I Like... Museums
Challenge
How can over 80 museums speak with one voice to raise their collective profile and encourage visits to more than one museum? In a unique joint venture, MLA North East, the North East Regional Museums Hub and museums across the region sought to target more 'difficult' audiences - families who aren't keen to try something new and 25-34 year olds who like the idea of culture but rarely visit a museum: how can they be motivated to visit museums they have never visited before?
Idea
'I like museums' is an ingenious solution to promoting many museums, yet still answering that all important question, "What's in it for me?"
We developed a brand based around the interests of the individual rather than the museum. Central to 'I like museums' is an interactive website with themed trails, either pre-set or featuring the ability to create your own trail based on personal interest. Each trail matches appropriate museums to the theme or interest. Additionally, we introduced an area where visitors can provide useful feedback on their museum experiences.
We created an integrated campaign encompassing regional newspapers and outdoor advertising on public transport, bus stations, leisure centres and cinemas. We ran competitions and promotions in newspapers and radio stations, as well as branded point of sale stands at each museum to cross promote other museums and encourage people to follow an entire museum trail.
The overall feel is vibrant and direct. It's about real people, and their needs and interests. It’s a broad appeal with an individual, human focus.
Response
To provoke an effective audience response requires a thorough understanding of their needs. We surveyed over 350 people spread across every age group, in order to test potential themes and test the visual style of the new brand.
This thorough preparation was borne out in the results. In the first eight weeks of the campaign the website received over 48,000 unique visitors with over 160,000 trail views. Users continue to create their own themed trails so the numbers of visitors steadily grows.
The interactivity and personalisation of the new brand represents a genuinely different approach to museums marketing. As Sheryl McGregor, Communications Manager of Tyne & Wear Museums says, 'Sumo has helped us turn museum marketing on its head.'