Vision = Value: Linking Mission to Marketing

Vision = Value:
Linking mission to marketing
New England Museum Association
Annual Conference 2009
Nashua, New Hampshire
11 November 2009

Brandon C. Walsh, Sametz Blackstone Associates
Manager, Strategy
brandon@sametz.com, @calmstock, 617.266.8577
Gretchen Keyworth, Fuller Craft Museum
Director Emeritus and Chief Curator
Tamsen S. McMahon, Sametz Blackstone Associates
Director of Digital and Strategic Initiatives
tamsen@sametz.com, @tamadear, 617.266.8577
Speakers
© Sametz Blackstone Associates
2

Sound familiar?

Managing multiple lines of business

Balancing diverse income streams

Answering to more affinity groups than ever

…through more channels than ever

Doing more with less?

So now what?

BRAND
So now what?

But what does that mean?

BRAND
≠
LOGO
(And never did.)
12

decreasing distance
from organization
“home”
…and development.
Meet people where they’re coming from.
Provide resonant points…”ways in.”
Connect “what” to “so what”
people
which often also translates to increasing “length of relationship,” “dollars,” and “commitment”
Brands link mission to marketing…
Awareness
Support
Loyalty
Participation
Comprehension

It’s a mosaic

So… how do we do it?

The steps

The steps
0 Research
1 Foundation
2 Constituents
3 Messaging
4 Visual identity
5 Action
6 Sustainability

0
research
Know who you are, and what that means.

Research
Inside
Outside
Quantitative
Actions
Qualitative
Staff
Env.
Motivations

Insight

1
foundation
Be who you are, become what you want to be.

A brand foundation to build on
Desired
Position
Personality / Image
Brand strategy / hierarchies
Departure points
Areas of endeavor
Vision + mission
Model
Brand attribute(s)
22

Four branding strategies
Product /
offering
focus
Corporate /
institutional focus
Product
Endorsed
Source
Master

Identity
28

2
constituents
Know who you serve, and why they care

Ticket buyers ≠ media ≠ donors ≠ partners ≠ volunteers ≠ board ≠ staff ≠ …

Where they are
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Funders and supporters
often cut across all

For a museum…
What they care about
Exhibition
Education
Outreach
Capital projects
Innovation

Resonance

3
messaging
Use your messages, in their words

That which you stand for and seek to advance
What your constituents care about, will participate in, and value
Messages that motivate
35

Where you can win!
Start the conversation here.
That which you stand for and seek to advance
What your constituents care about, will participate in, and value
Messages that motivate
36

Evolving a message system
High-level
message
Customized for a specific constituency
Areas of focus
Initiatives,
programs,
opportunities
Supporting
stories
Fact sheets, giving oppts
37

The Harvard Museum of Natural History encourages visitors to look closer and dig deeper into the history of our planet, and of all life on it.
Most extensive collection of real artifacts in New England
Exhibits, experts, and exchanges that connect visitors to the wonder and science of natural history
Helps visitors interpret the past, live more aware of the present, and imagine the future
Main messages

A means to informally improve their critical thinking about natural history, and current issues in evolution, ecology, biodiversity, culture, etc.
Unique travel programs that encourage people to develop a greater respect for and understanding of our natural world and our place in it
Through exhibits, programs, and lectures, the Museum connects adult learners with an interest natural history to others with similar interests
A unique public connection to science and scholarship at Harvard University
Main messages, for adult learners

A classic museum exhibiting rare research artifacts that is evolving into a new model for the presentation and promotion of natural sciences through nontraditional means of experience and interpretation
Encourages the visitor to look closer, to form their own lines of inquiry, and to create their own narratives based on their observations and experiences—not the “push a button and watch what happens” kind of place
The place to see the “real, cool stuff”—exhibits unique in New England.
Main messages, for families

Clarity

4
visual identity
Look the part,
be the part.

A mix of…
Design that delivers
That which you can own
Focused approaches
Name(s)
Color
Logo(s) / logotype(s)
Typography
Taglines / modifiers
Imagery
Service marks
Composition
43

Logo, anchor
+
Focus areas
+
Venue branding
+
Imagery
+
Transparent overlay
+
Accent color
+
Supporting imagery
+
Typography

=
SYSTEM

Look closer, Dig deeper

© 2006 Sametz Blackstone Associates
Harvard Museum of Natural History

Harvard Museum of Natural History

Rack card

Membership brochure

Annual appeal remittance card

Travel program postcard

And to leverage every communication to build brand and meaning
20-90% reinforces brand (depending on strategy)
Yourorganization
Promises
Expectations
Position
Attributes
Personality
Tactical communications
– by program, function, audience, initiative

(Compelling)Coherence

5
action
Put it together,and put it to work.

Architecture for action
Desired Outcome
Awareness
Comprehension
Participation
Loyalty
Support
Print
Donor newsletter
www
Season kit
Development kit
Postcard / mailers
Membership
Digital
61

An architecture helps you to plan and deploy resources better
Awareness
Comprehension
Participation
Loyalty
Support / advocacy
Wide
General
Long
High
High
Centralized
Custom / outsourced
Offset
Use
Content
Shelf life
Cost / production
Quantity
Content generation
Design
Production
Targeted
Specific
Shorter
Lower
Low / print on demand
Distributed / to template
In-house to template
Print on demand

Relevance

6
sustainability
Own your brand, and keep it healthy.

It takes a village
65

Transferring knowledge; encouraging ownership of the system

Engaging the organization: extranet

Leverage
69

This is a process, not an event.
70
Roger Sametz

Effective communications deliver value over time
Brand foundation
Who you are, and who you can be.
Constituents
Those for whom your work is––and could be––meaningful. They are vital to your success, and they are not monolithic!
Research
Qual. + Quant
Inside + Outside
Messaging
Externally focused, the intersection of what audiences value, and that which you stand for and seek to advance.
Visual identity
Compelling consistency; a mix of elements you can own and focused approaches to elements you can control.
Measure / retune
Adapt + evolve
Action
A communications architecture; your plan for hitting the streets!
Sustainability
Documentation + training, engaging the organization.

Eg.

Case study
Fuller Craft Museum
Gretchen Keyworth

35 year old institution.
“Facility” located on beautiful / pastoral “grounds.”
Frederick Law Olmstead
Brockton Arts Center > Fuller Museum of Art >
Exploring vision / mission redirection.
Historically local board with limited national reach.
Membership declining.
Visitation declining.
Funding declining.
Departure points

Researched and analyzed perceptions of the institution and perceptions of contemporary craft.
Developed strategic communications plan.
Evolved verbal and visual identity.
Produced targeted communications.
Trained staff, volunteers, and board.
Launch...ongoing.
Measure, review, refine as needed.
Collaboration

Fuller Craft Museum, New England’s only museum of contemporary craft, is dedicated to the objects, ideas, and insight that inspire both patrons and artiststo explore life through the art of contemporary craft. Craft is an art discipline that is both intriguing and accessible. Its roots reside in the creation of functional objects, but today, craft reflects the inspired ideas of artists who work primarily with their hands in materials that are tactile and familiar. Fuller Craft offers a collection, exhibitions, demonstrations, workshops, and special events where you can literally touch the materials and objects. Fuller Craft Museum is the most exciting place to bein the world of contemporary craft. Let the art touch you. Join us.
Brand foundation: vision / mission / position statement

Let the art touch you
The story: a strategy-led tagline

The Perfect Collection: A shared vision for contemporary craft

Membership

Updated membership

Building audience

The edges of grace

Membership up 44% in first six months of brand launch.
Since then growth has continued, seeing over 100% increase in the last two years.
Visitation has grow to 3,000 per month; an organizational record.
Opening receptions now draw upwards of 350 visitors.
Aligned language:
Fuller Craft is the center of its own universe… not north or south of anything… everything is north or south of it.
Board makeup has shifted significantly beyond the greater Brockton area. Now includes trustees across the country with ties to the craft world and renown artists.
Value delivered

Increased funding through major gifts & family foundations
Launched a major donor “charter” initiative at 20 gifts exceeding $10K
Now has grown to over 40 donors with individual gifts as high as $100,000
Added second major gifts campaign, First Families, which reenergized area donors and significant craft supporters.
Nationally renowned collection and exhibitions
welcomed this spring, “Craft in America” Expanding Traditions also a major PBS documentary series.
media placement on AP, CNN, CBS, NECN, NY Times, Boston Globe, Providence Journal, American Craft, American Style, Chronicle of Philanthropy, etc.
Value delivered

With its own niche, Fuller Craft may be able to move up from its status as a second-string, local art museum to an institution of regional, and perhaps even national, importance. The Fuller’s inaugural show sets the tone and signals the Museum’s ambitions.
122
Boston Globe

This Museum won’t stay hidden for long.
123
New England Cable News

…attendance surpassed anything the Museum had seen in recent years.
124
Arts and Business News

Richly deserved accolades for the bold and aggressive work... It's always great to see an accredited / member museum getting the public attention they deserve. Keep up the great work.
125
Ed Able
President and CEO
American Association of Museums

What now?

The concepts:
0 Insight
1 Identity
2 Resonance
3 Clarity
4 Coherence
5 Relevance
6 Leverage

The steps:
0 Research
1 Foundation
2 Constituents
3 Messaging
4 Visual identity
5 Action
6 Sustainability

The steps:
0 Research
1 Foundation
2 Constituents
3 Messaging
4 Visual identity
5 Action
6 Sustainability
Rinse, repeat.

Build a framework, not a prison.

Evolution is everything
131

Questions?

Brandon C. Walsh, Sametz Blackstone Associates
Manager, Strategy
brandon@sametz.com, @calmstock, 617.266.8577
Gretchen Keyworth, Fuller Craft Museum
Director Emeritus and Chief Curator
Tamsen S. McMahon, Sametz Blackstone Associates
Director of Digital and Strategic Initiatives
tamsen@sametz.com, @tamadear, 617.266.8577
Speakers
133

Thank you

Vision = Value: Linking Mission to Marketing

1 comments

Notes on slide 1

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