Local story pitch idea

There's new survey data out that a company called Ad-Ology released yesterday.  It lists their top 5 "Opportunities/Challenges" for museums this year.  I'm not sure how you compare the importance of opportunities and challenges in one combined list, but they have. Regardless of the quality of the full report, their #2 finding hit me as useful. 

The finding says, "Consumers view museums as budget-friendly forms of entertainment for the family, which is likely to fuel growth in visits."  I think this is a good point when it comes to marketing in your own community and it offers a story idea for you to pitch local media.

I've written in previous posts about "staycations" and the importance in this economy of marketing to locals and not just out-of-town visitors.  The study's budget-friendly finding is a good reminder that locally we have a compelling "total cost" argument.  

A local day at the museum (or a night at a local theatre for that matter) looks mighty affordable to the budget conscious as an alternative to a weekend out of town.  A local arts experience eliminates the cost of driving, hotel and multiple meals associated with out-of-town attractions.  

When couched in these terms, this could be a nice story pitch for a local paper or TV station looking for ways that consumers are adapting to the economy.  You might do a quick survey to see how much your local numbers have increased, especially as a percentage of overall attendance. The story becomes especially powerful if you have a couple of local partner venues lined up that could all comment on the trend with you.   Yes, you'll share the limelight, but you're much more likely to see a reporter bite on the story.  

Happy pitching.