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

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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…