How Brand and Marketing Transformed the Victoria and Albert Museum
Sarah ArmondSenior Marketing ManagerFebruary 2014
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Introduction
Founded 1852, the Victoria and Albert Museum is the National Museum of Art and Design
Located in South Kensington, London
Hugely diverse collection including fashion, fashion, furniture, ceramics, glass, paintings, sculpture and photography from some of the world’s richest cultures
Large rolling exhibitions programme
In the top 10 most visited attractions in the UK
2012/13 – 3.3 annual visitors
1999 – Almost 900,00 visitors
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It really wasn’t good . . .
No shared vision or defined values
No sense of purpose
Bureaucratic
Disjointed silo internal culture
Image problem
Low visitor attendance
Poor fundraising record
Unhappy and unmotivated staff
In all, a failing organisation
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2001: a tipping point for change
British Galleries before renovation © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
British Galleries, reopened 2001 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
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3 main aims of the brand refreshment programme
to redefine the brand, the V&A’s purpose and values
to refresh our communications and visual identity
to instigate cultural change within the organisation
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Positive comments, indicating some signs of change . . .
“the diversity and breadth of the collections is unique”
“world class curators who are experts in their field”
“the Art Deco exhibition is big, beautiful, intelligent and seductive – a show it
would be ridiculous to miss”
“generally things are getting much better”
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but still a way to go . . .
“it’s very compartmentalised, there’s a lack of co-ordination and discipline”
“we’re not good at prioritising or seeing the big picture”
“decisions are made for the convenience of the museum, not the public”
“the museum is often aloof and intellectually detached. Curatorial intelligence is
deep but narrow”
“there’s an unwillingness to change, due largely to poor internal communications”
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The V&A blueprint
Mission StatementTo be the world’s leading museum of art and design, enriching people’s lives by promoting knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the designed world
Why we do it
to inspire creativity
through our knowledge
what we do
We run the world’s greatest museum of art and design
what we value
generosity
imagination
coherence
rigour
what we focus on
international/national creative industries access & audiences efficiency & effectiveness
how we do it
we use our unique collection to bring the past to life,
explore the contemporary and inspire the designers of
the future
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Design Refresh
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Organisational Change
CulturePlan – about people and how they relate to each other
To help develop an internal culture that is a true reflection of all that we project to the outside world
50+ champions for change, across the Museum, all levels
Action group – senior management and others who can make decisions
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Internal Communications
Investors in People report positive change:
“Communications here have improvedover the past 3 years”
“People are more confident that onemessage is being cascaded”
“Staff understand how they contribute tothe work of their department and to theV&A as a whole”
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Programming Fa
shio
n in
Moti
on
Frid
ay L
ate
Tem
pora
ry e
xh
ibit
ion
s
Pri
vate
vie
w
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Continuing our ambitious programme of renewal, restoration and redisplay
The Clothworkers’ Centre for Textiles and Fashion Study and Conservation © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Dr. Susan Weber Gallery for furniture © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The V&A Today
2012/13 3.3 million visitors
Origin 52% UK/ 48% Overseas
Gender 35% Male/ 65% Female
Frequency of Visit 55% Repeat/ 45% First-time
Ethnicity 84% White/ 16% non white
Socio Economic Status 61% Higher/ 7% Lower/ 32% Students/other
Age 7% under 15,
22% 16-24
33% 25-44
28% 45-64
10% 65+
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Visitor Profile
Audience Drivers
Exhibition programme (UK and overseas)
Permanent Collections and FuturePlan developments (UK and overseas)
V&A Digital (UK and overseas)
Events, activities, services (UK)
Membership (UK)
Audience focused events (UK)
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Marketing Channels
Advertising Outdoor (tube, bus, rail), press, radio, onsite and guidebooks
Promotional Partnerships Brand relationships, ticket offers, competitions and added value events
Digital Website, social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest), email, bloggers, content
Press and PR Press launches, releases, key images, previews, interviews, features and reviews
Print Distribution Posters, postcards, direct mail, third party distribution channels
Experiential Creative distribution, flash mobs
Sponsors Staff engagement, advertising, competitions
Word of Mouth
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Collaboration
Visit London/London and Partners – Market intelligence, campaigns
Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) – Lobbying
Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC)/Oyster – Ticket offers, campaigns
Overseas PR support
Ticketing Agency – Ticketing with international reach
Other Museums – Campaigns to promote free admission
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London for Free
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Evaluation
Visitor Research – Monthly exit surveys, evaluation
Benchmarking with other museums
Ticket Sales
Industry developments and new thinking
Media analysis
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Corporate campaign
69% of non-visiting museum groups have had their perceptions of the V&A changed for the better
Generating 100,000+ visitors a year
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It’s now so much better . . .
One of the world’s leading museums
Transformed reputation
3.3 million visitors a year
Beautifully restored buildings and galleries
Fundraising success
Clear and consistent design identity
Communications and Marketing core to business planning
Exciting and varied exhibition programme
A content provider, not just a content collector
Ambition to be a truly global museum brand
Engaged and motivated staff
10 Golden Rules of Marketing
Clear purpose of the business - must know what you are selling and aim to improve the quality of your customers’ life.
Must focus on benefits of what you are selling rather than the product itself
Must test, measure any aspect of marketing to drive more effective results
Listen and talk to customers
Rethink and be innovative
Brand must be controlled centrally and rolled out everywhere, including Front of House, café,
Tone of voice and identity must be consistent in all parts of the business
Keep track of the digital revolution!
Make sure your staff are clear about the organisation’s purpose, strategic priorities and its values – they will then be more engaged and better brand ambassadors
Make sure all your internal communication channels also communicate your brand and keep staff fully informed including feedback channels for comment 23
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And finally…
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