A Case Study by Immortology & Go2Market AnalyticsSituationThe Museum of Life + Science is a venerable NC institution. For over 65 years, it has entertained and enriched generations of children. By continually improving and adding exhibits, the Museum relied upon a build it and they will come strategy for attracting visitors (a very expensive way to grow attendance). After a $14 million investment in new science exhibits, a dinosaur trail and live animal habitats, the Museum experienced a huge uptick in paid visitations as expected. Unfortunately, these numbers started to drop just three years after the last improvement - and it would be another four years until the next capital infusion. By the time we came on board, visitation numbers were on a 15-month decline and dropping precipitously. To complicate matters, the Museum had a small marketing budget and several nearby children's museums were investing heavily in new exhibits and advertising. If nothing was done soon, the Museum's revenue from paid attendance - it's lifeblood - would drop to unsupportable levels.Data + InsightsAnalysis of visitor and member data allowed us to identify the most valuable visitors. We developed a quantitative-based segmentation of members, focusing on the top two segments in terms of support of the museum and depth and breadth of engagement. By overlaying the profiles of these distinct segments with third-party market data, we were able to pinpoint where prospects just like them lived within a 30-mile radius of the Museum. Qualitative and quantitative research of high-fit members and non-members revealed a key insight. When we asked prospects to describe the ideal place to spend a day with their children, they said: "a place with a variety of engaging activities, live animals, plenty of indoor and outdoor spaces that reward their curiosity and teaches our kids something." Without realizing it they had perfectly described the Museum.To be successful, the creative would need to powerfully bridge the gap between what moms want and what the Museum offers which, wonderfully, is the same thing.
