I recently received a mailing from the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, formerly known as the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park.
I was puzzled by the name change. In this case, why would you essentially just reorder the words in the name? Yes, the sculpture park is beautiful and unique in the metro Boston area. It is well worth a visit I might add. However, the museum is excellent as well. There was a fascinating exhibition called Drawn to Detail which I saw last fall.
Perhaps, the ICA in Boston is cornering the contemporary art museum “market”, with the recent Shephard Fairey show and before that an Anish Kapoor exhibition. It also has received a lot of attention for its new building and new location on the waterfront in Boston. The deCordova’s name change might be a bid to distinguish itself from the ICA. If that is the case, I am not convinced that re-branding is the answer. But if you are going to re-brand, at least be consistent.
The website uses the new name at the top on the right…
The top of the deCordova home page
and then uses the old name under the History and Mission title.
Bottom of deCordova home page
I must admit that I am skeptical of re-branding efforts because they can be expensive and difficult to quantify. I always want to know the return on investment. But in this case, I think that the deCordova needs to go back to the 4 Ps:
1. Product
2. Pricing
3. Placement
4. Promotion
Their product is contemporary art with a focus on American art, especially from New England. The ICA tends to focus on national and international artists. However, a strong regional focus could be an asset at a time when people are enjoying localvore cuisine and taking staycations.
Their pricing, in this case admission fees, is slightly less than the ICA - $12 versus $15 for general admission. In addition, general admission is $5 less than at the
MFA.
Placement is where I see the greatest challenge faced by the deCordova. They are located in Lincoln, MA, a suburban, almost exurban town West of Boston. You don’t just drop by the deCordova as you might the ICA. Further, the closest form of public transportation is probably the commuter rail station in Lincoln Center. Thus, they tend to attract visitors for whom the deCordova is the destination. I am reminded of the Barnes Foundation and the fight over moving the collection into Philadelphia, PA in order to attract more visitors.
In terms of promotion, a very unscientific sample suggests that they receive less national attention than the ICA. However, national coverage may not be necessary to gain the attention of their target audience. Their
current exhibition was covered by a local NPR station recently.
The deCordova should play to its strengths and recognize their core “customers”. Because of their location, they will not be able to attract some of the same visitors as the ICA. However, suburbanites, families, and art-lovers will be thrilled with what the deCordova has to offer. Unlike the ICA, the deCordova has a sculpture park to be admired by adults and children alike. You can picnic in the park or use the walk between sculptures to work off some excess energy. There is a hands on area, The Art ExperienCenter, that is perfect for inquisitive little (and maybe not so little) hands. In addition, their exhibitions change regularly and there are often opportunities to hear artists talk about their work. Finally, there is free parking. I hate to admit it but it is nice to have.
Through surveys or focus groups, the deCordova could learn or confirm what its current visitors and members value most and use that information to shape its marketing, particularly its acquisition strategy. The challenges faced by the deCordova and many other arts organizations in this tough economic climate require more than a just a name change.
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Lynne, was interested to read this.
The discrepancy you found on our new, in-progress site (you have a good eye for detail) is being fixed today. However, it is one of many. Like many NFPs we don’t have the $ (and if we did, would be unlikely to spend it to implement a new identity across all our collateral) to roll out this change all at once. Rather, we’re rolling it out as we reprint items or create new pieces. So our letterhead, for example, has both the old name and our old logo… until we use the rest of it and reprint. Such is life in the non profit world.
I spent 15+ years as an art director/chief designer for museums– the Metropolitan Museum in NYC and the Smithsonian– before becoming a Director. So I appreciate where you are coming from on this topic, and agree fully that slapping a new name on an institution isn’t meaningful. However, I think your second-to-last pp makes my argument for me.
Data shows that DeCordova is best known for the sculpture park, and the vast majority of our visitation is seasonal. The Park, and sculpture, are our core “products” if you will, and we are orienting our identity around this strength. The rebranding is following a number of efforts in this regard–including establishing a sculpture park endowment, making many changes to what is in the park to orient it towards high-quality art (in the past year a number of works have departed, and several new works are being installed this summer), launching a sculpture park cell phone tour that includes content for kids/families, launching Free Friday Nights in the Park this July for families, and orienting many of our summer exhibitions aroudn Sculpture. The next two major summer shows (2010/2011) will be indoor/outdoor shows of major contemporary sculptors.
Finally, we are working towards positioning and marketing around being the destination for those living in the western suburbs. So on that, we agree!
Thanks for your thoughts on our efforts– I’ll be watching your blog in future.
best,
Dennis Kois
Director
deCordova Sculpture Park + Museum
Dennis,
Thank you for explaining the reasons behind the re-branding effort. It is clear that you have an integrated strategy to reposition the deCordova based on customer intelligence. I hope you will let me know the results of your efforts. The deCordova is a very special institution that we are lucky to have in metro Boston.
Sincerely,
Lynne