1. Sid Richardson Museum
Marketing & Brand Research
Research Overview:
The Sid Richardson Museum currently faces the challenge of competing with other
world-class art museums in Fort Worth, as well as establishing a younger demographic
presence. In order to create a new strategic plan and strategies for the future that will
help effectively gain insights into these challenges, Roxo worked to implement a full
research project. The research efforts consisted of five different categories: secondary
research conducted by Roxo members, a visitor evaluation form in the museum, an
online survey, an extra credit assignment for local students in the desired target
audience, and a museum interview survey. The results from these different research
efforts are examined and explained in the following, and have helped to provide Roxo
with the necessary insights in order to help combat the challenges, that the museum
faces.
Research Methods:
Roxo developed a visitor evaluation form to learn how people came to visit the
museum and how they felt about their experience. The form was distributed at the
museum for a three-week time frame and left on a table for visitors to fill out at their
discretion.
Roxo developed and conducted in-person interviews with museum visitors on location.
The interviews took questions from the visitor evaluation form, but provided a more
conversational, personal look into the visitor experience. These museum interview
surveys provided qualitative research for Roxo members to analyze and to gain insight.
Roxo, in addition to Sid Richardson Museum’s social media team, distributed an online
survey through the online Qualtrics survey system. The survey, targeting millennials and
“Gen Yers,” gained insight on museum awareness, as well as preferences on art, color,

2. advertising, and the museum experience. As TCU students, we had a strategic
advantage in targeting these specific age groups.
Roxo created an extra credit assignment for art history majors, history majors, art
education majors, geography majors, education majors, honors students and lower
division fine arts classes at TCU. The assignment asked students to visit the museum
and write about their experience, being critical of the art, theme, location, space and
overall experience.
In addition to the primary research conducted, Roxo members individually conducted
secondary research on the museum and its communication materials. In researching
and observing the specific areas of focus that team members specialize in, the team
was able to use the data and their own observations to give recommendations on
social media, graphic, design, public relations, and copywriting.
Target Audience:
The target audience is made up of several categories including residents and visitors of
Forth Worth. To help address the museum’s specific challenges, Roxo primarily
targeted millenials and Gen Yers, with some older participants included in different
parts of our study. In the online Qualtrics survey, 91 percent of our participants fell into
the 18 to 24 year-old age group. Roxo’s team had a strategic advantage in targeting
this group because of our connection to TCU.
Objectives:
• To gain insight on awareness of the Sid Richardson Museum.
• To gain insight on visitor preferences and interests.
• To discover museum perceptions among millennials, Gen Yers and other age
groups.
• To discover how people hear about the museum.
• To discover motivations for visiting the museum.
• To discover how people feel about their museum experience.
Results:
Roxo collected 193 online survey responses, 55 extra credit evaluations and 82
museum evaluations. Roxo team members also conducted 14 in-person interviews.

3. All the pie charts in this report represent the results from our evaluation forms, not the
online survey. Please remember, the pie charts only represent the demographics and
opinions of people who actually attended the museum.
Demographics:
Sixty percent of the online survey participants were female, and 38 percent of them
were male. Ninety-one percent of the online survey participants were 18 to 24 years
old. Four percent of the online participants were 25 to 28 years old. It was Roxo’s
intention to target young people (millenials and Gen Yers) in order to give effective
recommendations to combat the museum’s current challenges.
Sixty-four percent of the interviewees were female. Twenty-nine percent of the
interviewees were 55 to 64 years old, 29 percent of them were 33 to 44 years old and
21 percent of the interviewees were 65 years old or older. The interviews were another
indicator as to what kind of people actually attend the museum.
Our evaluation forms asked people about their age, gender and residence. The results
are below.
*Do you live in Fort Worth? *Please select your gender.
It was interesting to see more women than men come through the museum because
we were initially told that it was more common to see men in the museum. While it’s
possible that men are more commonly seen in the museum, women are possibly be
more likely to fill out the evaluation form and get involved.
27%
73%
Yes
No
46%
54%
Male
Female

4. *Please select your age group.
Sixty four percent of the
evaluation forms were filled
out by people 45 years old or
older. Twenty-nine percent of
the evaluation forms were
filled out by people 34 years
old or younger. Although a
minority, young people are
showing an interest in the
museum.
Awareness:
Fifty-five percent of the online survey participants said they had heard of the Sid
Richardson Museum. Among these people, 53 percent said they heard of the museum
through word of mouth and 17 percent said they had heard of the museum by walking
downtown. Only 28 percent of these people said they had actually visited the museum.
Many students who participated in the extra credit assignment did not know the
museum existed and recommended more publicity at TCU or other schools. Some
students knew that it existed, but were completely surprised and caught off guard
when they discovered the location.
“The location of the museum was not what I expected. It could be mistaken for a fancy
restaurant or retail store. When I entered, it of course is a store as well, but started to
feel more like a museum, especially once I entered the exhibit.”
-TCU student and extra credit participant
While many of the surveys and evaluation forms showed a reasonable level of
awareness of the museum, most young people don’t know about the museum or are
unaware of its exciting and easily accessible location. When TCU students did exhibit
awareness of the museum, it was usually because of their involvement with the
university and its art programs. If we had studied a random sample in Fort Worth,
awareness would most likely not be as high among young people.
32%
16%
16%
7%
16%
13%
65
and
up
55-­‐64
45-­‐54
35-­‐44
25-­‐34
15-­‐24

5. The evaluation forms asked people if they had heard about the museum before their
visit. The results are below.
*Before your visit, had you heard of the Sid Richardson Museum?
According to the online
survey, only two percent of
the aware participants said
they had heard of the
museum through social
media, but five percent did
hear of the museum through
advertising materials. Nine
percent of participants said
they heard about the museum
from a professor.
When conducting interviews, many interviewees mentioned they extensively
researched downtown Fort Worth on the Internet and found the museum website in
their own research efforts. The other common place interviewees had hear about the
museum online was through TripAdvisor.
The evaluation forms asked people how they heard of the museum. The results are
below. (Participants often listed more than one option. The chart covers the number of
times each answer was mentioned.)
*How did you hear about the
museum?
43%
57%
Yes
No
46%
26%
9%
15%
2%
2%
Walking
Downtown
Word
of
Mouth
Social
Media
Museum
Website
Internet

6. Online survey participants were also asked to select their favorite museum in Fort
Worth. Only one percent of participants said the Sid Richardson Museum was their
favorite. Thirty percent of participants said the Kimbell Art Museum was their favorite,
while 17 percent of participants marked the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and 13
percent of participants marked the Fort Worth Museum of Science and history.
Museum Experience:
*What museum tools did you use to learn about the exhibits? (Participants often listed
more than one option. The chart covers the number of times each answer was
mentioned).
*What made you choose to visit the museum? (Participants often listed more than one
option. The chart covers the number of times each answer was mentioned.)
28%
27%
25%
7%
8%
3%
5%
Curiosity-­‐window
shopping
Art
History
Event
Other
6%
59%
16%
19%
Printed
Guide
Extended
wall
labels
tour
guide
Staff
member

7. *How would you describe the Sid Richardson Museum? (Participants often listed more
than one option. The chart covers the number of times each answer was mentioned.)
*What did you like most about the museum? (Participants often listed more than one
option. The chart covers the number of times each answer was mentioned.)
In the extra credit assignment, the gift shop and entrance room confused some
students, but they were eventually very comfortable in the actual exhibit. The front
desk was described as very nice and welcoming, but some students did have
complaints about being treated differently compared to older visitors. One student
went on to describe the exhibit as “cool and intimate.”
32%
23%
18%
4%
19%
2%
1%
3%
Comfortable
Elegant
Simple
modern
classic
masculine
feminine
Other
24%
30%
40%
6%
Space
and
Layout
Free
Admission
Art
Collection
Gift
Shop

8. The online survey asked people *to pick their favorite museum in Fort Worth. The
results are below.
Online survey participants were also asked what they liked about their favorite museum
(whichever museum that may be). Fifty-two percent said they just liked the art and the
specific collection, but 11 percent said they liked the interactive elements and activities
available.
Many participants in the extra credit assignment emphasized the importance of
interactive activities at museums. Young people get excited about hands on activities
and personalized experiences.
”This might sound wrong or tacky, but people our age want hands on things. I have
visited many museums in Dallas since I am from here…The Perot museum is one of my
all time favorites. The reason it is my favorite is not because of the museum itself, but
because it was fun. To reach a younger demographic, your museum cannot fall
between eras, but must stay in sync with new technology. Have lights that change color
and have hands on features. The younger people nowadays have a short attention
span to bland things, but keeping them interested is key...”
-TCU student and extra credit participant
One student described Russell’s paintings as “action-packed” while another student
claimed the exhibit was “vivid”. Many students were surprised and entertained by the
excitement and drama of the paintings. Another student “felt every aspect of each
painting worked nicely to depict the scene of the West at this time.” It is also clear that
many visitors are amazed by the juxtaposition between Russell and Remington

9. paintings. Overall, the exhibit offers a lot of drama and live-action that may not be
correctly displaced in advertising and promotion.
Information:
The online survey asked participants how they would like to receive information from
the museum. Twenty-nine percent of our participants said they would prefer to hear
from the museum through Facebook, while 24 percent of them said they would prefer
to receive information via email. Although few participants preferred a newsletter, it
was recommended in many of the survey comments. An email newsletter might have
been a popular option had it been listed.
Other Notes:
In the online survey, 56 percent of participants said a restaurant was most likely to
bring them to downtown Fort Worth. Fourteen percent said a movie at AMC Palace
would most likely bring them downtown, while 13 percent said they would most likely
go downtown for hanging out and leisure.
Eighty-four percent of online survey participants said they generally enjoy visiting
museums. Forty-five percent of participants said they attend a museum multiple times
a year. On a scale of one to ten, participants were asked to rate their level of interest in
museums (10 being very interested). Sixty-five percent of participants showed a rating
of six or higher. Since 91 percent of our online survey participants were 15 to 24 years
old, it is clear that young people have a growing interest in museums.
The problem with attracting young people is not a low level of interest. Young people
simply need more reminders and encouraging messages to inform them about the
museum and to get them in the door.
“I’d say come wave the museum in our faces! People our age need these sorts of
opportunities to be waved right in our faces to realize they’re there sometimes, which I
know sounds silly, but it’s so true. Advertise at high schools in the area, local colleges,
and businesses that employ a lot of 22 to 30 year olds in the greater Fort Worth Area.
Even myself, an artist (musician), needed the metaphorical carrot (extra credit) to be
right in front of me to get me to go, and I have a big appreciation for the arts!”
-TCU student and extra credit participant

10. We asked our online survey participants when they would most likely visit a museum.
Thirty-five percent said they would most likely go with their parents, and 28 percent
said they would most likely go on a school trip. Young people have an interest in
museums, but they clearly need more motivation.
Some students in the extra credit assignment said they felt unwelcome when they
visited the museum. One student said, “When [they] walked in, staff were not very
welcoming, yet when an older couple walked in, the staff was very welcoming.” The
student found this very offensive. While this was the only seriously negative experience,
it is clear that young people prefer to be treated equally and in an exceptional way.
“I think if they were more welcoming and appreciative of the youth visiting the
museum, they would get more in attendance. Maybe also something interactive, like a
video on an iPad to engage the younger demographic would also help.”
-TCU student and extra credit participant
One student suggested having a “college day” where tours could be led, specifically
for young people. Another student recommended showcasing pieces at TCU.
Interviews:
Many of the interviewees were from out of town and researched the museum before
visiting. The exhibit blew almost all interviewees away and all of them had a positive
experience. The interviews mainly confirmed everything we learned from the interview
survey, evaluation form and extra credit assignment.
Summary:
Overall, Roxo was able to discover that visiting the Sid Richardson Museum is a
powerful experience in which one interviewee described as “an emotional connection
to the past.” In terms of awareness, there is definitely room for improvement. Most
people are surprised by everything the museum has to offer, especially its location.
People really enjoyed and appreciated the space and layout of the museum. The main
entrance turned some people away, but they eventually were very comfortable in the
exhibit. Young people have an appreciation for the museum, but they want an
experience that is more tailored to their needs and age group (interactive activities,
short attention spans, creative events, etc.)