Slides from 28 September 2021, event hosted by Museo Nazionale Etrusco - Villa Giulia, Italy. Titled: Italy and the United States: Culture, Business, Economy. Investment Models for Economic Recovery. This presentation looks at the importance of brand + digital strategy in the success of museums and cultural heritage organizations, and includes a specific case study from the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
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Digital, Brand, and Impact
1. Digital, Brand, and Impact
Douglas Hegley, Chief Digital Officer
Italy and the United States: Culture, Business, Economy. Investment Models for Economic Recovery
28 September 2021
This presentation is shared: slideshare.net/dhegley
5. A strong Brand is NOT
Declaration – a promise Simply a logo
Story Sales pitch
Recognizable - quickly Obscure, unclear
Values – what you stand for An act or performance
Inspiring – including for employees Insincere
5
6. Brand and Product
Brand is a perception – it is what people think about you.
Product is created by the organization, can be copied.
Product is a thing Brand is a promise, a feeling or lifestyle, the fulfillment of a wish
6
8. Brand example: Disney
Product
Disney sells
• animated films
• amusement parks
• merchandise
Brand
Disney stands for
• family values
• making dreams come true
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10. Digital Branding Strategy - simplified
Brand – Who you are: your story, your values
Audience – Who you are seeking
10
GENERAL PUBLIC
THE ENGAGED,
CURIOUS
NICHE
11. Digital Branding Strategy - simplified
Brand – Who you are: your story, your values
Audience – Who you are seeking
Goal – Attendance, paid tickets, financial donations, membership
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12. Digital Branding Strategy - simplified
Brand – Who you are: your story, your values
Audience – Who you are seeking
Goal – Attendance, paid tickets, financial giving, membership
Quality Content – Especially video, social media posts
Digital Platform(s) – Choose (do one well)
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13. Digital Branding Strategy - simplified
Brand – Who you are: your story, your values
Audience – Who you are seeking
Goal – Attendance, paid tickets, financial giving, membership
Quality Content – Especially video, social media posts
Digital Platform(s) – Choose (do one well)
Measure – What is working?
Adjust & Repeat
13
17. The Psychological Continuum Model
Adapted from Funk & James (2001), The Psychological Continuum Model: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding an Individual’s Psychological Connection to Sport, Sports Management Review, vol. 4, 119-150.
BRAND
PRODUCT
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18. The Psychological Continuum Model
Adapted from Funk & James (2001), The Psychological Continuum Model: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding an Individual’s Psychological Connection to Sport, Sports Management Review, vol. 4, 119-150.
BRAND
PRODUCT
EXPERIENCES
TRUST
18
21. 21
2011:
“Despite heroic efforts ... and the significant investment of resources, the
museum has not been able to increase participation in most of the
categories ... (membership, attendance, school tours, web visits, contributions,
etc.)”
Source: Current Context and Environmental Scan: A Case for Change from DNA: Dynamic New Approach, 2012-2106 Strategic Plan, Minneapolis Institute of Art
22. 22
The Value Proposition
A new take on a classic art museum
where friends and family
can enjoy the triumphs of human creativity
24. Cultural Heritage Audiences
Demographics – younger, more diverse
Participatory
Mobile first
Social - who you are with is more important than learning
Stressed - A need to slow down
24
25. Why change the
brand?
The existing brand didn’t reflect the museum’s
renewed emphasis on audience engagement.
25
It is an honor to join you today. As we discuss the economic benefits that museums and cultural heritage sites can contribute to the local and national economy, I am going to focus on how we can help accomplish that using the combination of digital strategy and brand. I will move fast – please know that you will able to access this presentation on my slideshare account.
It is vital that digital strategy is firmly planted in the core values of our sector – of a quality to match the importance of cultural heritage, integrated into the overall vision and strategy, using technology that is flexible and adaptable, all leading to transformative and lasting change (not just digital window dressing).
When done well, digital can reach audiences everywhere, engage them with compelling content, and create real impact – actually changing people’s minds, hearts, and lives through the experience of our collections and our historic sites.
Let’s talk about Brand. What do I mean by this word?
A strong brand is very powerful.
Your Brand enables you to be strategic about how you communicate and promote your organization digitally.
A digital branding strategy empowers you to express your brand (story and values) to the audience that you are seeking.
Perhaps you believe that Brand is only important in the commercial sector – why would brand be important for cultural heritage?
Our primary product is EXPERIENCE – we sell experiences. And our brand promise is tied to impact – we promise a deeper level of connection, increased tolerance and empathy, and a confirmation a person’s sense of identity as a citizen of the world.
We have strong competition. Shopping, the cineplex, professional sports, travel, and even just sitting at home with a remote in your hand.
We can use our digital brand strategy to build stronger relationships with our audiences. I encourage you to research the Psychological Continuum Model. This could be the basis for an entire presentation and discussion, but I only have time to summarize today. As you can see, the model describes how audiences can move from basic awareness of your brand, to an attraction to your product (marketing is very effective here).
Experiences then lead to a sense of attachment, which in some cases can be moved into allegiance (or loyalty) when audiences trust your Brand and believe that ALL products will be wonderful. That’s the ideal situation – people don’t worry about what is the latest exhibition, they trust that ANY exhibition at your organization will be fantastic!
I’d like to share with you a case study.
The Minneapolis Institute of Art opened in 1915. Its permanent collection includes more than 90,000 works of art dating back over 5,000 years and representing the world’s diverse cultures across the globe. The museum has about 200 full time staff, an annual operating budget of more than $30 million US, and averages over 700,000 visitors per year (in the years just before the COVID-19 pandemic).
Ten years ago, the museum found itself – like so many others - working tirelessly and yet not experiencing growth to match that effort. It seemed as if hard work was not paying off.
Therefore the Minneapolis Institute of Art worked on understanding its unique market position and value proposition: what did it offer that others did not?
At the core of the museum’s strategic efforts was the recognition and alignment on the fact that it is all about people. We must put audience first.
Who are those people? Recent studies in the US indicate several important characteristics of modern-day audiences.
The time was right for the museum to take a hard look at how it was representing itself.
The old brand was stodgy, self-important, harsh, unwelcoming.
In use, the old brand was muted, hesitant, disjointed – often hard to see.
And part of that rebranding was a move from the M.I.A. (all capital letters) to “Mia” – pronounceable, human, relatable, friendly
Note the consistent and bold brand emphasis
From bus stops
To roadside signage
To digital – the website, Facebook, Twitter, etc. And what do we see represented? People! Of course the art work remains core and important, but the digital platforms show people engaging with the museum and each other.
This is how Mia applied the Psychological Continuum Model
So what happened as a result of this new brand?
Equally important, the staff of the museum was fully engaged, because they had been involved throughout the rebranding process and could see the impact it was making on the audiences.
Let’s tie this back to Digital. From my perspective, we must never lose sight of WHY we invest in digital technologies and experiences: To invite, welcome, and DELIGHT our audiences, whether they are visiting our sites or interacting with us online.
Because it is always about people – without our visitors, we are merely warehouses or buildings or abandoned ruins. It’s our audiences that bring our cultural heritage sites alive, and who inspire us to do our best work every day.
I deeply appreciate this opportunity to share these ideas and examples with you.