Authenticity at Historic Royal PalacesA case study exploring visitor perceptions of authenticity in a heritage contextDecember 2015

2 Visitor perceptions of authenticity at Historic Royal Palaces December 2015 case study

Authenticity at Historic Royal Palaces By combining bespoke in situ and

conceptual research with Culture Segments insight, Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) have opened the door to an informative understanding of how their priority and potential audiences engage with the complex notion of authenticity.

Discovering visitors’ emotional and intellectual perceptions of authenticity has deepened the relationship between Historic Royal Palaces and their audiences, revealed the strategic importance of authenticity, and has made a significant impact upon thinking about interpretation, presentation and audiences right across the organisation.

ContentsAuthenticity and the audience 3

A fresh approach for an age-old concept 4

Results 6

The Authenticity Research project was a finalist in the AQR Qualitative Excellence Award 2015.

3 Visitor perceptions of authenticity at Historic Royal Palaces December 2015 case study

Authenticity and the audienceHistoric Royal Palaces (HRP) is an independent charity driven by a cause: to help everyone explore how monarchs and people shaped society in some of the greatest palaces ever built. A fundamental part of HRP’s offer is their physical presence; their spectacular palaces offer visitors the chance to ‘travel back in time’ by immersing themselves in the stories of those who lived there.

In 2014, HRP asked Morris Hargreaves McIntyre (MHM) to help them understand visitor attitudes to a very challenging and much more conceptual notion at the heart their organisation: the role of authenticity.

This meant delving into historical context, semiotics and societal interpretation, as well as audience perception.

HRP wanted to know what visitors understand by the term ‘authenticity’, how it influenced the visitor experience, audience engagement and the audience’s affinity with their organisation.

Strategic insight into authenticity, and more importantly, into authenticity and audience engagement, would allow HRP to better serve their current visitors, reach out to potential audiences, and shape their projects and interpretive practices in the future.

It was an ambitious idea, with the potential to extend beyond one case study and stimulate action across the institution, as well as to inform, and be of use to, the wider heritage sector.

HRP is an Independent Research Organisation (IRO) and, as well as having a practical impact, the authenticity visitor research is informing a research project looking at visitor perceptions of authenticity in the context of the wider academic debate about authenticity.

Outputs have included a workshop at an ICOM-DEMHIST conference, an article in the conference proceedings and the HRP team are currently working on other potential publications and papers. If you have any questions about the detail of the Authenticity research, please email Aileen Piece, Interpretation Manager, at HRP at aileen.pierce@hrp.org.uk.

www.hrp.org.uk

4 Visitor perceptions of authenticity at Historic Royal Palaces December 2015 case study

A fresh approach for an age-old conceptSuch a unique project required an innovative approach and a bespoke research methodology: we wanted to go over very big questions with an incredibly fine toothcomb. At MHM we pride ourselves on measuring the un‑measurable, from attitudinal audience behaviour, to the impact of abstract theory on cultural venues. For this project, we needed to do both.

HRP Culture Segments has already provided the organisation with a common language around audiences and is informing marketing, digital, interpretation and education strategies that put audiences first. For this project, HRP wanted to focus on priority segments in both visitors and non-visitors (Expression, Essence, Affirmation and Enrichment), and we used our existing knowledge of their audiences to create a bespoke methodology.

HRP’s segments have idiosyncratic motivations, values and needs that impact upon their cultural choices and affinities, and we designed our research around these traits in order to encompass their different attitudes and learning styles.

The research was undertaken in two phases. The first, more qualitative phase allowed us to test completely unprompted responses to authenticity. We then developed the common themes drawn out through these responses and were able to test them further through the second quantitative phase.

Phase 1: formative qualitative researchUsing one of HRP’s most well-known venues – Hampton Court Palace – as a case study, we set about exploring the nuanced notion of authenticity in an historic venue.

We first conducted a literature review around the classic and contemporary implications of authenticity, in order to supplement our own primary research.

SemioticsTo explore the existing complexity around the concepts and language associated with authenticity, we also undertook a semiotic analysis of how people might construct and articulate their understanding of what something means to be authentic, from the surrounding culture.

Taking that literature review and semiotic analysis into account, MHM worked closely with HRP to formulate an interactive, engaging approach focusing on qualitative research: a multifaceted concept necessitated a multifaceted plan.

Whilst traditional qualitative research methods normally take an ‘inside-out’ method, focusing on perceptions that we assume exist in other people’s heads, we incorporated an element of ‘outside-in’ research, acknowledging that attitudes to authenticity may have been influenced by surrounding culture.

We invited a sample of 48 visitors and non-visitors to Hampton Court Palace to conduct intensive in situ and conceptual research. MHM pioneered the audience forum approach – by bringing together a large sample of participants we were able to work closely with a wide range of people, retaining

5 Visitor perceptions of authenticity at Historic Royal Palaces December 2015 case study

the depth of a focus group, but expanding our sample size and encouraging participants to propose their own ideas and concerns.

The audience forum day included lectures by in-venue experts, visits to different parts of the palace, observations, fi lmed responses, semiotic analysis and group research – an HRP audience-focused, HRP vision-led exploration of emotional, intellectual and practical responses to the idea of authenticity.

As part of the Phase 1 research we developed the model to the right to demonstrate what makes a heritage attraction more or less authentic.

Phase 2: research and methodologyThe qualitative research from Phase 1 gave HRP a nuanced understanding of visitor attitudes to authenticity. It showed that visitors have quite a sophisticated grasp of some of the issues and HRP decided to explore some of the most important questions further with a large quantitative survey across three palaces, covering more than 2,000 visitors. The large sample size was extremely important as it has allowed us to draw statistically-signifi cant conclusions about attitudes to authenticity in different audience segments.

Places that pander to tourism at the expense of the history

Reconstructed

Not well documented

Too much renovation meaning it is not true to the time

No room for imagination

Buildings that have been modernised

Little acknowledgement of the history

Recreated as it was

Restored to former glory

Takes you back in time

Allows you to imagine what life was like

True and unspoiled

Somewhere of historic importance

Truthful – restoration is acknowledged

Well researched

Original features are true to the period

What makes a heritage attraction less and more authentic

Less authentic More authentic

6 Visitor perceptions of authenticity at Historic Royal Palaces December 2015 case study

ResultsAnalysis of the literature review and the audience forum was extremely revealing, emphasising not only the complexity of authenticity as a concept, but also highlighting just how important it is to audience engagement, and particularly audience investment, in an organisation.

We found that opinions on authenticity are divided, but frequently impassioned, with several key themes emerging. The key finding was, that while visitors strongly agreed that historic building fabric and objects are important, their primary response to authenticity is emotional. Whether a space feels authentic is not simply about the material originality of the building and objects. Re-creations, human and multi-sensory experiences were often seen as adding to authenticity.

However, visitors also place a great deal of importance on the opportunity to see original objects in their original context.

Most importantly, they said they trust HRP to do the research and make these informed choices.

‘It didn’t have that, sort of, historic feel about it. So it is very important to have that feel of authenticity.’ Essence, non-visitor

Participants in the forum found the discussions on authenticity to be emotionally and intellectually stimulating, as the eclectic mix of research methods allowed them to really connect with the research topic, and the venue itself.

The combination of the deep insights gained from the qualitative research and the statistically-significant evidence from the quantitative research, has created a very robust and convincing set of conclusions which now informs the way HRP thinks about presenting historic spaces and designing within them.

The results of this ground-breaking research have impacted in powerful, tangible ways right across the organisation. The research has been presented widely within HRP and is embedded in their thinking and planning processes for all interpretation projects. For example, when thinking about exhibition design, HRP knows

that ensuring authenticity of experience is key for most of their visitors. The research is also informing thinking in other departments and authenticity is now a lens through which all visitor research projects are considered.

As a result of the research, HRP also understands the differences in attitudes, behaviours and preferences of each segment and they can make informed, strategic decisions about which interpretive approaches will either resonate with, or alienate, a particular segment. The research highlighted some real challenges in meeting competing audience demands in a single space – how to satisfy the visitor who wants an immersive experience and doesn’t want any information about reconstruction to break the ‘magic’, in the same room as a visitor who wants lots of information about the reconstruction process.

Combining the primary research with the well-established HRP segments will allow HRP to make considered decisions, representing a range of audiences with a range of desires. With MHM’s bespoke insight, HRP can now confidentially cater for different attitudes to authenticity in their future organisational and audience development plans, as well as in their research and interpretation strategies.

mhminsight.com

‘The insight from the authenticity research, hasn’t just informed findings for subsequent research projects, it also informs research design. It helps us to understand and craft our research questions for new projects.’Aileen PIerce, Interpretation Manager, Historic Royal Palaces

Morris Hargreaves McIntyre is an award-winning creative research consultancy. We use consumer insight to help organisations transform their relationships with audiences.

We are passionate about understanding cultural consumers, getting to the heart of issues that matter to you and making practical recommendations.

All projects are different, but the value we add is constant. We measure our success by the impact we have on the organisations we work with.