Rebranding the i.d.e.a. museum

Session 3:45 - 5

Session: i.d.e.a. museum has arrived

This session was all about the researching the journey the former Arizona Museum for Youth (AMY) took to re- think and re-brand themselves as the i.d.e.a. museum (Imagine design, experience, art).

Working with a team - they researched their core users, their community, worked with a firm to review and interpret the data, work with gyroscope to create new exhibits, and a design firm to create a new brand.

This session really focused in on what data they found relevant to re-think, re-tool themselves. Then went really in depth into the branding process and finally marketing.

Not what I expected - but fascinating! The whole process took three years and they managed to do it keeping all of their staff!

If this sounds interesting to you - see my notes below and I'd be happy to answer any questions!



Notes from session:


i.d.e.a. museum


32% increase from last year participation, doubled paying customers to museum

Re-brand (museum for youth is it for teens / preschool? history?)

Market - strategic difference (other museums)

Other: dated brand (35 years old), audience data needed,

3 phase grant - worked with Virginia Piper Foundation

Phase I - James Chung
Reach new audience, re-brand, re-logo, every single touchpoint with audience and community, rethink strategy, re-think what you do with your audience

Study exerpts - family and creativity at AMY
External challenges - museums not in a vacuum
Limited age appeal (2-5 years) visitation peaks
Most families visit museum based on oldest child bracket
Challenge - core audience stops growing
Always count on more children
Children's population no longer growing
Children's museums get the lowest satisfaction rating of all museums

AMY strengths
Compare AMY scores to other children's museums
Engage adults - AMY 32% vs. 17%
Something new 33% vs. others 14%
More likely something fun to do at AMY 38%
78% participate with children at AMY
Higher percentage of ultra curious parents
More philanthropic
NOT just creative play - CREATING ARTFULLY
85% more likely to visit museums in other cities
69% go to libraries
86% more likely to go to science museum
Art experience as a child manifests into adulthood and realize foundation created as a child (want for their child)

Gap in market not being served
- cultural creativity for children
- most children's museums not viewed this way, AMY was!
- CORE audience place where art and creativity came together
- Ability to leverage AMY DNA and gap in marketplace
- Multiple spaces to deploy

- core challenge
- confusing audience space
- status quo guaranteed decline

- Reinvent attack challenges (not refresh)
- Planning and execution has to be nailed for public to notice and embrace the difference

- hands on creativity development
- multi-generationally connect
- true community center (not episodic visit)
- creativity laboratory and museum

James Chung
Reach Advisor - a strategy for cultural institutions
518-439-6942

John Willie Creative Engine

We've gone from 500 ads day in the 80s to 5,000 a day. Today people only remember an ad 24 hours. New media has only cluttered / more saturation.

Hope is not a strategy. The most important asset you have is your reputation - your promise.

Review key people - external research, strategic direction, identify target behaviors.
Brand purpose - core essence, core competencies, infrastructure assets.
Brand promise - defines and articulates core purpose.
Brand identity - place, name, personality.
Name = identity tag line.

DNA of brand essence and what you stand for.

There was not a preset idea of moving from one thing to another - open door to live creative environment.

Promise - idea museum hands on, welcoming place to learn, pretend, wonder, explore, imagine, rekindle memories and make new ones. A place to engage children of all ages.

A logo - unforgettable, separate from competition, demonstrate we are different, provide meaning.

Logo - must have creativity, distinctive, life, energy (does it have buzz), humanity (measure of warmth - personality traits)

Crowd spring - largest global design firm online
300+ global designers created 594 designs submitted over a 4 week period
confidentiality agreements
budget 1,600
designed on criteria to measure
Paul Baraugh from UK won

i.d.ea.
For your child and the child within you

They changed the tagline to Imagination design experience art explaining what idea stood for.

Control brand identity.
Run ad outside of Arizona to legally own it. Collateral materials.
Approached branding like a business (not done in a month)
602-320-3900

Latonya Jordan-Smith
Marketing Director

John interpreted research.  Marketing, communications, and digital media pan. Previous experience in corporate world and as newscaster.

Create a rubric or qualifier. 5 qualifiers. Marketing is built into the brand - build it. 3 years to build, marketing, exhibition, curator - every week meeting making sure brand is on target.

Target audiences - creative families (ultra curious moms) and children as decision drivers.
Curiosity trigger - what they aught after.
Child will drive you crazy to get them to museum.
Keep birthday parties / schools - expand outer core in later phases.
Cycle never ending - cheaper to retain core audiences.

Budget - align with stakeholders, sponsors, city.

As more money comes, doubled paying customers, membership almost doubled = more money marketing.

Diversified approach.
Pop up museum.
TV best, social media ok to, print still important
Collateral
Staff involved - word of mouth, staff round table, staff twitter accounts
Transitional materials had to be used for a year (farewell one side / hello on other) = business cards, EVERYTHING, warn everyone, let them know kids were still welcome

Constant contact - email campaigns
dual websites
facebook / twitter / you tube / pinterest
mommmy / granny bloggers (AARP huge for baby boomer audience)
eNews Media outlet campaigns
targeted street banners
building interior / exterior signage

Clear simple and valuable for person on the other end

Kickstarter - help with campaign

Sunnee O'Rork -

Old grocery store renovated
Lessons learned - glad we took the time, lots of positive outcomes
100,000 total for project
200,000 to make changes
surveys - more needs being met, more likely to participate, more community together

About strategy,

Questions -

Was it packaging or experience that got the response?
Answer: Both. Everything was up for changes - nothing sacred. Even debate over imagine or imagination.  Live the brand. Flexibility of hub important.

Only 8 full time staff, 11 part time (?)

Surprises in process?
Answer: Knew parents and children engage - didn't realize how core of an asset that was. How curious families were - also surprise. Have lost parents playing before.

James - made it safe for organization to learn something big. same building / same team - shows something. wonderful environment for team. Everyone engaged (staff, board, workshops) who we think we are, passion contagious