On a trip through the London Underground you get a snapshot of museum advertising, this tends to centre around the latest exhibition, trying to capture the eye with a painting or artifact.
London Museums are not alone in putting the exhibition programme at the centre of their advertising, but I question if it is wise to be so object orientated when research tells us that what is on display is not the basis for the majority of people to visit a museum.
The primary thing that influences audiences to visit is word of mouth recommendation, this could be about the latest exhibition, it could be about a past experience or it could be something totally off your radar, for example ‘they have the best sponge cake’.
Of course I am not suggesting that we throw out the museum poster, I am just questioning whether we can be a bit more creative than using objects as the centre of our advertising and perhaps create something which people want to talk about.
This is what The Franklin Institute did with “curious?” a campaign that focuses on the objects, issues and mysteries we overlook every single day. A campaign that inspires people to realise that The Franklin Institute isn’t just a new thing to come and see; it’s a new way of seeing things.
