RESEARCH REPORT for the Walters Art Museum Title & Positioning Study for the Repeating Images Exhibition January 24, 2007 In association with: Jennifer Novak and Amy Marino, co-investigators 4147 N. Ravenswood Ave. #302 Chicago, IL 60613 773.348.9200 phone hello@sloverlinett.com www.sloverlinett.com
Contents Executive Summary 2 Objectives 5 Findings 1. Responses to the Potential Titles 6 2. Responses to the Description 16 3. Impact of the Walters Presenting the Exhibition 20 4. Estimating Attendance 21 Conclusions & Recommendations 24 Appendices A. Methodology and Sampling 28 B. Museum Attendance & Membership 32 C. Interview Protocol 33 D. Comments on the Titles 35 E. Comments on the Walters as the Exhibition Venue 39 Acknowledgement: The researchers want to thank Dr. Zahava Doering of the Smithsonian Institution s Office of Policy & Analysis for her invaluable consultation on the design of the study and the interpretation of the results. 1.
Executive summary Objectives and Process The Walters Art Museum asked Slover Linett Strategies Inc. to conduct marketing research in connection with the museum s planned Fall 2007 exhibition, which explores why some of France s greatest painters of the late eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries created multiple versions of the same motif. The research was designed to inform the development of an appealing exhibition title and effective marketing messages, and to assist the Walters staff in forecasting likely attendance at the exhibition. In order to contextualize visitors responses to the museum s current working title, Repeating Images, Slover Linett helped develop a range of potential title/subtitle pairs for comparison. We also developed a brief, neutral description of the planned exhibition in order to evaluate which titles were perceived by visitors as most appropriate to the show s content. We then conducted 102 interviews from December 28 to 31, 2006 with visitors at three art museums in the Baltimore/Washington, DC area: the Walters, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), and the Phillips Collection. (For more information, see the Methodology & Sampling section in Appendix A.) Findings At a Glance The concept of artists repeating their own artworks should be made clear in the chosen titles/subtitle combination. Based on the titles and subtitles only that is, in the absence of any further descriptive or explanatory text many respondents thought the exhibition would feature multiple artists versions of the same subject. When subsequently shown the exhibition description, many were surprised to learn that it concerns individual artists multiple paintings of the same subject. The mention of x rays, infrared photographs, and digitally enhanced details in the description was highly appealing to 2.
respondents, so it may be important to convey this innovative approach in the title/subtitle, as well. The titles tested (including Repeating Images ) were not perceived as suggesting the unique investigative flavor of the exhibition. Yet that flavor appears to hold significant appeal for both high frequency and lower frequency art museum visitors. Emphasizing it may help the Walters broaden the audience for this exhibition. Respondents want the titles to tell them more specifically what they could expect to see in the exhibition. The majority of respondents found the proposed titles/subtitles ambiguous and felt that they did not convey enough information to allow them to decide to attend. (Of course, in the actual process of marketing the exhibition, additional visual and written information about the content will be provided alongside the title. This finding helps us understand what visitors seek from an exhibition title but, as we note below, the title is only one of many factors that determine whether or not the visitor decides to attend the exhibition.) Exhibition titles, considered in isolation from the full communication strategy, word of mouth, media coverage, etc., do not seem to be a primary influence on attendance. By comparing visitor responses to titles of past Walters exhibitions to the actual attendance at those exhibitions, we found that the appeal of the title is, in itself, a poor predictor of likelihood to attend. Art museums can control only some of the variables that drive exhibition attendance. The title is one of these, but it may not be a hugely important one. Its effect probably depends on complex interactions among title and subtitle, visuals, design, scheduling, pre existing interest in the artists or subjects presented, critical opinion, etc. Most respondents do not find the museum s working title, Repeating Images, to be the most appealing or accurate name for the exhibition. ʺRepeating Imagesʺ was perceived as fairly well suited to the content of the exhibition, but respondents said that it was too straightforward and lacked a ʺhookʺ to draw them in. As the chart on page 9 shows, Repeating Images ranked fourth out of the seven titles we tested in terms of appeal, with 11% naming it the most appealing title. When asked about their likelihood to attend the exhibition based on the title alone, Repeated Images was among the lowest rated titles. In its current form, this title doesn t convey the energy that respondents appeared to be looking for when 3.
evaluating the proposed titles, nor did it succeed in kindling their imaginations. The Walters will have to work hard to attract visitors from Washington, DC and environs to this exhibition. When told that the exhibition would be presented at the Walters Art Museum, many respondents at the Phillips Collection said that they would be less likely to attend on that account, citing geographical barriers. 4.
Objectives The Walters Art Museum asked Slover Linett Strategies Inc. to conduct marketing research in support of the museum s planned Fall 2007 exhibition, which explores why some of France s greatest painters of the late eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries created multiple versions of the same subject. The research was designed with two primary objectives in mind: To learn how visitors perceive this exhibition topic and what they find most interesting about it, which will inform the development of an appealing title and effective marketing messages; To gauge potential visitors level of interest in attending the planned exhibition, which will assist the Walters staff in forecasting attendance. From an institutional perspective, this project was also meant to explore and establish new methods for the Walters team to evaluate future exhibition concepts, titles, and positionings for example, the Maps exhibition to be mounted in 2008. 5.
Findings In order to contextualize visitors responses to the museum s current working title, Repeating Images, and obtain feedback that will help the Walters team develop an optimal title, Slover Linett first developed a range of potential title/subtitle pairs for comparative feedback in this research. We also drafted an untitled, neutral description of the planned exhibition in order to evaluate which titles were perceived by visitors as the best match for the show s content. In sections below, we present and discuss findings pertaining, first, to the titles themselves and, second, to the description of the exhibition. Following these sections, we briefly discuss the impact of this exhibition being held at the Walters rather than elsewhere and the implications of this research for estimating probable exhibition attendance. 1. RESPONSES TO THE POTENTIAL TITLES Research Process To understand visitors perceptions of the planned exhibition and gauge their reactions to potential language for marketing communications, we asked respondents to share their reactions to and suppositions about seven potential exhibition title/subtitle combinations. The titles we tested were: Repeating Images: The Mystery of Multiples in French Painting from David to Matisse French Evolution: The Fascination with Repeated Images from David to Matisse Déjà View: Repeated Images in French Masterpieces Genius Redux: French Masters and the Art of Repetition Masters in Multiple: Repetition and Variation in French Painting 6.
Look Again: Repetition and the Road to Modernism in French Painting, 1785 1936 Once / Again: Obsession and Repetition in French Painting, 1785 1936 The wording of these titles/subtitles was designed to ensure that a variety of potentially important elements were discussed during the interviews, including the appeal and perceived meaning of specific words, phrases, artists names, and date ranges. The pairing of titles and subtitles was somewhat arbitrary, on the understanding that we could, at least in some cases, eventually combine effective elements from the titles and the subtitles in a final title/subtitle recommendation for the exhibition. As it happened, most respondents reacted less to the full title/subtitle combination than to those specific elements. In this report, we discuss the findings in terms of both the whole titles and their parts. (Note: As described in the Methodology & Sampling section in Appendix A, the order of the titles was rotated for different respondents in order to reduce any order related bias.) Expectations Based on the Titles We asked respondents to read each of the proposed titles (with no accompanying description) then describe what they thought the exhibition would be about, what it would be like, etc. Their responses indicated that these titles, as currently written, do not by themselves raise accurate expectations about the planned exhibitions. In general, responses fell into four main categories of expectation: That the exhibition would feature the work of multiple artists who painted the same scene or subject, or who painted similar subjects and themes. Respondents picked up on the theme of repetition, but were uncertain about what, exactly, would be repeated and who would have been doing the repeating. Many respondents thought the exhibition would contain paintings of the same scene captured by various artists at different times. [I d expect to see] a lot of different artists a survey of French paintings kind of in the same theme, so it s like all landscape artists viewing the same landscapes, but through different eyes. Female in her 40s, interviewed at the BMA 7.
That the exhibition would present pairings of original artworks with later artists reinterpretations or copies of those works. Many respondents thought the exhibition would emphasize the stylistic or thematic similarities between one painter and the later artists who reinterpreted his work. Some respondents assumed that these reinterpretations would have been painted at various times since the original work was painted, while others thought they would have been created recently. That the exhibition would emphasize repetition of themes or motifs over time by different French painters. Some respondents imagined that the exhibition would focus on themes or images that recurred in the history of French painting. Although these respondents did not specify the types of themes they expected, they seemed to associate this focus with an academic, survey course type of analysis. That the exhibition would be some kind of historical or general survey of French painting. About a third of respondents did not know what to expect from the exhibition given these titles, but presumed that it would be a general retrospective of French paintings. [I guess I d expect to see] how French paintings have evolved from the beginning until the end of [an] era. Female, 38 years old, interviewed at the Walters Most Appealing Title The previous section, on respondents suppositions about the proposed titles, provides the context for understanding their choices of most appealing title. Here we asked them to tell us which of the titles they found most appealing, again without seeing any further description of the exhibition. As the chart on the next page shows, Déjà View: Repeated Images in French Masterpieces was the most popular choice, with more than twice as many votes as the next most popular titles (Look Again: Repetition and the Road to Modernism in French Painting, 1785 1936 and French Evolution: The Fascination with Repeated Images from David to Matisse, which were statistically tied). We would note, however, that despite its obvious lead, Déjà View was chosen only by one third of respondents; the rest preferred another title or expressed no opinion. 8.
'Most Appealing' Exhibition Title N = 119 Deja View 34% Look Again 14% French Evolution 13% Repeating Images 11% Masters in Multiple 10% Genius Redux 5% Once/Again 4% Multiple Favorites 4% None 4% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% Following is an analysis of the reasons respondents selected or avoided selecting each title as most appealing : Déjà View: Repeated Images in French Masterpieces (34% chose as most appealing ) Respondents who liked this title commented that it was cute, a catchy play on words, that it pulls in the French with a little bit of comedy, and in general that it was an attractive title that suggested the exhibition would feature French artworks. Several self described Francophiles said they would come running to the exhibition, regardless of what the specific paintings were all they needed to hear was the French Masterpieces in the subtitle. Déjà View is perfect because you don t even really need to go to the subtitle to find out what the exhibition is about I mean the title leads you to the subtitle, but you ll know very quickly [what the exhibition features] because it s French or at least French esque. Male, 40 years old, interviewed at the Phillips However, more than a few respondents (who didn t choose this title as most appealing ) felt that this title was too cute or too clever. These respondents said the title was trying too hard to be witty, or thought that others might be unaware of the pun. A few didn t think it conveyed adequate information about what the content of the exhibition would be specifically, what period of art it would cover. (Note that the subtitle paired with Déjà View is one of the few that includes neither dates nor artists names.) 9.
Look Again: Repetition and the Road to Modernism in French Painting, 1785 1936 (14%) Respondents who found Look Again most appealing enjoyed the fact that it invited them to do just that: to take another look at works they may already be familiar with, but from a new perspective made possible by the exhibition. Many specifically mentioned the subtitle, commenting that it conveyed the most information about the exhibition content. A caveat for some, however, was that repetition was too ambiguous. I like that, because it says to me there are things that you might be missing or that you should look at in a different way. Female, 62 years old, interviewed at the Phillips On the negative side, several respondents thought the title was patronizing or cliché, while others simply didn t find it exciting or informative. A few characterized the title as immature or simplistic without conveying sufficient information about the exhibition. French Evolution: The Fascination with Repeated Images from David to Matisse (13%) As with Déjà View, respondents generally fell into two camps about French Evolution: they either enjoyed the play on words or actively disliked it. Those who found it appealing said that this titled suggested history to them, an implication of the pun on revolution. This suggested to some respondents that the exhibition would focus on the development of French painting over time, but it provided no particular information about what elements of French painting would be featured in the exhibition. To me, fascination means focus. I like that. And then if the exhibition is set up well, you ll be able to see within a scope of selected works which images drove the artist. Female, 62 years old, interviewed at the Phillips As mentioned, some respondents disliked this implicit pun or thought it evoked history and science rather than art or conveyed little information at all. The play on the French Revolution was too self conscious or heavy handed for some respondents. Others simply felt the title lacked energy and was not as enticing as other proposed titles. Repeating Images: The Mystery of Multiples in French Painting from David to Matisse (11%) Here the subtitle captured numerous respondents attention, a fact not reflected in the percentage selecting the title as most appealing. Respondents were drawn to the word mystery, commenting 10.
that, in the context of an exhibition title, it implied that there was something there for them to learn about and which would capture their imagination. Respondents drawn to the main title (Repeating Images) commented that it was straightforward and that it succinctly conveyed the notion of repetition that was common to all the proposed titles. The mystery of multiples, I love that. It s the subtitle in Repeating Images that draws me in. Male, 60 years old, interviewed at the Walters The main critiques of Repeating Images were that it was overly simplistic and does not have a hook to grab potential visitors attention. As with repetition in the Look Again subtitle, some found the term multiple too vague as used here. Masters In Multiple: Repetition and Variation in French Painting (10%) Respondents commented on how this title appealed to their intellects as opposed to being playful like Déjà View or French Evolution. Some were intrigued by the caliber of artists that the term masters suggested ( That looks good. It makes me think that you have a collection of masters and I m going to come and see some really good paintings represented. The Degas, the Monets high quality works ). These respondents said they wanted to be assured that they would be seeing high quality work when they visit an exhibition and that this title suggested they would. Some respondents commented that the alliteration of the title caught their attention. [Masters in Multiple] signals exceptional artists with particular artistic characteristics. That draws me in. And, [multiple] makes me curious to see what they re about. Male, 30 years old, interviewed at the Phillips Collection On the downside, some respondents had negative reactions to the same elements others were drawn to: the appeal to the intellect, the alliteration, and the term masters. Several criticized the academic sounding tone of the title. Others thought the alliteration was trying too hard to be catchy or was simply awkward and uninformative ( It s full of consonants and it s very clunky. And it doesn t really tell you whether you re looking at a number of things by the same artist or a number of things by different artists. It s not very clear ). Those who were put off by masters explained that the term carried a judgment of artistic quality that they wanted to make for themselves, rather than having a curator make the judgment for them. Finally, here too some found the term multiple ambiguous. 11.
Genius Redux: French Masters and the Art of Repetition (5%) A common reaction to this title was that it piques my curiosity, but only a few respondents chose it as most appealing. Those who were attracted to this title commented that it implied they could learn something new from the exhibition because they did not know what French Masters meant. Others said they didn t know what the Art of Repetition was and thought it sounded esoteric, making them want to know more. Well, Genius Redux looks interesting, but Iʹd want to know exactly what that was.genius Redux makes me curious as to what it s about. Female, 57 years old, interviewed at the Phillips The majority of respondents who discussed Genius Redux did not know what redux meant, which made it a little intimidating it could make [someone] nervous as to whether or not they re going to understand it. Even those who seemed to know what the word meant tended to sound uncomfortable trying to pronounce it. Some believed redux was a French word, while others thought it was English. So respondents comfort level with this word inevitably influenced their feelings about the title. In general, this title did not send a welcoming message to these respondents. Once/Again: Obsession and Repetition in French Painting, 1785 1936 (4%) As with Repeating Images, the primary appeal here was a word from the subtitle. Obsession was viewed as appealing by many respondents and was felt to signal that there would be something extraordinary about the exhibition ( It lets you know that it won t be the same old thing ). Others were intrigued because they thought the word suggested something scandalous. The few who were drawn to the main title (Once/Again) thought it was simple without being overly dramatic and without sounding as heavy as some of the other titles. The word obsession captures what I think about when I hear about artists doing endless version of haystacks or scenes of night and day of the same mountain. Male, 49 years old, interviewed at BMA Many respondents found this title patronizing or cliché, while others felt it was neither exciting nor particularly informative. A few noted that saying this title aloud would be awkward: With this I would just think, Once slash Again That would be hard to tell your friends about. On the other hand, a good number of respondents felt that this subtitle conveyed the most information about the content of the exhibition again with the caveat that repetition was too ambiguous. 12.
Reactions to Specific Title Elements A. Specific Words & Phrases In respondents comments about the titles and subtitles, three words or phrases seemed to grab the most positive attention (regardless of whether the respondent had chosen the titles containing these phrases as their most appealing ): Fascination with Repeated Images Mystery of Multiples Obsession These terms suggested an element of the unknown, which captivated respondents and hinted to them that there would be something new for them to learn about in the exhibition. Throughout these interviews, respondents reacted positively when they thought they would learn something new and interesting when visiting the exhibition. The Mystery of Multiples actually isn t any more clear [than the other titles], it just has more words that make you imagine why there are multiples or that there s something to be learned. Female, 61 years old, interviewed at the BMA Over 60% of respondents had a positive reaction to the puns included in the titles. The majority of respondents thought the main puns, Déjà View and French Evolution, were clever titles that caught their attention in an enjoyable way. But for some of these respondents, the cleverness wasn t linked to adequate explanation of the exhibition content. On the other hand, the minority of respondents who didn t enjoy the puns tended to express their opinions more strongly than those who did. B. Artists Names & Dates We also probed respondents about the impact of including artists names (e.g. from David to Matisse ) or date ranges ( 1785 1936 ) in a title or subtitle. Respondents who felt that artists names were helpful and appealing gave two different reasons: Direct Attraction to Artists Names Some respondents said they seek out particular artists when considering whether to attend an exhibition. In this case, some respondents were unsure whether their artists of interest would be included in the exhibition because they did not know which artists 13.
came between David and Matisse. Other respondents who selfidentified as non arts people stated that, while they may not have much experience with or knowledge about art, they do recognize some names; these individuals assumed that if they had heard of an artist s name then his art must be good and worth seeing. Dates [are not helpful] because I don t know the dates of art history. But, there are names that I recognize. Names help me more than French Masterpieces because I tend to not know what that means. It s the artists name recognition that I like. Female, 52 years old, interviewed at the BMA Indirect Attraction to Artists Names Respondents who do not usually seek out a particular artist or artists nonetheless told us that artists names are a key indicator for them of the quality of the art that will be included in the exhibition. The names also convey information about the period of art to be covered and serve as a general indicator of the type of art that will be on display. So individuals are attracted not only to artists names but to the information that they are able to extrapolate from the names. (Note that in actual marketing communications some of this additional information is provided by selected exhibition images or details and in descriptive text.) [An artist s name] gives me an idea of what period will be covered [in the exhibition]. It doesn t necessarily grab my attention; it just helps fill out the information. Male, 58 years old, interviewed at the BMA Interestingly, respondents who self identified as not having much art history knowledge found the inclusion of names and dates in the titles more appealing and influential than respondents who felt they had significant art history knowledge. The former commented that dates and historical context in a title help them make more informed guesses about what they will see in the exhibition, while for the latter the inclusion of artists names in these titles had little effect on their response. It should be noted that none of the respondents disliked the inclusion of artists names. As for the date ranges, some respondents who were not familiar with the names David and Matisse said that the dates helped them put the exhibition within a historical context. But, as other respondents demonstrated, not everyone is good with dates. Several suggested that historical movements or events be included in the title instead of dates, to provide a more descriptive context. 14.
In general, the open ended discussions of these titles revealed that visitors want to know as much as possible about what they will experience if they decide to attend an exhibition. As noted, this desire is strongest among those who self identify as having only a limited background in art history a finding consistent with our research on other kinds of arts audiences, such as dance and classical music attendees. Title Appeal and Likelihood to Attend After discussing the seven titles and choosing the one most appealing to them, respondents were asked to rate how likely they would be to attend the exhibition based on their chosen title/subtitle alone. We used a five point scale where 1 was very unlikely to attend and 5 was very likely to attend. The following table shows the ratings associated with each title that is, the average likelihood to attend score given by the subset of respondents who had chosen that title as most appealing. (Note the small Ns for the less popular titles.) LIKELIHOOD TO ATTEND by most appealing title Likelihood to attend mean score (scale 1-5) Std Dev. N French Evolution 4.89 0.33 9 Déjà View 4.43 0.85 30 Once/Again 4.42 0.52 3 Masters in Multiple 4.39 0.78 9 Look Again 4.35 0.47 10 Genius Redux 4.00 0.71 5 Repeating Images 3.70 1.20 5 Most Appealing Title (avg.) 4.39 0.78 71 Although it may appear from the table that French Evolution was considered the most effective title in terms of encouraging attendance, in fact there were few statistically significant differences between the ratings associated with the different titles. (This is in part because of the small number of respondents for some titles.) Therefore, we suggest that these findings be interpreted in the aggregate, where the likelihood to attend rating among all titles was 4.39 out of 5. On its face this may seem like a moderately high rating, but for a variety of reasons we interpret it as a fairly tepid response: 15.
survey respondents commonly overestimate their future purchase or attendance behavior, rather than underestimate it; these respondents were interviewed at art museums, including the Walters, so they presumably face lower practical and awareness barriers than the general population of arts consumers; each respondent was answering this question with respect to his or her favorite title, which will not reflect the actual situation when the exhibition is marketed. For those reasons, we might have expected to see a higher overall likelihood to attend rating if the exhibition concept as expressed in these title/subtitle pairs was strongly appealing to these individuals. However, as we ll see in the next section, respondents grew more enthusiastic about the exhibition when given more information about it (see box on next page). Interestingly, there was a marked tendency among respondents to resist assigning a numerical value to their likelihood to attend this exhibition. About 40% of respondents who selected a most appealing title did not provide a likelihood to attend score for it, despite probing by the researchers. These respondents questioned whether the title alone was enough to allow them to make an attendance decision. This resistance supports our conjecture that museums have control over only a limited number of the variables that drive attendance, and that titles may play a relatively minor role in an individual s actual decision to attend. 2. RESPONSES TO THE DESCRIPTION In the next section of the research interview, we showed respondents a brief, untitled description of the planned exhibition and asked them to discuss their reactions to it and tell us which title/subtitle (of the seven already mentioned) they would consider most appropriate to the description. The description used in the research appears in the box on the next page. Comments on the Exhibition Description Responses to the one paragraph description were largely positive, and in general respondents seemed more positive about the exhibition when discussing the description than when discussing the titles. (This may mean that the titles we tested do not fully capture the uniqueness 16.
and intriguing qualities of the exhibition, but it could also mean that museum visitors want to know more about an exhibition than any title and subtitle can reveal.) Several themes emerged from respondents discussions of the descriptive paragraph: Excitement and curiosity about the unique presentation of the exhibition. Over one third of the respondents, experienced art museum goers and novices alike, commented without prompting on the novel concept of this exhibition. Many said it sounded intriguing because it would Exhibition description present an investigative angle on the artworks, which is atypical for an art Why did some of France s greatest painters museum exhibition. Only one respondent create multiple versions of the same scene expressed a lack of interest in the exhibition or subject? Is one better than the others? concept, explaining that he thought it This exhibition presents famous examples would be more appropriate for art students than the general public. More typical of repeated paintings by Delacroix, Monet, comments were: Cézanne, Degas, Matisse, and other nineteenth and early-twentieth century artists. Some of these multiples have never been gathered in one place before. There will also be x-rays, infrared photographs, and digitally enhanced details that shed new light on how and why these artists created copies, versions, and series from their own masterpieces. I ve always been fascinated by the different versions of something that artists have done, and I think its interesting to see them side by side, whether its something where it shows the same scene at different times of the day in different lighting or just different versions of the same painting It would be an interesting subject. Male, 55 years old, interviewed at BMA This sounds like fun. I want to go! Male, 54 years old, interviewed at the Phillips Surprise that the exhibition would feature artists who created multiple versions of their own works or of the same subject. This was a key clarification for many respondents: the descriptive paragraph revealed that that the exhibition would examine individual artists and their multiple works of the same subject rather than multiple artists who each painted the same subject. As noted above (page 7), the titles alone had given respondents the wrong idea on this score. It s not just repetition and variation [by different artists]. You have to get across this idea that one painter has created multiple versions that s why I said visions is what s missing from here. Each painter obsesses on 17.
one thing. French masters: visions in multiple. Female, 44 years old, interviewed at the BMA Curiosity to find out why artists created multiple versions of the same scene or subject. Approximately half of respondents were engaged by the notion of asking why artists did these multiple versions. Several expressed that looking into the why was a key attraction because it offered something more than the typical art exhibition, which simply presents paintings. I like the description. I like the part of asking the question why they made multiples [and whether one is] better than the other? Asking the question why they create multiples, that s a real draw and the absence of a precedent [in a similar exhibition] is a real draw. Giving an example of exactly how they are going to be presented, with x rays, infrared, etc., I think that will be a hook for people since so many people are really [into] technological stuff and having a different take on things. Male, 38 years old, interviewed at the Walters Surprise that the exhibition would include x rays, infrared photographs and digitally enhanced details. Based on the titles alone, no respondents thought the exhibition would contain these technological examinations of the paintings. Many respondents said that the investigative take on the artworks was a big draw for them and that they would have liked to know about it from the exhibition title or subtitle. You re going to have x rays and infrared and going to be digging into the process of how the prints are created. You re going to give a different perspective, it might be things people have seen before, artists that people are familiar with, [but] by digging deeper into the prints you re shedding new light and offering a new perspective that average folks aren t going to dig into. Male, 31 years old, interviewed at the Phillips Collection Assumption that the exhibition would focus on Impressionists. Although the exhibition description includes the names of artists who were not Impressionists, many respondents made comments that suggested they thought the exhibition would focus on Impressionist artwork. After reading the paragraph, a number of respondents likened the exhibition concept to Monet s multiple versions of haystacks or water lilies. Hello, it s exactly what I thought [from the titles]. That would be really cool it s the haystacks I always wondered why [Monet] painted the same things once he got the light, but then he wanted the light an hour later Female, in her 40s, interviewed at the BMA 18.
So, this is the haystacks and the cathedrals? Male, 60 years old, interviewed at the Walters What I didn t catch onto [from the titles] is that it is Monet painting the haystacks, [that] for each of these artists we ll see multiple paintings. Female, 55 years old, interviewed at the Walters It s worth noting that, although almost all respondents recognized the name Monet, approximately one third were not familiar with some or all of the other four artists included in the exhibition description. Most Appropriate Title After discussing their initial reactions to the exhibition description, respondents were asked to select the title they thought was best suited to the description. As the chart below shows, Masters in Multiple: Repetition and Variation in French Painting and Repeating Images: The Mystery of Multiples in French Painting from David to Matisse were selected as most appropriate by the largest number of respondents but only 18% of respondents each of these. An almost equal percentage (15%) said that none of the seven titles could be considered most appropriate. Moreover, the title rated most appealing by the largest number of respondents, Déjà View: Repeated Images in French Masterpieces (see chart on page 9), was selected as most appropriate by an equal number (15%). 'Most Appropriate Title' for the Exhibition Description N = 131 Masters in Multiple 18% Repeating Images 18% None 15% Deja View 15% Multiple 11% French Evolution 8% Look Again 8% Once/Again 4% Genius Redux 2% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 19.
Discussion by the respondents who chose Masters in Multiple: Repetition and Variation in French Painting and Repeating Images: The Mystery of Multiples in French Painting from David to Matisse suggested that these two titles most appropriately captured the notion of repeated works by the same artist, which had been unclear to them from the titles examined in the prior section of the interview. This does not necessarily mean that these two titles would be the most effective just that they are the clearest match for the exhibition content. 3. Impact of the Walters Presenting the Exhibition In the next section of the interview, respondents were asked whether their likelihood to attend the exhibition would change if they knew it was to be presented at the Walters Art Museum. (This detail had intentionally been left ambiguous earlier in the interview process; but most respondents seemed to assume that the exhibition in question would be held at the museum in which they were being interviewed.) As the chart below indicates, about half of respondents told us that the exhibition being at the Walters in no way affected their expectations of Impact of the Exhibition being at the Walters N = 82 100% 90% Negative Negative Negative 80% Neutral Negative 70% 60% Neutral 50% 40% Neutral Neutral 30% Positive 20% 10% 0% Positive Positive Positive Total Sample Walters BMA Phillips 20.
attending. Another one third had a distinctly positive reaction to this news, citing reasons such as the proximity of the museum to their home, work or church and their high regard for the scholarship of the Walters. Some respondents interviewed at the BMA and Phillips Collection told us they had never been to the Walters but that such an exhibition would attract them to visit. Approximately 20% of respondents gave negative responses here, meaning that the exhibition being at the Walters decreased their likelihood to attend and most of these were DC area residents interviewed at the Phillips. A selection of respondents comments is presented in Appendix E. The most common themes are summarized here: The convenience of getting to the Walters is a primary determinant of respondents likelihood to attend this exhibition. The majority of all negative responses (70% of the negatives) came from visitors at the Phillips, some of whom cited the travel distance and time required, and the lack of a car. These respondents said they tended to remain in the DC area when choosing to visit a museum. The majority of neutral responses came from visitors at the BMA, who said that both museums were equally convenient to them. Some respondents who responded negatively to the Walters being the venue said that the Walters doesn t feel as open or accessible as other museums. These respondents commented on the overall feel of the museum and the heaviness of the exhibitions presented at the Walters. While some respondents mentioned their high regard for the Walters scholarship, others commented that they enjoy the less academic nature of exhibitions at the Phillips or BMA. I d probably be more likely to attend the exhibition here at the BMA. I might still go to it at the Walters, but the Walters has a different feel to me anyway. The BMA is a little more welcoming and a little more contemporary. Getting into the Walters the physicality of the building, it s very big and important looking, it s kind of daunting. Female, 37 years old, interviewed at the BMA 4. Estimating Attendance All of the above findings will contribute to the Walters staff s ability to forecast likely attendance at this exhibition. To aid in the development of those forecasts, the interviews also included a section specifically 21.
designed to allow us to compare the appeal of this exhibition to the drawing power of past Walters exhibitions. We asked respondents to rate their interest in attending four exhibitions based on title/subtitle alone. The question was worded so that the respondents would assume the exhibition was either potential or planned for the future; in fact, the four titles were from past shows at the Walters. This allowed us to compare respondents likelihood to attend ratings for these past exhibition titles (for which actual attendance is known) with their likelihood to attend ratings for the proposed exhibition, and thereby construct a simple model for the relationship between title based, hypothetical interest in attending with actual exhibition attendance. The four comparison titles were selected from a roughly ten year period ending in 2003, when the Walters changed the way it accounted for exhibition attendance, and were chosen for their similarity to the repeating images exhibition on one dimension or another. The risk, of course, was that respondents familiar with the Walters would have attended or heard about one or more of the past exhibitions whose titles were used in this exercise. However, only six respondents remarked that they had attended one of the four exhibitions. (These few cases were not included when calculating the average likelihoodto attend rating.) Average likelihood to attend ratings are presented in the table below. We may note immediately that, while actual attendance at the past Walters exhibitions varies considerably, the self reported interest in attending shows with those titles hardly varies among the four (in fact, none of the differences among the means for the past exhibitions is statistically significant). This suggests that museum visitors are not able to predict their attendance behavior accurately, at least not on the Vive la France!: French Treasure from the Middle Ages to Monet The Invisible made Visible: Angels from the Vatican Likelihood To Attend for Past Exhibition Titles Likelihood to attend mean score (scale 1-5) Std Dev. N Actual Attendance* 3.53 1.28 123 31,900 3.38 1.35 122 85,600 Manet: The Still-Life Paintings 3.36 1.22 119 97,800 Noble Dreams, Wicked Pleasures: Orientalism in America [Respondent s most appealing title for this exhibit] 3.36 1.25 119 24,900 4.39 0.78 71 *Attendance source: Walters internal document titled Exhibition Attendance Comparison, Fiscal Years 1996 2005, dated June 5, 2006. 22.
basis of exhibition titles alone. So the predictive model we had hoped to construct for this exhibition is not possible with this data. It is interesting to note, however, that the average rating for the repeating images exhibition is much higher than for any of the past exhibitions even ones featuring name Impressionist artists (Monet and Manet). This may be due to the fact that, by this point in the interviews, respondents had spent more time thinking about the proposed exhibition and had been given more information about it than did for these four new titles. Alternatively, it could indicate that the titles of these past exhibitions were not (again, considered out of context) as innovative or appealing as the titles we tested for this exhibition. 23.
Conclusions Attendance at an art museum exhibition is influenced by a complex intersection of variables, only some of which are within a museum s direct control. Slover Linett s prior museum research shows that wordof mouth from friends, family members, or colleagues who have attended or plan to attend the museum is a decisive variable. New audiences and infrequent attenders are particularly influenced by positive word of mouth, while frequent visitors, including members, are most influenced by communication they receive from the museum. The role of advertising in this equation depends on the media budget of the museum in question, but advertising almost never has as strong or independent an effect on attendance as word of mouth. Because word of mouth derives largely from the success of the exhibition itself as a visitor experience, this should be considered the most important variable in the marketing mix. The exhibition s title is another prominent element in that mix, but the present study suggests that a good exhibition title one which is both immediately appealing on its own terms and highly informative about what the exhibition will be like for the visitor is a necessary but not sufficient condition for strong attendance. The title probably functions best when viewed as the tip of the iceberg, where the iceberg represents the exhibition itself as well as the communication strategy around it (positioning, imagery and design, descriptive copy, use of marketing channels, tactics and partnerships, etc.). However, in cases where the exhibition presents an unexpected type of experience for visitors or a departure from the museum s usual fare, the title may carry a greater marketing burden than usual. This seems to be the case with the repeating images exhibition. Potential visitors are intrigued by the curator s plan to not merely present the artworks but to explore and reveal them in an investigative, technology aided narrative. Visitors responses to this unique approach are more strongly positive than their reactions to the prospect of seeing the same artworks in a more traditional (albeit thematic) installation which is 24.
the sort of experience they imagined when we showed them only the titles/ subtitles. The title, therefore, must convey the innovative character of this exhibition (and do so in experiential rather than abstract terms) with sufficient force to get people to shift, at least slightly, their ideas about the Walters and about art museums generally. This is a tall order. But the results of this study in conjunction with our recent focus group research for the Walters lead us to conclude that the repeating images exhibition represents a crucial opportunity for the Walters to update its image so it more accurately reflects the experimental energy and creative thinking of the museum, and in so doing to enlarge and diversify its audience. Our chief recommendation is for the museum s marketing, programming, and other staff to seize this opportunity by matching and supporting the spirit of the exhibition with an equally innovative and creative titling, positioning, and promotion strategy. We hope that these findings will be helpful in the development of that strategy. A few recommendations In general, we learned that researching visitors interest in titles alone does not seem to provide an accurate gauge of likely attendance. But when that research allows for qualitative feedback and analysis in addition to statistical tabulation, as the present study does, it can provide insights that will inform the creation of an effective title and messages about the exhibition. Those insights, with associated recommendations, are summarized below: The exhibition will offer a unique approach to the interpretation of French painting and, as such, an unusual museum experience. This stimulated the imagination of art novices and aficionados alike, both of whom were drawn to the idea of exploring the why behind the repetition of certain images as well as to the forensic and technological aspects of the installation. It s not that visitors are uninterested in looking at the artworks themselves; it s that they also relish the opportunity to learn about the process of painting and delve into the mysteries of the artist s motivation, methods, etc. The trouble is that none of these approaches was evident to visitors from the titles/subtitles alone. Evoke the investigative, behind the frame approach in the title/subtitle, so it serves as a promise of a unique art experience. 25.
Use visual and verbal messages to capitalize on interest in finding out why these artists painted some images repeatedly. Leverage the technological and investigative angle of the exhibition as an opportunity to introduce new audiences to the Walters (such as engineers, scientific researchers, students, etc.). Respondents were drawn to words like fascination, mystery, and obsession, as well as to alliteration and (in some cases) puns. The most appealing main title, Déjà View, evokes some of those ideas but may need to be paired with a more evocative and informative subtitle. Incorporate evocative, affective language such as fascination, mystery or obsession in the title/subtitle. Develop a positioning strategy oriented around concepts such as mystery and investigation, whether or not those particular words are used. The most common critique of the proposed titles was that they convey too little information. Both frequent and infrequent art museum attendees wanted the title/subtitle to give them a robust sense of what the exhibition will be about, what they will see and experience, etc. They differed only on what constitutes meaningful information, with the art aficionados able to extrapolate from fewer cues provided by the museum. Ensure that every communication touchpoint about the exhibition (from advertisements to e-newsletters) clearly features both the type of art the visitor will see and the unique experiences offered by this exhibition. When deciding whether to attend an exhibition, visitors tend to focus on the artists they are already familiar with, which often means the Impressionists. Yet this exhibition features a range of artists who worked in three different centuries, and most potential visitors will be unfamiliar with many of them. Include the names of, and/or images from, artists other than Impressionists who will be included in the exhibition, to counter the haystacks misperception and suggest the full range of periods and genres to be included. Museum goers in the Baltimore and Washington area view the Walters as scholarly and highly regarded. But some of them also perceive the museum to be intimidating, overly serious, or not as welcoming as other museums. 26.