Deagan Urbatsch
The Heard Museum, founded in 1929, has served the Phoenix area and the American Indians of the Southwest by maintaining extensive collections and hosting world-class exhibitions, educational programming and unmatched festivals celebrating the history and culture of the native people of America. Its mission is to promote American Indian Art through exhibitions that flaunt the beauty and originality of traditional and contemporary art. Unfortunately, their marketing strategy could use some work in the years to come.
The Heard is struggling to relate to a millennial audience. Its exhibits are all behind protective glass or involve little to no interaction, which is typical for historical museums. The only interactive exhibits were reserved for young kids who would have no interest in the historical aspect. They are encouraged to color and cut out shapes, things that would never appeal to people age 18-32. The target audience is certainly made up of baby boomer history buffs who are in or nearing retirement and families with young children.
What they do right can be observed in their willingness to host limited-time events and exhibits. Young adults are far more inclined to pursue activities that are considered exclusive because it implies that they are part of something active and unique rather than passive and mundane. Part of this attitude stems from social media, but a lot of it can be attributed to the many different leisure activities that compete for attention beyond Twitter or Instagram. To a millennial, time is money and time is short, so they had better get some bang for their buck.
They held one event in October that attracted a young adult crowd called Dear Listener: Works by Nicholas Galanin. A selfie contest was held over the course of the exhibit which was won by a user with an amusing handle, @thai_food07. The staff indicates to you at the door that photography and video recording is welcome and encouraged, which is a step beyond what many other high-end museums would allow. This is a step in the right direction as this contest was an exclusive event that ran for a limited time, but they could still be doing far more.
A final aspect they could use to their advantage is the Coffee Cantina that was opened on 2011 along with a bookstore. Believe it or not, paper books are not completely out of style for millennials, unlike the paper version of the news. There is something satisfying about holding a physical book in one’s hands that is hard to replicate with a tablet or computer. If more promotion was done for the café, they might draw in a younger crowd, which the Heard desperately needs if it wants to maintain its status as a tourist attraction.
Museum Showcase 