Behold the Power of Museums

Museums are great. But are they great brands? Great brands often have taglines that enhance their product. For example Nike's Swoosh is complimented by the tagline, 'Just Do It' . The tagline gives the promise of impulse, energy and action. It fits the idea of a sportswear company perfectly (in the same way 'Just Do It' would be entirely inappropriate for the Samaritans to use). A good tagline seeps into our consciousness, charms its way into our souls and lightens our wallets and purses. American Express begged us, 'don't leave home without it'; we know Domestos emphatically 'Kills all known germs...dead' and so on. The world is full of taglines. I'm particularly fond of the American Dairy Association's 'behold the power of cheese' which would be brilliant for the Amsterdam Cheese Museum. This got me thinking that a little judicious plagiarism of taglines from the commercial world might promote the image of museums more effectively when, 'fun for all the family' just doesn't cut it any more.

There are a number of marketing slogans that can apply to almost any museum without change. 'It's the real thing' works and reflects the authenticity of our collections. Perhaps we could go for something slightly more ethereal, 'there's something special in the air'. For the less brave, simply substitute 'museum' for 'air' the tagline becomes more straightforward and can express confidence in our exhibitions.  The slightly pleading, 'we try harder' could work. I know some museum managers who wouldn't be self conscious about using, 'if you've got it flaunt it'. Personally I'm a fan of Chrysler's 'inspiration comes as standard', although it would take a certain chutzpah for a museum to run with ClubMed's 'the antidote for civilisation'. For a multiple museum service, why not try the simple enthusiasm of 'they're g-r-r-r-eat!'. For a new audience, I'd be tempted to go with, 'try it, you'll like it'. To keep our traditional elitist audience use, 'good taste is easy to recognise'. If you have ambitions for a faithful repeat audience you can't do better than 'love it for life'. 

I think you get the picture.

Some slogans may be directly relevant to niche museums and practically invite partnership working at some point in the future. How about these

Finger lickin' good - Museum of Food and Drink

I'd walk a mile for a camel - Camel Museum, Dubai

Snap Crackle and Pop - Museum of Club Culture, Hull

Schhh! You know who - International Spy Museum, Washington D.C.

Lifts and separates - Ulster Museum

The mark of a man - Amsterdam Tattoo Museum

For fast relief - Thackray Medical Museum, Leeds

Because I'm worth it - The Museum of Me, Intel

The power of dreams - Sigmund Freud Dream Museum, St. Petersburg

I'm Lovin' It - Sex Museum, Amsterdam

We answer to a higher authority - Creationist Museum, Petersburg, KY

You now have no excuse. Go out and steal a tagline that applies to your museum, get it on your museum promotions and watch the visitors roll in.

BEHOLD THE POWER OF MUSEUMS!


Can you think of a tagline for your museum? A prize is available if you can guess all the company slogans featured in this week's blog.