Marketing strategy

The promotional strategy of the Museum is reviewed each year in consultation with our advertising agents and media buyers. On their recommendations a themed campaign is devised and appropriate media selected. Recent campaigns include:

A 4-sheet poster on London Underground for the 'Skin Deep' exhibition, Easter 2002There is a limited budget available for such campaigns, and since television advertising is not usually possible within our budget, in recent years the choice has been to use the following media:

• Poster advertising
• London commercial radio stations - hear four of the Museum's past radio advertisements  
• Press advertisements - see examples of press listings about the Museum
• Smaller posters for distribution - see posters and flyers

Below-the-line

Secondary promotional activity is administered through our own marketing office at the Museum. This involves:

• A selection of NMM leafletsdistributing printed leaflets and posters to tourist offices, libraries, language schools, hotels, coach operators, museums and galleries
• direct mail used extensively to encourage group visits to the Museum and travel trade bookings
• discount vouchers for joint promotion with other tourist attractions, tour companies, hotel groups and on consumer on-pack and magazine promotions
• paid advertising in trade journals and some local papers announcing special deals and featured events
• Examples of a joint promotionexhibition stands at trade shows for group organisers and travel operators
• joint promotions with regional rail companies also featuring travel to Greenwich. This is included in leaflets and poster campaigns promoting travel on the rail network

Press

The Museum's press office generates press coverage and media interest in all aspects of the Museum's work. It:

• keeps national and international media informed of all developments at the Museum sites
• responds to media requests
• monitors media coverage of Museum sites
• produces press packs and press releases
• develops new media contacts by special invitation, press launches and hospitality

Because of its status as a national museum, this type of coverage is exceptionally good in both quality and column centimetres.

An image from the front cover of the Independent on Sunday, 24 March 2002, promoting the 'Skin Deep' exhibition. Click image to download as high-res PDF (720KB)Newspapers often like to use beautiful or unusual images. The Museum's press office works to ensure that a range of striking images or 'photo opportunites' are availbale for journalists covering our events. It would cost thousands of pounds to buy this space in newspapers like the Independent on Sunday.

The press office also works in association with the press departments of the British Tourist Authority (BTA) and the national and regional tourist boards to host incoming journalists reviewing London attractions for their own foreign-language magazines.

• view high-resolution clippings of promotions and reviews in local and national newspapers

Research

Market research is an ongoing process at the Museum. We conduct a visitor survey four times a year, using structured interviews. The aims of this are to:

• find out who are visitors are
• provide information to aid marketing functions
• monitor customers' experience
• assess interest in proposed projects and exhibitions
• monitor awareness of other Museum services
• measure customer awareness of and satisfaction with temporary exhibitions

Various quality features are tested and improvements made in the marketing operation in response to the information gained.

In addition, controlled small focus group research is used to test marketing concepts. All research of this kind is carried out through external specialists, such as MORI.

Comment cards and surveys which visitors are encourage to complete for themselves are used to test customer reactions on site as part of the Total Quality Management Programme. Read a selection of Visitor comments (PDF, 135KB).

The marketing team may also refer to national statistics, surveys and reports.

Media choices

Media are selected to reach the audience that is considered as the most likely to respond. Budget limitations prevent the indiscriminate use of expensive media. Posters in busy Underground stations cost much more than those at quiet country stations, for example.

A series of choices have to be made and the advertising agency will use a media-buying company to draw up a plan that will usually include a mix of high and low cost options.

Some aspects might be handled in-house by staff of the attraction, for example phone calls to prospective customers, public relations activity, press releases or mail shots.

Trade advertising

Many tourists are travelling on package tours or have made travel arrangements that include local options. It is important that advertising and sales resources are used to target the companies that make the arrangements on behalf of tour companies. These are called incoming tour operators or handling agents. These specialist organisations know London well and can present a wide range of choices to their overseas clients to create attractive inclusive packages or as optional extras.

There are also a number of semi-commercial organisations that stimulate visits to museums. These may cater for educational, special interest or language schools.

Transport operators provide excursions or special offers to encourage travel on their coaches, rail services or riverboats.

Special schemes can be agreed with these operators to encourage visits to tourist attractions as part of the trip - see joint promotions.

Group business

Thousands of people are members of clubs and societies that include travel as part of their annual programme. These can be very specific (e.g. military veterans, fine arts societies, historical clubs and astronomy groups), or of general appeal (e.g. senior citizens, Women's Institutes, Scouts, church groups, businesses and social clubs).

Tourist attractions will make an effort to advise clubs of features that will have special appeal to their members.

Specialist organisations

A number of specialist organisations serve the tourist industry. There are many tourism marketing consultancies that handle business for a number of attractions.

Tourist boards

Images reproduced with kind permission from Greenwich Tourist Information CentrePublic Tourist Information Centres (TICs), central enquiry services, business development and world-wide promotion of Britain are all functions of the British Tourist Authority and the regional tourist boards. The BTA also has offices in many countries with expert staff to promote Britain.

The London Tourist Board publishes a trade manual and an accommodation list, and provides recorded telephone information services.

Hotels

Hotels provide a variety of tourism-related services because of the need to obtain tourist and business guests. Some will have a tourist channel on their television equipment giving their guests a guide to local attractions.

Others will provide a folder of attraction brochures (a 'bedroom browser') and most will have information services at their front desk. In larger hotels the head concierge will manage a team that will sell tickets for tours, admission tickets to attractions, organise theatre tickets, book taxis and provide tourist advice.

• View high-resolution images of various NMM leaflets

Tourist guidebooks

Hundreds of tourist guidebooks published, mainly by giant international companies. Throughout the year they are constantly checking with the attractions and updating their information.

Brochure Display

This company provides leaflet racks in most London hotels, larger business premises, libraries and student accommodation. It keeps stocks of each attraction leaflet and its team tops up the racks regularly.

Listing magazines

Time Out listingLondon Planner, Time Out and Pocket Guide are just three of many publications aiming to provide up-to-date information on entertainment and attractions for the tourist.

• View press & listings resources page

Websites

The Internet is becoming more important for travel planning and making advance bookings. We will have a list of key websites in our forthcoming web links section.