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.

MOMA sees opportunity with locals

Last week I wrote about combatting a downturn in tourist attendance by focusing on your local market.  Looks like the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art was a step ahead of me.

The museum has started a campaign to bring New Yorkers into the museum.  The highest profile part of this campaign is their work in a Brooklyn subway station.  The MOMA has plastered the Atlantic/Pacific stop with images of work from their permanent collection, creating an underground gallery complete with audio guides.

The New York Times covered the story this month and you can also get an idea of the experience with this virtual tour.

Keep an eye on travel statistics

Over the last few months there have been conflicting reports on how much Americans will be traveling this year.  That's not really surprising with  so many people unsure about the economy and their own jobs. 

We are entering the time when vacation plans are made for the prime traveling season but this year there seems to be more of a wait-and-see approach.  

One small thought to combat a possible downturn in your out-of-town attendance, look at adjusting your media mix.  If travelers do decide to hold off on vacations this year, you'll probably need to pull out of some of the magazines and mailings targeted to visitors that you've used in past years.  

Then look at moving those dollars to media targeted for local audiences.  They're staying home too, but very few will be satisfied with sitting around the house as a substitute for their normal week at the beach.   

To keep an eye on the trends nationally you can get updates at traveldailynews.com.  And stay in touch with your local tourism and visitor's bureau to get their input as well.

Plan ahead for the long post-holiday weekend

If you're weathering the economic storm but would like to see a little more sales activity around the holiday, you aren't alone. I've been re-reading articles on holiday marketing recently, just to make sure we don't miss any tricks. I was reminded that the calendar is creating an opportunity for museums and theatres to end their year on a strong note.

With Christmas on a Thursday this year, lots of people have scheduled extra days off between the 25th and New Year's. But 72 straight hours with kids and visiting family can make any home seem small. After the wrapping paper is cleared out, most people will be looking for something to do. Museums are always great options for getting children and relatives out of the house. And your facility becomes even more attractive when the weather outside is frightful. You may even want to offer a special price on warm drinks in your cafe those days, just to round out the invitation

If your theatre is holding matinees that weekend, those also can be lower-cost impulse decisions that provide a change of scenery after days of holiday festivities at home.

Spend time over the next two weeks pitching the story with your local media. If you want local TV and radio morning shows on Friday the 26th talking about options for getting out of the house, you'll have to work a few days further ahead than normal. They'll likely be short staffed during the holiday week so anything you can do to provide them with interviews and information prior to that will increase your chances of coverage. Newspapers will also have been working skeleton crews that week (especially Christmas Eve and Chritmas Day), so talk with reporters early so they can sell the idea to their editors and work the story before the holiday starts.

Remember that people will do the majority of planning for the days leading up to Christmas. This year make sure you're the answer to the post-holiday question "What can we do today?"