Chicago Museum's Extraordinary Offer

Just one Night at the Museum? Let's make it a month.

In 2010 the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) underwent a large renovation and rebranding. They wanted a way to get the word out so that people could come to see the renovations and get the most out of their investment. The solution they decided upon was to hold a contest, the winner of which would get to spend 30 days (Oct 20th-Nov 18th 2010) living, eating, blogging, and documenting their stay in the enormous museum, as well as a healthy $10,000 paycheck at the end of their stay. This contest was a bit more successful than anticipated. Museum staff expected to receive a couple hundred applications but were blown away by over 1,500 applicants.

And the winner is...

Kate waves to a visitor from her glass-walled office

Unfortunately, being as there was only one position, that means that at least 1,499 applicants were denied, the one exception being Kate McGroarty. At the time of her stay at MSI Kate was twenty-four, and when asked how a month in a museum could change a person's life she responded, "I've always loved this museum, and I've always really loved adventure. And I'm hugely passionate about education, and I saw this as really interesting social experiment and an interesting education-through-social-media kind of experiment." During her time at the museum, Kate maintained a blog and social media account about her journey. She was given private quarters, as well as a public office (emphasis on the public) with glass walls. Kate was also encouraged to mingle with the guests of MSI, many of which came specifically to meet her. The Facebook page that she maintained is linked below and includes many of her photos and vlogs.


https://www.facebook.com/msikate/

So, what's the payoff?

The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry boasts huge success from the "Month at the Museum" experience. The museum claim that 59 percent of visitors had heard of the contest, and that many of them cited it as their primary reason for visiting. Their social media interaction grew as well, and several news outlets covered the story. It was so successful that they brought it back for an encore performance. All in all, quite a slam-dunk move on MSI's part.

Now, what does this mean to marketing?

I think that above all, the "Month at the Museum" contest proves that the more you can get your audience to interact with your product. This contest took the idea of social media interaction to the next level by essentially hiring a live-in social media director for 30 days. MSI simultaneously involved the public directly in their marketing, allowed them to create their own promotion through blogs and social media (meaning MSI could spend less of their own resources), and created big positive ripples in the news increasing public awareness of their brand. I really think this was a genius move on the museum's part, the only thing that I would suggest is to take it even further. Perhaps a recurring contest or more campaigns that directly involve the public. People love to be involved and make a difference on whatever scale they can. Going forward MSI would do well to remember how eager 1,500+ people were to put their hat in the running for this contest.

Original article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/10/25/illinois.museum.month/index.html

All About Me & I: My First Blog Post

My partner Myrh and I

All About Me & I: My First Blog Post

Hello, my name is Seth Blanc. I'm a Visual Communications major and also a Student Art Gallery Coordinator here at Linn-Benton Community College. To be honest, I'm taking Principles of Marketing this year because it's required for my degree, but I do plan on taking a lot away from this course. I plan on being a Graphic Designer for my career after graduation, so the skills I learn in this class will become invaluable to me whether I am marketing myself for freelance work, or coming up with a design for a clients new campaign. Besides school and design something that I am passionate about is art in all forms. I feel deeply that exposure to art, agreeable or disagreeable, will promote more thoughtful discussion of issues, or maybe just give someone a good laugh. I also care about preserving the environment and reducing waste, but I won't get on my soap box about that. I'm excited to learn all about the ins and outs of getting into peoples head and selling them a product.