins “This market segment appears to be worth pursuing because of its size and potential” (Robbins & Robbins 74). This information is relevant in that it allows the OKCMOA to pinpoint where it is most likely to succeed in targeting members of the population for addressing membership.

Glynn et al. explored the concept of art museum membership and cultural distinction in terms of the benefits that are received with a museum membership in comparison to how the individuals feel about each of these benefits. The study honed its focus to two particular areas of the membership schema: free museum admission and invitations to special museum events. After analyzing these tangible benefits, the Glynn et al. article goes on to note that “while 90 percent of members report that they are likely or very likely to renew their membership the following year, less than one-­‐fifth of the membership visited the museum six or more times in the previous year, the approximate point at which the member begins to realize the economic gains from the free admission benefit of a membership”(Glynn et al. 261).

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 12 This means that in at least some part, the motivations for entering a museum as a member or maintaining a membership are not solely economical. This information is relevant to the OKCMOA because it addresses several of the “intangible” factors of deciding to purchase a museum membership that can be difficult to measure.

New York Times contributor Elizabeth Olsen wrote an article regarding museums trying to gain a steady following of repeat visitors by creating a more accessible and friendly atmosphere in an attempt to get away from the “snooty” image of museums.

The article addresses that as baby-­‐boomers age, their entertainment dollars get stretched to different venues, and that by recruiting a younger audience, and museums can gain more long-­‐term patrons. Some museums have experimented with eliminating their attendance fees altogether to encourage younger patrons to come and visit, while others keep their fees but encourage “rewards programs” for repeated attendance, such as dining discounts or invitations to exclusive events. An emphasis on atmosphere is being increasingly experimented with among many museums, incorporating live music, food, and alcoholic beverages to encourage an all-­‐encompassing museum experience. Critics are weary of those museums that have eliminated their membership fees, however, saying that by allowing free admission essentially cuts the benefits of membership in half, which could lead to a possible decline in membership. The information in this article is relevant to the OKCMOA because it highlights two different systems and entails two possible projected outcomes, allowing for more informed decisions to be made in future endeavors.

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 13 Goals of the primary research Before starting secondary research, it was established that the museum had a strong member base as well as a strong social media presence and communications with there target audiences. It is also important to realize that there is always room for improvement when it comes to social media. The OKCMOA has expressed its desire to receive help in figuring out the characteristics of members as well as nonmembers, in order to strengthen the bond with current members and figure out what will make frequent visitors purchase a membership. The client also is considering implementing a free admission policy for the museum. In the initial client conversation, they stated their question of whether or not this will create a decline in membership numbers because of it affecting this huge membership benefit.

The goals of the primary research are to identify current attitudes of members and nonmembers in relation to museums in general and the OKCMOA, and also to gain an understanding of the characteristics of the typical membership holder. Another goal is to plot the “path to purchase” that current museum members go through and apply those findings to potential members. The “path to purchase” is designed to ask a series of questions that identify the thought process behind whether or not somebody chooses to leave the house at all, where he or she wants to go, why and more. This “path to purchase” study will also be conducted with infrequent museumgoers in an attempt to identify the thought process behind why they do or do not choose to go to the OKCMOA. Once important members and nonmembers have identified the most important benefits of membership, the OKCMOA can use

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 14 this information to improve the membership package if necessary to increase sales and continued membership. Panoply Three will search traditional media sites in order to find compelling content and research that can clearly be applied to the clients needs.

Traditional Media Search and Analysis Different databases were used in conducting secondary research to find peer-­‐ reviewed and scholarly articles as well as new articles from credible media sources.

Some of the databases and scholarly journals Panoply Three has used include JSTOR, Academia.edu, Journal of Marketing, International Journal of Arts Management, International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing along with articles form the New York Times and the Museum of Modern Art. The main keywords used to search for these articles contain, “museum,’” “membership” and “nonprofit.”

Major Findings The major themes of our findings are predicted to include the entertainment value of museums and other entertainment competitors. Discovering what the members consider to be their main benefit will also help to give insight on what the client should communicate to potential members. Another main finding could be how social media platforms can be used to reach new audiences. Findings will tell who the most typical visitor to the museum is. All major findings will have something to do with the issue of membership. Panoply Three will analyze findings from publications and programs in local, regional and national media. The firm will then apply it to the OKCMOA research campaign. Publications and media hits will be

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 15 investigated as well as the manner in which the media covers the museum industry as a whole, and the OKCMOA. Once it is known what the media and target audience are talking about and how they are talking about the museum industry, it will be assumed that the same is true for the OKCMOA. This information will be used to drive the research questions and campaign.

Conversational and Social Media Search Analysis The clients social media websites will be examined using databases such as Sprout, Social and Google Analytics in order to see which trends are most popular and which developments the target audience is most responsive to. It is important to monitor conversations within the region and state of the OKCMOA as well as conversations taking place outside of the state. The competition in the state must be analyzed in order to find out where potential museumgoers are spending their entertainment dollars. Postulations made about similar museums and the industry as a whole can also be assumed true about the OKCMOA. Border states with somewhat similar population and entertainment options can tell the client a lot about implementing plans to enhance membership and attendance. What is learned from these findings will be used to advise the client on more effective social media tactics and more efficient communications with members and nonmembers.

Primary Research Goals of Qualitative Research Study As a whole, qualitative research focuses more on the “what,” but also the “why” and “how” of the campaign. This qualitative research study aims to give insight on the

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 16 current attitudes of our publics as well as why they feel this way. This research will objectively measure the attitudes toward membership and the museum as a whole by members, as well as nonmembers. Statistics for these two groups will be analyzed separately. Qualitative research methods can be used effectively to gain insight on the visitors of the museum as well as potential customers for the museum.

Potential Research Questions Based on the discussion with the client about what the issues are that they are facing Panoply Three has created three possible research questions. Further collaboration with the client will establish the research questions and the direction the rest of the research campaign will continue in.

RQ1: What is stopping frequent museumgoers from becoming members?

RQ2: What do target publics see as the most valuable benefits of membership?

RQ3: How will making admission free affect the museum membership numbers?

Data gathering: Participant Observation Panoply Three will use participant observation in the museum, upon permission granted by the museum.

Data Gathering: Interviews Members of Panoply Three will informally interview visitors to the museum.

Data Gathering: Focus Groups Panoply Three will work along side the client to conduct three focus groups, each of which will emphasize a different target public.

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 17 Panoply Three will use the findings to triangulate and overlap with the secondary research. All findings will be compiled and the data will be analyzed and given to the client as a tool for the rest of their campaign.

Discussion The themes found in secondary research and qualitative studies will help Panoply Three to inform future campaign planning. These themes lead to the SWOT analysis of the client’s organization, as well as the underlying core problem and opportunity of membership. The research will also be used to help connect with a more diverse target audience.

Quantitative Research Similar to the qualitative research, the quantitative research aims to gain further insight to help answer research questions. The quantitative research will give objective findings to help establish a benchmark and a way to measure results. The OKCMOA has already created a survey to be distributed to members. Panoply Three hopes to create questions to add the survey in order to gain insight into the buyers mind.

Conclusion

The research conducted by Panoply Three for the client, the OKCMOA, will

serve to conceptualize the subject of membership, redefine membership and identify how members and nonmembers view the museum in the Oklahoma City area. The secondary research gathered has been summarized and analyzed and will be presented to the client to be used to implement a plan. The careful analysis of research conducted thus far in relation to the research given to Panoply Three by

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 18 the client will be used to finalize the next steps in the research campaign. After collectively deciding on a research plan with the client, Panoply Three will use the different research tactics discussed to assist the OKCOA in achieving its objective of setting a benchmark and gaining insight for a future campaign to increase and diversify membership.

Panoply Three-­‐ OKCMOA Research Report 19 References

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