Tate museum tourism marketing strategies

The benefits that are being offered include a private member’s room, exclusive events, collectibles, no queues and pre-booking nuisance in favor of “pop-in” visits/free entrance. The researchers have therefore identified 6 main leading “themes” in Tate involvement with its members (ibid. ): 1 . Centrality and pleasure: make the visit enjoyable, engage returnees across the years, creation of an emotional construct and a sense of nostalgia (Tate Britain).

2. Desire to learn: lead the customer through a learning experience 3.

Escapism, spiritualism and creativities: Tate as a place where people can escape daily routine, creating stimuli, inspire and “fulfill creative and spiritual needs” 4. Sense of belonging and prestige: customers feel like they belong to a cultural group with a sense of community and pride. 5. Physical: Tate as a multi-layered, iconic, sensory and visual experience, based also on architectural and design assets.

In Particular: Tate Britain 0 Quiet, coos, intimate; Tate Modern 0 Fun and exciting. 6. Drivers of Involvement: reminders of temporary art exhibitions and events.

II. The Marketing Mix and the importance of business A Product and Physical Evidence “Products are the objects that consumers want or need. From the point of view of museum visitors, these include exhibitions, programs and facilities” (Kettle et al.

, 2008, p. 28). Accordingly, the product is divided in three levels: the core product, the actual product and the augmented product. In Taste’s case, the core product will represent what the visitor expects, his needs and also the benefits he can get from the museum (education, recreation, etc. ).

The actual product is all the tangible elements that characterize the museums (architecture, restaurants, shops, exhibitions, etc). The augmented product gathers the elements that are proposed as addition to the museum’s experience (membership, special visits). The chart below summarizes the product’s offers in the four museums: Core Product Actual Product Augmented Product Tate Britain Education/ Recreation It displays the collection of British art from 1500 to the present day. Temporary exhibitions Texts about the works on display Captions on each work, also readable online Events Talks, lectures, gallery tours, symposia, workshops Tate boat

Facilities: Toilets, Baby changing facilities, Lifts, Cloakroom, Seats, Telephones, Water fountains Access: Braille, hearing loops, visual descriptions, large print captions Two shops , two restaurants: Tate Britain Cafe©, Rexes Whistler Restaurant Special building, nineteenth century Membership for EYE a year: special rooms, magazines, free access to exhibitions, special symposia, special offers: discounts on hotels and food, free champagne for Valentine’s day Tate Modern It houses the Taste’s collection of British and International Modern and Contemporary Art from 1900 to the present day Temporary exhibitions

Audio guides, Multimedia guides fountains, reading spaces, Video spaces, bookshelves Access: Braille, hearing loops, visual descriptions, large print captions Three shops, three restaurants: Tate Modern Restaurant, Espresso Bar, Cafe© 2 Building: bank side, power station Valentine’s day Tate Liverpool The same purpose as Tate Modern but on a smaller scale Temporary exhibitions Learning Team, educational activities, sustainable activities, special welcome (awards: charter mark) Audio guides Captions on each work Facilities: Toilets, Baby changing facilities, Lifts, Cloakroom, Seats Access: Braille, Cafe©

Special building in Albert Dock special symposia, special offers: discounts on food, hotels Tate SST Ivies It displays Modern and Contemporary Art by artists who have connections with the area Temporary exhibitions Walkabout, Outtalk Games for families Afternoon seminar Audio guides Course, Workshops Film and music performances Late visits Artists residency hearing loops, visual descriptions, large print captions Tate SST Ivies Cafe©, one shop Building: gasworks on the northern edge of the ‘download’ district of SST Ivies Membership for EYE a year: special room, magazines, free access to exhibitions, facial symposia, special offers: discounts on food, hotels, free of charges for Members Not only the Taste’s products are numerous and change from a museum to another with different collections, but also they change from time to time for their temporary exhibitions which help to reinvent the museum’s offers and generate repeat visitors.

For museums, it is possible to consider the physical evidence as part of the actual product which creates value for visitors. Each attraction must improve its appeal to increase the consumer perceived-value and that can create experience o visitors (Otto and Ritchie, 1996).

Indeed, the Taste’s experience can satisfy the five senses. For instance, In Tate Modern they offered headphones so that visitors could listen to the tracks and look at the work at the same time (musicians made the tracks especially for the works in Tate Modern) (Mad, 2007). Tate developed an important strategy to improve its physical evidence and played on this theme to differentiate the repeat visitors’ experience. See the following examples) The serviceable is well developed (physical facilities and tangible communication vices like posters etc. ) The attractions’ atmosphere: colors in accordance to the exhibitions’ theme, stickers on walls, light, music Signs to indicate things to do or see They are working as much as they can with local food providers They propose different films and activities They welcome concerts, movies, etc.

The importance of Internet and new technologies adds value to the Taste’s products and Tate develops Tate Online as a part of its product strategy to reach a wider audience. Indeed, the website provides information for teachers, students or visitors