Fondazione Fitzcarraldo
INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP
PRO SPECTATORE
New marketing approaches in Museums
Bologna 26 march 2004
Alessandro Bollo
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Marketing definitions
The art of understanding, communicating
with, and motivating consumers to
adopt an organization’s products,
services, and experiences; and providing
consumers with distinctive value.
Marketing is the management process which confirms
the mission of a museum and is then responsible for
the efficient identification, anticipation and
satisfaction of its users.
(Lewis)
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Marketing process
ANALYSIS
STRATEGY
TACTICAL – MARKETING-MIX
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Marketing information system
A structure of people, procedures and tools
that aim at gathering, selecting, analyzing,
evaluating and distributing on time proper and
useful information deriving from sources both
inside and outside the Company, with the
objective to form the basis for marketing
decisions (Kotler 1990)
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
The Information System: three kinds of Data
Internal Data
Every piece of
information is
available in the
internal Information
System
Secondary Data
Data published by
public agencies and
by private
organizatrions
specialized in market
research
Socio-demographic
reserach
Historical trends
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Primary Data
Information
gathered directly
from the audience
(actual and potential)
Audience Surveys
and Market
Research
The Information System: Internal Data
Internal Data generally derive from the following
sources:
• Sales reports
• Subscription lists/ affiliate association lists
• Web site contacts reports
• Information gathered by front-line resources
• Previous surveys and studies
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
An example: analyzing Museum Entries –
form 1
MUSEO
MESE XXX
NUMERO
INTERI
N UMERO
RIDOTTI
NUMERO
SPECIALI(1)
Museo XXX
NUMERO
GRATUITI
TOTALE
NOTE
DATA: ES. DOMENICA 7 GENNAIO
gg-mm-aa
NUMERO
N
UMERO
NUMERO
gg-mm-aa
-NUMERO
MUSEO
gg-mm-aa
- RIDOTTI
-GRATUITI
SPECIALI(1)
ORARIO - INTERI
gg-mm-aa
MESE XXX
NUMERO
N UMERO
NUMERO
NUMERO
TOTALE
…
gg-mm-aa
INTERI
RIDOTTI
SPECIALI(1) GRATUITI
gg-mm-aa
9-10
gg-mm-aa
gg-mm-aa
10-11 (Inserire
gg-mm-aa
GENNAIO
valori) gg-mm-aa
FEBBRAIO11-12 gg-mm-aa
MARZO
gg-mm-aa
12-13
gg-mm-aa
gg-mm-aa
13-14 APRILE
gg-mm-aa
MAGGIO
gg-mm-aa
14-15
gg-mm-aa
GIUGNO
gg-mm-aa
15-16 LUGLIO
gg-mm-aa
AGOSTO
16-17
gg-mm-aa
gg-mm-aa
SETTEMBRE
17-18
gg-mm-aa
OTTOBRE
gg-mm-aa
18-19 NOVEMBRE
gg-mm-aa
gg-mm-aa
DICEMBRE
… gg-mm-aa
TOTALE ANNO
0
0
0
0
gg-mm-aa
TOTALE
gg-mm-aa
gg-mm-aa
Alessandro
Bollo
©
2004
gg-mm-aa
TOTALE MESE
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
TOTALE 0
Note
0NOTE
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 dal 15 al 29
es. chiuso
0
0di restauro
0 per lavori0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
An example: analyzing Museum Entries 2
Andamento mensile ingressi per tipologia di biglietto
(ANNO 2002)
MESE XXX
NUMERO
N UMERO
NUMERO
NUMERO
TOTALE
INTERI
400
RIDOTTI
SPECIALI(1)
GRATUITI
350
300
GENNAIO
250
FEBBRAIO
200
MARZO
123
156
234
375
346
212
156
121
199
201
165
102
2265
55
64
74
98
65
63
56
47
58
65
56
N UMERO RIDOTTI
45
NUMERO GRATUITI
0
746
257
342
495
818
734
529
445
355
470
500
419
303
5667
E
BR
EM
IC
E
D
BR
M
VE
O
N
E
BR
O
TT
E
O
BR
EM
TT
SE
O
ST
O
AG
O
LI
G
LU
O
N
G
IU
G
IO
G
AG
M
E
IL
R
AP
ZO
AR
M
O
AI
R
BB
FE
O
AI
N
EN
G
150
APRILE
345
100
MAGGIO
323
GIUGNO
254
50
LUGLIO
233
0
AGOSTO
187
SETTEMBRE
213
OTTOBRE
234
NOVEMBRE
198
NUMERO INTERI
DICEMBRE
156
NUMERO SPECIALI(1)
TOTALE ANNO
2656
79
122
187
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
The Information System: Primary Data
PRIMARY DATA
VISITORS RESEARCH
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
The Information System: Primary Data
Why carry out audience surveys?
• To identify development opportunities or to develop
existing activities through a medium/long-term planning
• To identify problems or weaknesses in the offer as a
whole or in specific aspects of the offer
• To evaluate how the organization is perceived, and
learning how to give value to the positive charachteristics
it already has
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
The Information System: Primary Data
Why carry out audience surveys?
• To monitor reactions to significant changes in
the offer
• To understand reasons for visiting and ways to
enjoy it (fun, cultural enrichment, relax,
socialization, educational activities etc.)
• To provide possible sponsors with with precise
indications
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
The Information System: Primary Data
Why carry out audience surveys?
• To evaluate the effectiveness of communication activities
and to develop those that maximize the impact with the
reference target
• To identify the most effective promotional activities
(fidelity cards, flexible subscriptions, discount coupons
to be used in the cafeteria, etc.)
• To increase the Client satisfaction and the overall quality
of his/her experience
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
A few questions before starting a
research…
•
Are we sure we don’t already have the
information we’re trying to gather?
•
What kind of consequences will the results of
my research provoke?

What if the results of our research should
reveal something we would rather not know?
•
How quickly will we be able to take decisions
based on the results of the research?
•
How much will this research cost?
•
Will anything happen if we don’t carry out
this research?
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
The Phases of the Research
1. Defining Objectives
2. Analyzing human and financial resources
3. Defining the method and research technique
4. Data harvesting
5. Data Analysis
6. Data interpretation and reporting
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Visitor Research methods
• Questionnaires
• Interviews
• Focus Group
Direct
Quantitative
Indirect
• Observations
Qualitative
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QUESTIONNAIRE
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Editing the questionnaire
Things to do:
- refer to concrete and specific topics, to
obtain concrete and specific replies
- Keep it clear and short
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Editing the questionnaire
Things to avoid:
- double questions. Never include two or more
questions in one (e.g. always check use of
words “and”/”or”
- ambiguous or non-precise questions (never
use “jargon”)
- influencing replies
- putting embarassing questions (e.g. religion,
tabous, or… income)
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Editing the questionnaire Better use Close or Open questions?
Using Questions with MULTIPLE CHOICE answers
Advantages:
• Standard
replies
allow
comparisons
• Easier coding and analysis
• May help the understanding of
some of the questions
• Replies are relatively complete
• They make the job of filling-in
the questionnaire easier
Drawbacks:
• May push people to anwswer
randomly to questions
concerning topics on which
they have no real opinion
• Frustration when faced with
non-adequate answer modes
• More difficult understanding
of ambiguous questions
• Higher error percentage
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Editing the questionnaire Better use Close or Open questions?
Using Questions with FREE answers
Advantages:
• They can be useful when the
number
and
kinds
of
possible
answers
are
unknown or too high
• More detailed answers are
obtained
• Are useful to cope with
complex issues
• People can express their
opinions freely
Drawbacks:
• They can give useless or
irrelevant information
• Comparing answers becomes
more difficult
• Higher complexity for coding
and lower reliability rate
• A higher education is required
from interviewees
• The higher effort required
may result in a lower response
rate
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Editing the questionnaire The questions order
•
•
•
•
You should always place the easier questions first
Questions which you can classify as “delicate” or
potentially embarassing should always be placed in
the final part of the questionnaire
Always ask first for the pieces of information
that will be useful to reply to the following
questions
Always avoid orienting the replies, and try to
avoid response sets
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Editing the questionnaire The questions order
•
•
•
•
Always separate questions that you are using for
control and reliability check
The length and kind of questions should always
vary within the same questionnaire
Always apply the “funnel” technique: ask the
general questions first, and then narrow them as
you procced with the questionnaire
Anagraphical questions should always be placed at
the end of the questionnaire
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Common Sources of Error in Surveys
There are four main Sources of Error in Surveys:
• People refuse to answer
• Sampling errors
• Vague or non-precise answers
• Mistakes made by the interviewer
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
OUTCOMES
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Survey on the public of museums in Lombardia, Italy
Main outcomes
•Concerning the visitors’ age, the research highlights that
there is a concentration on central age ranges (from 26 to 55
years) corresponding to about 73%. Small number of old people
analyzed: only 4,6%.
• a strong prevalence of visitors with middle/high education
level is registered (43,3% with highschool diploma. 32,1% with
university degree. 7,4% with PhD).
•The visit to the museum is first of all a social experience
carried out through relationships with relatives or friends.
•45,1% of visitors declared that they decided to visit the
museum that same day; 29% took the decision in the previous
week and about 26% stated to have decided in large advance
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Survey on the public of museums in Lombardia, Italy
Main outcomes
•The entrance in museum seems to be a step within the
consumption process time free of from work and domestic
tasks. It can be associated to other activities like shopping, a
dinner at restaurant, the discovery of surroundings or the visit
of other museums.
• Visitors are characterized by a high education level and by a
cultural capital exploited to understand the museum context.
More than 75% of the interviewees stated that their existing
knowledge was useful to understand the collections
•The key aspects of the Museums’ offer -such as works of art,
archeological objects, personnel’s competence and courtesy and
the opening time- are positively evaluated by visitors. On the
contrary, multi media tools and visitors services like
restaurants, bookshops...are considered inadequate.
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Survey on the public of museums in Lombardia, Italy
Main outcomes
•The main sources of information are previous acquaintance
with museums and the circulation of information among friends
and relatives (word-of-mouth). The effect of the media seems
to be minimal and museums do not use them very often.
•Visitors are strong consumers of artistic and cultural products.
The profile is one of “culturally omnivorous” people both in the
home and outside: he/she goes to museum, attends artistic
performances, reads a lot and uses newspapers as a source of
information.
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A NEW APPROACH TO VISITOR SURVEYS…
Observation Methods
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Observing Surveys: an Introduction
The following slides show some of the possible outcomes
related to the methodology of “observational evaluation”,
which uses unobtrusive methods to gain information
about visitors and interpretation.
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Observing Surveys: an Introduction
Generally such Survey Observation implies the the
following activities:
tracking
Counting, measuring and timing
Watching, listening and noting
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Observing Surveys: an Introduction
The following slides show the major patterns
(visitors’ movement and interaction), “cold” and “hot”
areas (blue or red part of the museum depending on
the power of attraction of every single display), and
the disposition of time throughout the visit.
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
The Survey: Objectives
To evaluate the behaviour of the audience with
reference to a newly opened structure
In detail, the focus of the research concerned:
The path followed by visitors on the ground floor of the museum
(a space where the “museo diffuso” is positioned), as well as on
the upper floor, where the an exposition called “A picture of
Italy. An exposition on an exposition about Resistance (19462003)” was on going.
The level of attraction and retain of the more relevant elements
constituting the visit
The different kinds of activities carried out by attendees during
the visit in the museum
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
The Survey : 6 Phases
1.
a preliminary mapping of the visiting path that you intend to
monitor, and identificaiton of the main objects/signs/references
with which the visitor can be in contact and interact
2.
coding and pre-testing, by the research group, of all the
kinds of behaviours the visitor may hold during the visiting
experience. This kind of pre-test will allow the researcher to
identify ideal standards and timings, against which he will
compare the actual visitors’ behaviours and timings.
3.
accurate training of the observers, in order to standardize
and make as objective as possible, the description and
observation: a standard chart where all the possible behaviours
and corresponding codes had been listed was given to each
observer
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
The Survey : 6 Phases
4.
Field observation. As an experimental research, the
target number of observations can be estimated between 50
and 200.
5.
Decoding of tracking, working out and interpreting the
data. This is an extremely complex phase, since the lacking
of specific scientific literature, and of field experience,
requires an “ex post” construction of a research hypothesis
based on empirical observation
6.
“Cartographic” development of the tracks, of the applied
measure indexes (attraction index, and retain index)and
termographic rendering of the visiting space
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
Performance index
Two useful indices of exhibit or site performance:
•
The average
timeindication
that people
at an exhibit is or
Attraction
power:
ofspend
the “attractiveness”
divided by
the actual
time that is required to read or
attention
grabbing
power.
review it
•
Holding power: gives a measure of how well an exhibit
holds peopel’s interestonce they have stopped
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
The Survey: Methodology
From an operational point of view, in order to guarantee
as much objectivity as possible, and to standardize the
observation methods of each observer, the following
tools were developed:
• an observation chart
• a “behaviour interpretation chart”
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
THE OBSERVATION CHART
X: SOSTA
O: SOSTA MEDIA (DA 5 A 15 SEC.)
: SOSTA LUNGA (OLTRE 15
SEC.)
∆: SOSTA MOLTO LUNGA
(OLTRE 60 SEC.)
L: LEGGE
LG: LEGGE GUIDA O ALTRO
SUPPORTO INFORMATIVO
P: PARLA
S: SI SIEDE
T: PRENDE MATERIALE IN
DISTRIBUZIONE
SCHEDA N°: DATA_______________NOME RILEVATORE________________________
SESSO: M  F ETA’: 18-30  31-45 
46-64  OLTRE 65 
EFFETTUA LA VISITA: DA SOLO IN COPPIA IN GRUPPO NOTE___________________________
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MAIN RESULTS
AREA B
AREA A
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THE EXPOSITION
PARTE 2
PARTE 3
PARTE 1
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The Archeological Museum of
Naples
- Main flows of visit: example n. 2
-(duration of visit: 90 sec., 400 m)
MUSEUM VISITOR FLOWS
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The Archeological Museum of
Naples
Alessandro Bollo © 2004
The Archeological Museum of
Naples
Alessandro Bollo © 2004