marketing plan ppt_usnsbm june 2015

Marketing Plan Presentation

U.S. NAVY SEABEE MUSEUM

As the second oldest national Navy museum, the Seabee Museum’s mission is to increase patronage by offering

opportunities of learning through our historical collection, preservation and presentation efforts relating to the documents and artifacts of the Naval Construction Force, better known as

the Seabees, as well as the Civil Engineer Corps.

ORGANIZATIONAL MISSION

To become the premier institution for selecting, preserving and displaying historical material relating to the Seabees and set a standard by which all other military history museums can follow.

CORPORATE OBJECTIVE

BUSINESS & ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

In a business sense, the Seabee Museum operates federally; meaning all activity whereby a traditional corporate entity can actively offer products and services with the intent to gain profit is otherwise prohibited.

The Seabee Museum must be able to demonstrate measurable visitation numbers in order to continue to receive financial support from the U.S. Navy (and taxpayers by extension) and the foundation established to financially support museum activities.

Continued budgetary complications by Congress consistently challenge museum funding and operations, as historical museum operation is a low priority for Department of Defense Spending

MARKETING AUDIT: EXTERNAL

THE MARKET

The market for national military museums is scarce in the region – scarce as in the Seabee Museum is the ONLY military museum in the region. This is a benefit, particularly since it is located in the heart of community that owes its existence to the Seabee Community.

Instead, the market for the museum is defined by its presence in the local museum network within the tourism industry.

In 2014, California increased tourism revenue by 3.6% from 2013 to $117 billion (Dean Runyan Associates, 2014, p. 11).


THE MARKET, cont.

Ventura County consists of four major cities clumped together: Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, and Port Hueneme as well as the myriad of smaller townages to which a population of 850K call home

Key demographics for the Seabee Museum consists of Vietnam-era veterans, retirees, local active duty servicemembers, military and DOD civilian families, and local education institutions.

Motivation for visitation is often dates of significance (Memorial Day, Seabee Birthday, etc…), as well as celebratory or commemorative events at the museum.


COMPETITION

Direct competition for the Seabee Museum comes from two other locations that house independently-run Seabee-themed museums: Gulfport, Mississippi and Davisville, Rhode Island.

The competitor museums lack storage capabilities as well as staff trained in current curatorial and archival practices that currently characterizes the Seabee Museum in Port Hueneme.


As a government-owned and operated historical institution, sales is a not a focus in the traditional sense.

Instead, our focus is patronage, simply getting people through the doors for any number of reasons to include: guest-hosted events (use of our space is free); commemorations, general visitation, docent-guided tours, etc.

Because the Seabee Museum, as a federal entity, is forbidden by law to actively seek funding in any way for any reason, we must simply operate with the hopes that what we produce (interpretive exhibits) will entice people to WANT to visit the museum.

The Seabee Museum does not deal with profits, while we certainly entertain the idea of costs to operate, staff, and continuously evolve the museum and its exhibits. Our measurements are guided by the number of people who visit the museum on a daily basis.

MARKETING AUDIT: INTERNAL

Communication with the community relies heavily on digital mediums such as the Internet and social media. The Seabee Museum continues to see growth in community engagement in the online realm.

Traditional media and outreach methodologies continue to see success due to the nature of museum operation and the high number of older patrons that continue to rely on such media to include media coverage in the main local newspapers, VC Star, VC Reporter, and Camarillo Acorn.

MARKETING AUDIT: INTERNAL

The Seabee Museum is the only national military museum in Southwest region.

The museum is staffed with specialists trained in proper artifact and document collection, preservation and presentation.

It is accessible to the public as it resides outside the Naval Base Venture County Port Hueneme perimeter

A robust online presence enables patrons to enjoy content from the museum from afar

SWOT: STRENGTHS

Government funding is fickle and each year it is challenging to obtain significant operating funds as museum systems and historical preservation are not high on the Department of Defense spending priorities.

The Seabee Historical Foundation, which exists to augment government funding, is in debt for the construction of the new Seabee Museum, which become operational despite incomplete construction in 2011.

The situation with the museum’s foundation has led to a troubled relationship with the museum and its staff particularly because the foundation itself is not located near the museum.

SWOT: WEAKNESSES

Finalized planning for the museums interpretive exhibit plans are still yet to be determined. An interim solution has been decided on in the meantime, but offers no permanent solution beyond the major event that has been identified as the Seabee 75 th Anniversary in March 2017.

Backlog of collection due to prior staffing limitations is significant enough that it will be some time before artifacts that have been donated to the museum in the last four years will be cataloged.

SWOT: WEAKNESSES, CONT.

The Seabee Museum has an opportunity to finalize the building of the exhibits and set a high standard for interpretive planning.

Because of the tumultuous relationship between the museum and its supportive foundation, the director and the staff have found alternative means to construct and install exhibits that will help increase patronage at all ages. Such means include passively entertaining independent donors as exemplified by the STEM Center, which is set to open June 6, 2015.

Increased public-facing events as part of the museum’s public education and scholarship programs will cover a variety of topics in and out of the realm of Seabee history. Such programs will be tailored to various ages and groups to include school/youth groups, adult education, and guest-hosted professional groups.

SWOT: OPPORTUNITIES

Government shutdowns and sequestration often loom when Congress fails to reach accord on the annual defense budget. This can result in the limited or complete closure of the museum, thus limited availability to public stakeholders.

The shortfalls of the historical foundation result in the perception by public stakeholders that the museum is fail ing on promises that neither the director nor the staff has made to benefactors donating money through the foundation.

Continued misbranding by the two other independently operated museums can perplex patrons who simply wish to visit the official Seabee Museum. If more than one promotes themselves as such, potential patrons will be confused and this may lead to loss of artifact collection opportunities as well as funding received via the troubled foundation.

SWOT: THREATS

Assumption 1: Key ages for patrons of the Seabee Museum are students, particularly those in grades 4, 10 and 12 where studies in American History are emphasized as well as Vietnam-era veterans who served as Seabees and are currently retired.

These are separate ends of the age spectrum and as such marketing is less of a challenge for both ends since these audiences are built in.

The challenge then becomes how to market to those in the middle. Ideally those patrons would be current-generation servicemembers along with their friends and family, including those currently serving in the Seabee community.

Most importantly, the local community would and should play are large role in marketing. Garnering financial support via our foundation through the community would appeal to travelers thus ensuring a place among the go-to local tourism attractions.

ASSUMPTIONS

Assumption 2: Dates of significance play are large part in the museum’s visitation.

Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, D-day, the Seabee Birthday, the Navy Birthday, and Independence Day are among those tied to celebration of military culture and the people who serve in it.

It would be wise to capitalize on these dates to marketing strategies to increase visibility and awareness.

ASSUMPTIONS

Assumption 3: Lack of national military museums in the area means the Seabee Museum is positioned to be a must-see attraction for military enthusiasts regardless of affiliation.

Museums play a role in preserving and displaying the history of the selected subject matter.

With the Seabee Museum, that historical display consists of documents and artifacts, large and small, relating to the Naval Construction Force and the Civil Engineer Corps. Historically (and currently, actually) the Seabees and the Civil Engineers are often placed in areas where they are ambassadors representing not only the Navy, but America as well.

This makes for a rich history of partnership and international relations that speak to a general audience and can pull in people from all interests, not just the Navy.

ASSUMPTIONS

Assumption 4: Location and limited media availability challenge communication efforts.

The area has two major newspapers, and most major broadcast outlets are based out of Los Angeles, which means coverage and content compete with greater Los Angeles for focus and airtime.

This means social media plays a major role in our marketing efforts to not only display what visitors can find at the museum, but also learn about the history its meant to preserve by showing things that would generally not be on display (all the behind the scenes items and documents).

ASSUMPTIONS

Assumption 5 : The financial situation is challenged by the fact that the museum is a federal entity and therefore cannot act within normal business operational parameters.

Government regulations prohibit solicitation of funds, prevent the museum classification of “non-profit,” and restrict spending of taxpayer dollars. Money received to operate comes from the Navy and is supplemented by a foundation aimed at supporting the museum.

Currently, the Seabee Historical Foundation is that supportive body, but unfortunately, the construction of the building in which the Seabee Museum currently resides left the foundation mill ions of dollars in debt and is therefore not in a position to assist the museum.

Thankfully, that debt is its own and not tied to the property, which is not in the custody of the Navy so there is no threat of seizure or shutdown in that regard.

ASSUMPTIONS

Existing Market/Existing Products

Deepen Market Penetration

Use existing dates of significance as anchors to promote museum

exhibits, operations and activities.

Existing Market/New Product

Product Development

Develop new interactive and tech-based exhibits to incorporate a newer generation of visitation.

New Market/Existing Product

Market Extension

Increase opportunities for school programs to entice American

History educators to incorporate Seabee History into their

curriculum for increased visibility

New Market/New Product

Diversification

Continue work online that increases exposure to people

outside the geographic region and all over the world.

SEABEE MUSEUMANSOFF MATRIX

To steadily increase patronage by 20 percent for each year over the next 5 years.

To increase public education attendance by 10% for each year over the next 5 years.

MARKETING OBJECTIVES

The museum itself is the product. We want people to visit, so all of the exhibits and public programs must attract people to visit not only in person, but also on our web properties.

A robust exhibit development and release schedule will keep subject matter variable to not only encourage new visitors, but previous visitors to return as new exhibits will have new stories to tell.

Schools could also be tapped to encourage learning, not just about Seabee history, but also tie in the educational tenants of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, known as STEM, to that history so that learning could take place outside of historical parameters.

MARKETING STRATEGY: PRODUCT

The museum is free to all, so there is no price to pay except in time and travel to get to the museum.

It would be to our benefit to not only use social media to demonstrate the value of learning, but also the value of preserving the history of a military force funded through taxpayer dollars.

MARKETING STRATEGY: PRICE

Admittedly, the location of the museum is challenge for most travellers. It resides deep within Port Hueneme, and is not located near any major highways. Even visibility with regards to foliage results in the oft-heard, “I drive by this place every day and never noticed it.”

When the current building was built and opened in 2011, one of the first issues alleviated was accessibility. It no longer resides within the base perimeter so access is easier to everyone including non-government visitors.

Marketing must communicate this, even if it’s not a sole focus of marketing. It’s a question and assumption made by a lot of people that the museum, because it was once on base, is still not easily accessible. It is.

MARKETING STRATEGY: PLACE

The museum got its first big break earlier this year when it was selected as the official site of the 75 th Seabee Anniversary, which will be on the Seabee birthday, March 5, 2017.

All exhibits and public programs will tie into that theme for the next two years, which will help promote it as a premier military history museum for the area.

Meeting the marketing objective would mean using this one major event as an anchor for promotional efforts that could then tie into the functions and offerings of the museum so that they can continue to be a marketing tool well beyond the anniversary.

MARKETING STRATEGY: PROMOTION

EXPECTATIONBy keeping the exhibit schedule variable and on a steady schedule, the expectation is that visitation will increase in accordance with the marketing objective, 20% for each year. Based off the current year’s baseline projection attendance, that would mean:

2015 – 12,000 (Baseline)2016 – 14,2402017 – 17,2802018 – 20,7362019 – 24,8832020 – 29,859

EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PRODUCT

EVALUATION/MONITORINGFront desk operator tracks feet through the door with

a counting clicker and records end of day numbers. End of day numbers are recorded, monthly numbers

are reported up to the Museum’s System Office (MSO) at headquarters. Both metrics give a real-time analysis of the performance of the museum, giving ample opportunity by mid-year to determine if the museum will meet its marketing objectives and adjust accordingly.


EVALUATION/MONITORING, cont.

What is preventing inflation of numbers by adding in extra, or “ghost” clicks?Average numbers tend to reflect daily numbersAn accounting regulation body, such as the

command’s Inspector General’s office, can simply visit the museum and monitor it for a few days to assess whether numbers are accurate.

Final assessment is based on personal judgment whether the reported numbers are accurate.

Spikes in attendance are usually associated with documented events, scheduled or not.


BUDGETOutside of operating costs to build the exhibits,

employ staff members, etc., marketing budget for this tenant does not exist because such budgets fall under the Operations parameter of the business.


EXPECTATIONWith a free museum consistently adding cost-effective

programming and exhibits, we expect to meet the marketing objective.

Again, keeping exhibit and programming variable will entice new visitors, and encourage previous ones to revisit.

The value of learning and education will be communicated and assist in keeping things on track toward the objective.

EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PRICE

EVALUATION/MONITORINGSuccess will still be measured by visitation numbers. Meeting numbers both daily and monthly will garner

success in the objective. However, missing daily and monthly goals will result

in further research to discover what are strengths are, and where we are falling short.

Surveys are a useful tool in that regard, and that will not only involve surveying patrons, but also volunteers and staff to assess what content is successful, and what is not. The point in this tenant is to ensure content speaks to the value of visiting of the museum since there are no entry fees.


BUDGETOperations budget applies in this tenant that involves

employee salary, facilities maintenance, exhibit planning and building.

However, this is where we begin to delve into the promotional side for marketing in regards to communicating with the public the value of visiting the museum and learning about history, Seabee history and Navy history alike.

Social media keeps costs next-to-nonexistent and budgets low because it is a free way to promote the museum (since it is forbidden to use purchase paid advertisement online with federal money).


EXPECTATIONWe expect that increasing awareness as to the

location in regards to the old building in which the museum once residing, and the base, will have a large impact in meeting the marketing objective of 20% increase year after year.

This would likely be attributed to the military community or the interest in it coupled with the fact that the Seabee Museum is the only official national museum run by the Department of Defense in the region.

EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PLACE

EVALUATION/MONITORING Increasing awareness of the location should have a

large impact. Survey those visiting the museum to see if knowledge

of location made it more appealing to visit will be a useful metric in evaluating awareness campaigns.


BUDGETSocial media and online properties will keep

budgetary needs low in meeting the objective of increasing awareness.

The cost of the initial flyers is low because they are designed and produced in house and distributed on a limited basis to community entities that can then place such flyers on community accessed bulletin boards.


EXPECTATIONThe anniversary planning will centralize exhibit

planning, public programming, and social media efforts to a singular theme.

We expect that because of such a milestone occasion will allow result in meeting the objective with little challenge in the next two year.

The challenge then will be to develop further programming that will build on that momentum from the anniversary events and extend them in the years beyond.

EXPECTATION, EVAL & BUDGET: PROMOTION

EVALUATION/MONITORINGSocial media metrics are easy to capture as most

offer such services. Online visitation numbers will determine what content is popular and what is not.

These metrics are currently capture monthly, but monitored daily so that the real-time analysis can be useful in adjust content and frequency of posts.

Surveys both formal and informal about what brought people into the museum can be conducted by volunteers operating the front desk, as well as staff on station.

The front desk currently maintains a daily log of visitors, and that is our opportunity to inquire about motivation to visit.


BUDGETThe average budget for marketing in the Promotion tenant has rested in the realm of $6K for a few years. With this, money is spent on the following, typically: $1K-$2K on local tourism and city bureaus where

partnerships in advertising is authorized $1K-$2K on marketing products such as externally produced

flyers, rack cards, programs, and decorations $1K-$2K on travel costs associated with attending local

events, tradeshows, exhibit traveling $500 (approx.) on management of online accounts such as

Flickr Pro, Hootsuite PR management, etc. Training and resource material (AP styleguides, reference

books on marketing, professional subscriptions, etc.) make up what’s left of the budget.


There are certainly roadblocks to fully being able to spend the money non-governmental enterprises are afforded in their marketing strategies, it is remarkable what the Seabee Museum has been and will be able to accomplish with such restrictions.

It is imperative that all forms of communication are used in both the traditional sense and within the new media realm in order to span generations and generate awareness of the museum and its function.

CLOSING POINTS

The goals are modestly set in order to progressively increase patronage and operation with a large portion of growth attributed to the activity surrounding the 75 th Seabee anniversary observance in March 2017.

Continual survey of the community and patrons will ensure exhibits speak to the history set forth in the corporate mission.

We must not forget that consistent self-evaluation in all strategic parameters will enable us to adjust efforts should some strategies fall short of outlined goals.

CLOSING POINTS, CONT.

QUESTIONS

marketing plan ppt_usnsbm june 2015

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