USNSBM_Marketing Plan_JUNE 2015

Building the Patronage Bridge: An Integrated Marketing Plan for the
U.S. Seabee Museum
Prepared by
Aramis X. Ramirez
JUNE 2015

U.S. Navy Seabee Museum
NBVC Port Hueneme Bldg. 100
1001 Addor St.
Port Hueneme, CA 93043
(805) 982-5165
www.usnavyseabeemuseum.com
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY………………………………………………………3
MISSION & CORPORATE OBJECTIVES…………………………………... 5
MARKETING AUDIT………………………………………………………….. 5
SWOT ANALYSIS……………………………………………………………… 8
ASSUMPTIONS…………………………………………………………………10
MARKETING OBJECTIVES & STRATEGIES……………………………..13
CLOSING REMARKS………………………………………………………….22
REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………..23

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
INTEGRATED MARKETING PLAN | 3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Seabee Museum based out of Port Hueneme, California aims to become the
premier institution for selecting, preserving and displaying historical material relating to
the Navy’s construction force, better known as the Seabees and the Civil Engineer Corps
and set a standard by which all other military history museums can follow.
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.
Luckily, the market for national military museums is scarce in the region – 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. 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.
Again, we do not deal with profits, although there are costs to operate, staff, and
continuously evolve the museum and its exhibits. Therefore, the number of people who

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
visit the museum on a daily basis as well as our online properties guides our
measurements. 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.
Our marketing objectives then are to steadily increase patronage by 20 percent for
each year over the next 5 years and increase public education attendance by 10% for each
year over the next 5 years. We will accomplish this by using traditional media and social
media to demonstrate the value of learning, but also the value of preserving the history of
a military force funded through taxpayer dollars. As the museum was selected to be the
official site for the 75th anniversary celebration of the forming of the Seabees, such
anniversary planning will centralize exhibit planning, public programming, and social
media efforts to an overarching theme. We expect that because such a milestone occasion
will result in meeting the objectives with little challenge in the next two years, the
challenge then will be to develop further programming that will build on that momentum
from the anniversary events and extend it in the years beyond.
This marketing plan outlines the goals and the strategies necessary to accomplish
modest goals for not only growing the museum and its patronage, but also maintaining its
operation and the community built around its mission and purpose.

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
MissionStatement:
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.
Corporate Objective:
 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.
Marketing Audit:
External Audit
Business and
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.
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.

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
 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).
 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.
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.
Internal Audit
Own Company
Sales
 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.
Profit
Margins/Costs
Again, we do 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 as well as our online
properties.
Marketing
Information &
Research
 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

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
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.

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
SWOT ANALYSIS:
Internal
Strengths
 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
Weaknesses
 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.
 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 remain un-cataloged.
External
Opportunities
 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

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
tailored to various ages and groups to include school/youth groups,
adult education, and guest-hosted professional groups.
Threats
 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.

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
ASSUMPTIONS:
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.
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.
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.

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
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.
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).
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

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
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.
ANSOFF MATRIX:
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.

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
MARKETING OBJECTIVES: PRODUCT, PRICE, PLACE, & PROMOTION
In this section we define the marketing objectives and outline how each tenet of the plan
will work to meet those objectives. Additionally, we will indicate what our expectations
are, how will evaluate the performance of each objective, and what budgetary
expectations and limitations should be applied.
Marketing Objectives:
 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.
PRODUCT:
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.
Strategy
 A robust exhibit development and release schedule will keep subject matter
variable to not only encourage new visitors, but invite 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 tenets of Science, Technology, Engineering and

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
Math, known as STEM, to that history so that learning could take place outside of
historical parameters.
Expected Results
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
Evaluation/Monitoring
Evaluation is simple when it comes to determining visitation. The front desk operator
tracks feet through the door with a counting clicker and records end of day numbers. The
first question in evaluation is what is preventing inflation of numbers by adding in extra,
or “ghost” clicks? Average numbers tend to reflect daily numbers, so 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

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
assessment is based on personal judgment whether the reported numbers are accurate.
Spikes in attendance are usually associated with documented events, scheduled or not.
While 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.
Budget:
Outside of operating costs to build the exhibits, employ staff members, etc., marketing
budget for this tenet does not exist because such budgets fall under the Operations
parameter of the business.
PRICE:
The museum is free to all, so there is no price to pay except in time and travel to get to
the museum.
Strategy:
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.

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
Expected Results:
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.
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 tenet is to ensure content speaks to the value of visiting of the museum
since there are no entry fees.
Budget
Operations budget applies in this tenet 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

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
promote the museum (since it is forbidden to use purchase paid advertisement online with
federal money).
PLACE:
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,” by visitors were probed upon entering the museum.
Strategy
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.
 Also using local events such as fairs, tourism tradeshows, and educational fairs
would extend the reach via a traveling panel presentation or exhibit.
 Stress that the Seabee Museum is the only national museum that calls the
American Southwest region home through use of in-house produced flyers that
can be printed out and placed in prime community bulletin boards both locally,
and on the military base.

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
Expected Results
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.
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.
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.

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
PROMOTION:
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.
Strategy
 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.
 Increase social media presence and products that appeal to the nature of the
museum both as an institution for learning about Seabee history, but Navy and
military history as well.
 Increase public education programming that will touch upon subjects both in and
out of the realm of Seabee history
Expected Results
The anniversary planning will centralize exhibit planning, public programming, and
social media efforts to a singular theme. We expect that because such a milestone
occasion will result in meeting the objective with little challenge in the next two years,

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
the challenge then will be to develop further programming that will build on that
momentum from the anniversary events and extend it in the years beyond.
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.
Budget
The average budget for marketing in the Promotion tenet 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

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
 $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.

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
CLOSING REMARKS
As noted, while 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. 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. Lastly, 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.

1001 Addor St.
(805) 982-5165
REFERENCES
Dean Runyan Associates (2015, April). California Travel Impacts 1992-2014. Visit
California pp. 10-15. Sacramento, CA
McDonald, M., & Wilson, H. (2011). Marketing plans: How to prepare them, how to use
them (7th ed.). Chichester, W.S., U.K.: John Wiley & Sons.

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