The Seabee Museum aims to increase visitation by capitalizing on its unique position as the only military museum in the region. Key audiences include students studying American history, retired Vietnam veterans, and current military families. Major dates of historical significance and increased community events provide opportunities to market the museum's educational resources and preservation of Seabee history. Challenges include limited funding, competition for media coverage due to the museum's location, and maintaining relationships with supporting foundations.

1. Marketing
Plan
Presentation
U.S. NAVY SEABEE
MUSEUM

2. As the second oldest national Navy museum, the Seabee
Museum’s mission is to increase patronage by offering
opportunities of learning through our historical collection,
preservation and presentation efforts relating to the documents
and artifacts of the Naval Construction Force, better known as
the Seabees, as well as the Civil Engineer Corps.
ORGANIZATIONAL MISSION

3. To become the premier institution for selecting, preserving and
displaying historical material relating to the Seabees and set a
standard by which all other military history museums can
follow.
CORPORATE OBJECTIVE

4. BUSINESS & ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
 In a business sense, the Seabee Museum operates federally;
meaning all activity whereby a traditional corporate entity can
actively offer products and services with the intent to gain profit
is otherwise prohibited.
 The Seabee Museum must be able to demonstrate measurable
visitation numbers in order to continue to receive financial
support from the U.S. Navy (and taxpayers by extension) and the
foundation established to financially support museum activities.
 Continued budgetary complications by Congress consistently
challenge museum funding and operations, as historical museum
operation is a low priority for Department of Defense Spending
MARKETING AUDIT: EXTERNAL

5. THE MARKET
 The market for national military museums is scarce in the
region – scarce as in the Seabee Museum is the ONLY military
museum in the region. This is a benefit, particularly since it is
located in the heart of community that owes its existence to
the Seabee Community.
 Instead, the market for the museum is defined by its presence
in the local museum network within the tourism industry.
 In 2014, California increased tourism revenue by 3.6% from
2013 to $117 billion (Dean Runyan Associates, 2014, p. 11).
MARKETING AUDIT: EXTERNAL

6. THE MARKET, cont.
 Ventura County consists of four major cities clumped together:
Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, and Port Hueneme as well as the
myriad of smaller townages to which a population of 850K
call home
 Key demographics for the Seabee Museum consists of
Vietnam-era veterans, retirees, local active duty
servicemembers, military and DOD civilian families, and local
education institutions.
 Motivation for visitation is often dates of significance
(Memorial Day, Seabee Birthday, etc…), as well as celebratory
or commemorative events at the museum.
MARKETING AUDIT: EXTERNAL

7. COMPETITION
 Direct competition for the Seabee Museum comes from two
other locations that house independently-run Seabee-themed
museums: Gulfport, Mississippi and Davisville, Rhode Island.
 The competitor museums lack storage capabilities as well as
staff trained in current curatorial and archival practices that
currently characterizes the Seabee Museum in Port Hueneme.
MARKETING AUDIT: EXTERNAL

8.  As a government-owned and operated historical institution, sales
is a not a focus in the traditional sense.
 Instead, our focus is patronage, simply getting people through
the doors for any number of reasons to include: guest-hosted
events (use of our space is free); commemorations, general
visitation, docent-guided tours, etc.
 Because the Seabee Museum, as a federal entity, is forbidden by
law to actively seek funding in any way for any reason, we must
simply operate with the hopes that what we produce (interpretive
exhibits) will entice people to WANT to visit the museum.
 The Seabee Museum does not deal with profits, while we
certainly entertain the idea of costs to operate, staff, and
continuously evolve the museum and its exhibits. Our
measurements are guided by the number of people who visit the
museum on a daily basis.
MARKETING AUDIT: INTERNAL

9.  Communication with the community relies heavily on digital
mediums such as the Internet and social media. The Seabee
Museum continues to see growth in community engagement in
the online realm.
 Traditional media and outreach methodologies continue to
see success due to the nature of museum operation and the
high number of older patrons that continue to rely on such
media to include media coverage in the main local
newspapers, VC Star, VC Reporter, and Camarillo Acorn.
MARKETING AUDIT: INTERNAL

10.  The Seabee Museum is the only national military museum in
Southwest region.
 The museum is staffed with specialists trained in proper
artifact and document collection, preservation and
presentation.
 It is accessible to the public as it resides outside the Naval
Base Venture County Port Hueneme perimeter
 A robust online presence enables patrons to enjoy content
from the museum from afar
SWOT: STRENGTHS

11.  Government funding is fickle and each year it is challenging
to obtain significant operating funds as museum systems and
historical preservation are not high on the Department of
Defense spending priorities.
 The Seabee Historical Foundation, which exists to augment
government funding, is in debt for the construction of the new
Seabee Museum, which become operational despite
incomplete construction in 2011.
 The situation with the museum’s foundation has led to a
troubled relationship with the museum and its staff
particularly because the foundation itself is not located near
the museum.
SWOT: WEAKNESSES

12.  Finalized planning for the museums interpretive exhibit plans
are still yet to be determined. An interim solution has been
decided on in the meantime, but offers no permanent solution
beyond the major event that has been identified as the
Seabee 75th Anniversary in March 2017.
 Backlog of collection due to prior staffing limitations is
significant enough that it will be some time before artifacts
that have been donated to the museum in the last four years
will be cataloged.
SWOT: WEAKNESSES, CONT.

13.  The Seabee Museum has an opportunity to finalize the
building of the exhibits and set a high standard for
interpretive planning.
 Because of the tumultuous relationship between the museum
and its supportive foundation, the director and the staff have
found alternative means to construct and install exhibits that
will help increase patronage at all ages. Such means include
passively entertaining independent donors as exemplified by
the STEM Center, which is set to open June 6, 2015.
 Increased public-facing events as part of the museum’s public
education and scholarship programs will cover a variety of
topics in and out of the realm of Seabee history. Such
programs will be tailored to various ages and groups to
include school/youth groups, adult education, and guest-
hosted professional groups.
SWOT: OPPORTUNITIES

14.  Government shutdowns and sequestration often loom when
Congress fails to reach accord on the annual defense budget.
This can result in the limited or complete closure of the
museum, thus limited availability to public stakeholders.
 The shortfalls of the historical foundation result in the
perception by public stakeholders that the museum is failing
on promises that neither the director nor the staff has made
to benefactors donating money through the foundation.
 Continued misbranding by the two other independently
operated museums can perplex patrons who simply wish to
visit the official Seabee Museum. If more than one promotes
themselves as such, potential patrons will be confused and
this may lead to loss of artifact collection opportunities as
well as funding received via the troubled foundation.
SWOT: THREATS

15. Assumption 1: Key ages for patrons of the Seabee Museum are
students, particularly those in grades 4, 10 and 12 where studies
in American History are emphasized as well as Vietnam-era
veterans who served as Seabees and are currently retired.
 These are separate ends of the age spectrum and as such
marketing is less of a challenge for both ends since these
audiences are built in.
 The challenge then becomes how to market to those in the
middle. Ideally those patrons would be current-generation
servicemembers along with their friends and family, including
those currently serving in the Seabee community.
 Most importantly, the local community would and should play are
large role in marketing. Garnering financial support via our
foundation through the community would appeal to travelers
thus ensuring a place among the go-to local tourism attractions.
ASSUMPTIONS

16. Assumption 2: Dates of significance play are large part in the
museum’s visitation.
 Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, D-day, the Seabee Birthday, the
Navy Birthday, and Independence Day are among those tied to
celebration of military culture and the people who serve in it.
 It would be wise to capitalize on these dates to marketing
strategies to increase visibility and awareness.
ASSUMPTIONS

17. Assumption 3: Lack of national military museums in the area
means the Seabee Museum is positioned to be a must-see
attraction for military enthusiasts regardless of affiliation.
 Museums play a role in preserving and displaying the history of
the selected subject matter.
 With the Seabee Museum, that historical display consists of
documents and artifacts, large and small, relating to the Naval
Construction Force and the Civil Engineer Corps. Historically (and
currently, actually) the Seabees and the Civil Engineers are often
placed in areas where they are ambassadors representing not
only the Navy, but America as well.
 This makes for a rich history of partnership and international
relations that speak to a general audience and can pull in people
from all interests, not just the Navy.
ASSUMPTIONS

18. Assumption 4: Location and limited media availability challenge
communication efforts.
 The area has two major newspapers, and most major
broadcast outlets are based out of Los Angeles, which means
coverage and content compete with greater Los Angeles for
focus and airtime.
 This means social media plays a major role in our marketing
efforts to not only display what visitors can find at the
museum, but also learn about the history its meant to
preserve by showing things that would generally not be on
display (all the behind the scenes items and documents).
ASSUMPTIONS

19. Assumption 5: The financial situation is challenged by the fact that
the museum is a federal entity and therefore cannot act within
normal business operational parameters.
 Government regulations prohibit solicitation of funds, prevent
the museum classification of “non-profit,” and restrict spending
of taxpayer dollars. Money received to operate comes from the
Navy and is supplemented by a foundation aimed at supporting
the museum.
 Currently, the Seabee Historical Foundation is that supportive
body, but unfortunately, the construction of the building in which
the Seabee Museum currently resides left the foundation
millions of dollars in debt and is therefore not in a position to
assist the museum.
 Thankfully, that debt is its own and not tied to the property,
which is not in the custody of the Navy so there is no threat of
seizure or shutdown in that regard.
ASSUMPTIONS

20. Existing Market/Existing Products
Deepen Market Penetration
Use existing dates of significance as anchors
to promote museum exhibits, operations and
activities.
Existing Market/New Product
Product Development
Develop new interactive and tech-based
exhibits to incorporate a newer generation of
visitation.
New Market/Existing Product
Market Extension
Increase opportunities for school programs to
entice American History educators to
incorporate Seabee History into their
curriculum for increased visibility
New Market/New Product
Diversification
Continue work online that increases exposure
to people outside the geographic region and
all over the world.
SEABEE MUSEUM
ANSOFF MATRIX

21.  To steadily increase patronage by 20 percent for each year
over the next 5 years.
 To increase public education attendance by 10% for each year
over the next 5 years.
MARKETING OBJECTIVES

22.  The museum itself is the product. We want people to visit, so
all of the exhibits and public programs must attract people to
visit not only in person, but also on our web properties.
 A robust exhibit development and release schedule will keep
subject matter variable to not only encourage new visitors, but
previous visitors to return as new exhibits will have new
stories to tell.
 Schools could also be tapped to encourage learning, not just
about Seabee history, but also tie in the educational tenants
of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, known as
STEM, to that history so that learning could take place outside
of historical parameters.
MARKETING STRATEGY: PRODUCT

23.  The museum is free to all, so there is no price to pay except in
time and travel to get to the museum.
 It would be to our benefit to not only use social media to
demonstrate the value of learning, but also the value of
preserving the history of a military force funded through
taxpayer dollars.
MARKETING STRATEGY: PRICE

24.  Admittedly, the location of the museum is challenge for most
travellers. It resides deep within Port Hueneme, and is not
located near any major highways. Even visibility with regards
to foliage results in the oft-heard, “I drive by this place every
day and never noticed it.”
 When the current building was built and opened in 2011, one
of the first issues alleviated was accessibility. It no longer
resides within the base perimeter so access is easier to
everyone including non-government visitors.
 Marketing must communicate this, even if it’s not a sole focus
of marketing. It’s a question and assumption made by a lot of
people that the museum, because it was once on base, is still
not easily accessible. It is.
MARKETING STRATEGY: PLACE

25.  The museum got its first big break earlier this year when it
was selected as the official site of the 75th Seabee
Anniversary, which will be on the Seabee birthday, March 5,
2017.
 All exhibits and public programs will tie into that theme for
the next two years, which will help promote it as a premier
military history museum for the area.
 Meeting the marketing objective would mean using this one
major event as an anchor for promotional efforts that could
then tie into the functions and offerings of the museum so
that they can continue to be a marketing tool well beyond the
anniversary.
MARKETING STRATEGY: PROMOTION

26. EXPECTATION
By keeping the exhibit schedule variable and on a steady
schedule, the expectation is that visitation will increase in
accordance with the marketing objective, 20% for each year.
Based off the current year’s baseline projection attendance,
that would mean:
 2015 – 12,000 (Baseline)
 2016 – 14,240
 2017 – 17,280
 2018 – 20,736
 2019 – 24,883
 2020 – 29,859
EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PRODUCT

27. EVALUATION/MONITORING
 Front desk operator tracks feet through the door with a
counting clicker and records end of day numbers.
 End of day numbers are recorded, monthly numbers are
reported up to the Museum’s System Office (MSO) at
headquarters. Both metrics give a real-time analysis of the
performance of the museum, giving ample opportunity by mid-
year to determine if the museum will meet its marketing
objectives and adjust accordingly.
EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PRODUCT

28. EVALUATION/MONITORING, cont.
What is preventing inflation of numbers by adding in extra, or
“ghost” clicks?
 Average numbers tend to reflect daily numbers
 An accounting regulation body, such as the command’s
Inspector General’s office, can simply visit the museum and
monitor it for a few days to assess whether numbers are
accurate.
 Final assessment is based on personal judgment whether the
reported numbers are accurate.
 Spikes in attendance are usually associated with documented
events, scheduled or not.
EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PRODUCT

29. BUDGET
 Outside of operating costs to build the exhibits, employ staff
members, etc., marketing budget for this tenant does not
exist because such budgets fall under the Operations
parameter of the business.
EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PRODUCT

30. EXPECTATION
 With a free museum consistently adding cost-effective
programming and exhibits, we expect to meet the marketing
objective.
 Again, keeping exhibit and programming variable will entice
new visitors, and encourage previous ones to revisit.
 The value of learning and education will be communicated
and assist in keeping things on track toward the objective.
EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PRICE

31. EVALUATION/MONITORING
 Success will still be measured by visitation numbers.
 Meeting numbers both daily and monthly will garner success
in the objective.
 However, missing daily and monthly goals will result in further
research to discover what are strengths are, and where we are
falling short.
 Surveys are a useful tool in that regard, and that will not only
involve surveying patrons, but also volunteers and staff to
assess what content is successful, and what is not. The point
in this tenant is to ensure content speaks to the value of
visiting of the museum since there are no entry fees.
EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PRICE

32. BUDGET
 Operations budget applies in this tenant that involves
employee salary, facilities maintenance, exhibit planning and
building.
 However, this is where we begin to delve into the promotional
side for marketing in regards to communicating with the
public the value of visiting the museum and learning about
history, Seabee history and Navy history alike.
 Social media keeps costs next-to-nonexistent and budgets low
because it is a free way to promote the museum (since it is
forbidden to use purchase paid advertisement online with
federal money).
EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PRICE

33. EXPECTATION
 We expect that increasing awareness as to the location in
regards to the old building in which the museum once
residing, and the base, will have a large impact in meeting the
marketing objective of 20% increase year after year.
 This would likely be attributed to the military community or
the interest in it coupled with the fact that the Seabee
Museum is the only official national museum run by the
Department of Defense in the region.
EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PLACE

34. EVALUATION/MONITORING
 Increasing awareness of the location should have a large
impact.
 Survey those visiting the museum to see if knowledge of
location made it more appealing to visit will be a useful
metric in evaluating awareness campaigns.
EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PLACE

35. BUDGET
 Social media and online properties will keep budgetary needs
low in meeting the objective of increasing awareness.
 The cost of the initial flyers is low because they are designed
and produced in house and distributed on a limited basis to
community entities that can then place such flyers on
community accessed bulletin boards.
EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PLACE

36. EXPECTATION
 The anniversary planning will centralize exhibit planning,
public programming, and social media efforts to a singular
theme.
 We expect that because of such a milestone occasion will
allow result in meeting the objective with little challenge in
the next two year.
 The challenge then will be to develop further programming
that will build on that momentum from the anniversary events
and extend them in the years beyond.
EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET:
PROMOTION

37. EVALUATION/MONITORING
 Social media metrics are easy to capture as most offer such
services. Online visitation numbers will determine what
content is popular and what is not.
 These metrics are currently capture monthly, but monitored
daily so that the real-time analysis can be useful in adjust
content and frequency of posts.
 Surveys both formal and informal about what brought people
into the museum can be conducted by volunteers operating
the front desk, as well as staff on station.
 The front desk currently maintains a daily log of visitors, and
that is our opportunity to inquire about motivation to visit.
EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET:
PROMOTION

38. BUDGET
The average budget for marketing in the Promotion tenant has
rested in the realm of $6K for a few years. With this, money is
spent on the following, typically:
 $1K-$2K on local tourism and city bureaus where partnerships in
advertising is authorized
 $1K-$2K on marketing products such as externally produced
flyers, rack cards, programs, and decorations
 $1K-$2K on travel costs associated with attending local events,
tradeshows, exhibit traveling
 $500 (approx.) on management of online accounts such as Flickr
Pro, Hootsuite PR management, etc.
 Training and resource material (AP styleguides, reference books
on marketing, professional subscriptions, etc.) make up what’s
left of the budget.
EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET:
PROMOTION

39.  There are certainly roadblocks to fully being able to spend the
money non-governmental enterprises are afforded in their
marketing strategies, it is remarkable what the Seabee
Museum has been and will be able to accomplish with such
restrictions.
 It is imperative that all forms of communication are used in
both the traditional sense and within the new media realm in
order to span generations and generate awareness of the
museum and its function.
CLOSING POINTS

40.  The goals are modestly set in order to progressively increase
patronage and operation with a large portion of growth
attributed to the activity surrounding the 75th Seabee
anniversary observance in March 2017.
 Continual survey of the community and patrons will ensure
exhibits speak to the history set forth in the corporate
mission.
 We must not forget that consistent self-evaluation in all
strategic parameters will enable us to adjust efforts should
some strategies fall short of outlined goals.
CLOSING POINTS, CONT.

41. QUESTIONS