Ask the Visitor!

Using Marketing Research for Exhibition Development and Audience Engagement

There is a critical moment in the exhibition development process when a curator with a concept, a marketer tasked with reaching intended audiences and a potential visitor can exchange ideas about how to maximize audience engagement and the visitor experience. The museum visitor, when included early in the exhibition planning process, can effectively inform decisions about exhibition content, interpretation and marketing for the exhibition.

Research with potential visitors can be done inexpensively, using qualitative research methods, such as focus group discussions and individual interviews; or, on-line surveys.  We have conducted many research projects; typically inviting museumgoers to take part in focus group discussions. We worked with on two specific museum visitor categories: past visitors to the museum in question; and,  non-visitors to this museum who were frequent and committed visitors to a variety of other museums.  We would learn their reactions to upcoming exhibition concepts based on information we presented to them.  Our findings were then shared with the curators, marketing professionals, educators and interpretive staff at the museum.

We believe it is important to include visitors in the planning process because sometimes, there are important differences in how museum staff and visitors connect with an upcoming exhibition idea.  We have encountered key differences in the areas of: 

--          awareness and familiarity with the subject of the exhibition

--          perceptions of what the exhibition is “all about” and what they will learn  

--          sources of appeal of the exhibition

Awareness and Familiarity

Curators, marketers, educators, and interpretive staff inevitably have much greater familiarity with the art and artist(s) that will be the subject of an upcoming exhibition.   Sometimes, museum staff assumes that  museumgoers will be familiar with an artist who may be well known in the art world, only to find out that expected audiences are wholly unfamiliar with the artist. 

Example

We were researching reactions to an upcoming exhibition of the work of an iconic modern conceptual artist. Only two of the dozens of well-educated and devoted museumgoers we interviewed had ever heard of this artist. Furthermore, we learned that visitors’ comfort level and familiarity with “conceptual art” in general was very low.

Outcome

·       The exhibition was structured to incorporate more storytelling via photos, letters and video about the artist; to walk the visitor through a chronology of the artist’s personal history, the ideas behind the work, and the artist’s interactions with other artists of the time.

·       The exhibition highlighted and provided examples of the artist’s pioneering and influential role in this major art movement.

·       Exhibition catalogue, labels and promotions connected the artist to other well-known contemporaries.

·       Exhibition promotions used compelling images of the work to give visitors an idea of what they would see.  Images also included photos of the artist in the studio creating the artwork.

        Some Questions We Asked about Awareness and Familiarity:

·       What comes to mind when you think about the subject of this exhibition?  

·       How familiar are you with the subject of this exhibition?   

·       Have you seen exhibitions of any of this work before?  Read about it?  Heard about it?

Perceptual Differences

A key goal of this type of visitor research is to understand how museum visitors make sense of an exhibition in their own minds.  When they are given a title and short description of the exhibition, what do they expect to see, experience and learn when they visit?  What do they imagine will be the value of visiting this exhibition?  We have learned that museum staff may perceive the essence, importance and takeaway of the exhibition quite differently from the visitor.

Example

We wanted to learn reactions to a planned exhibition about women who hosted some of the great art and music salons of the 19th and early 20th centuries.  The exhibition told the story of these salon hostesses and the distinguished and famous artists and guests who frequented their salons.  It featured photos, letters, and other memorabilia, and presented the ideas generated by the salon participants. 

Potential visitors were very clear – they were NOT interested in reading biographies or seeing documents, photos or letters “under glass.”   Rather, they challenged the museum to bring the salon and its fascinating guests to life.  The visitors wanted to eavesdrop on conversations, hear the music that might have been playing, experience what the salon might have looked like.

Outcome

·       The exhibition was structured as an experiential salon setting, with visitors entering historical re-creations of the parlors of each patron;  for example, a period piano sat in the corner of the room of a music patron, paintings actually owned by the patron hung on the recreated salon wall, and photos of the patron and artists were placed around the room; bringing each scene to life.

·       Audio guides delivered music, staged readings of diaries and letters, and re-enacted conversations, to allow the visitor to be “a fly on the wall” when they entered the space of each patron.

·       The exhibition promotions highlighted the inclusion of the most well-known and beloved salon hostesses and their famous guests. Images of the hostesses in their actual salons were used for advertising , setting the stage for what visitors would experience in the exhibition.

·       This exhibition was well attended, and highly rated by visitors as one of the most engaging and memorable exhibitions of the museum in recent memory.

Some Questions We Asked About Perceptions of the Exhibition: 

·       Imagine that you are visiting this exhibition.  What is it like?  What are you seeing, hearing, doing?   What do you imagine you will enjoy? 

·       Write down three adjectives that come into your mind to describe this exhibition.  What are they; and, what made you chose those words?

·       How would you describe the exhibition to a friend?  This exhibition is about…?

Sources of Appeal 

In the marketing and communications area, we wanted to know what was appealing about a particular exhibition; and, what would motivate visitors to come to the museum to see it.

From time to time we would be surprised about what we learned regarding visitor motivations to see a particular exhibition.   

Example

Our research focused on potential visitor reactions to a planned exhibition on Abstract Expressionism.  We assumed that any exhibition featuring work by Pollack and De Kooning would be a big draw.   What we learned is that many experienced museumgoers have trouble understanding Abstract Expressionism and don’t have a framework to interpret and appreciate this work.  They thought of large canvases of abstract paintings with no apparent content.  They felt at a loss to understand it. 

Outcome

·       The curators incorporated layers of varied interpretation into the exhibition to help visitors understand Abstract Expressionism including the interplay of key art critics of the time talking about the art; and, commentaries of the artists themselves talking about their work. 

·       “Context Galleries” recalled how popular culture in the 50’s and 60’s reacted to the work, which proved to be both valuable and entertaining for visitors.

·       Promotions promised potential visitors that this exhibit would be a different take on a familiar topic: the museum would provide a context and the intellectual tools to understand why this art is considered important and great. 

·       The exhibition and its groundbreaking construct was well received by both art critics and museum visitors.

Some Questions We Asked About the Sources of Appeal:

·       What appeals to you about this exhibition?  How come?

·       For this exhibition to be really great, what would it be like?  What do you want it to definitely include?

·       The title:  what does it tell you about the exhibition?  What is its message?  Is that the right message to be communicating about this exhibition?

In conclusion, there is a measurable positive outcome for both the museum and the visitor when exhibition concepts are tested early in the development stage.  Museum staff can better ensure that exhibition learning objectives are achieved, and that visitors find the exhibition appealing and are highly engaged in the content.  Marketing staff know more clearly what specific messaging will work to motivate visits and generate positive word of mouth. 

Ultimately, this type of public engagement helps the museum build a productive and longstanding understanding of and relationship with the museum-going community.