Written by: magshegs
How do you typically picture the audience in museums? If you are like me, I might picture them as relatively grown up. Men and women who have visited hundreds of museums in the past. Staring at sculptures and artworks with their hands folded behind their back. For some museums, that may be right. But museums are as different as night and day. Astrup Fearnley has a younger audience than many of their competing museums in Oslo with 35 percent of the visitors being between 18 and 35 years old. Therefore the museum have chosen to approach and relate to the young audience in a different way than their older audience. In an article in Finansavisen in April, Astrup Fearnley talks about their targeting on the younger art generation, because the contemporary museum on Tjuvholmen is deliberately targeting young adults in marketing the museum.
One of the ways Astrup Fearnley is targeting the youth is by hosting a so called Art Night once in a while. “I think we hit a nerve among the audience. Young people often seek new and adventurous experience and art can be that, it just have to be introduced the right way,” said marketing manager at Astrup Fearnley, Mathilde Emilie johnsen. The art nights are meant to find both potential and existing audiences. That is part of the contemporary approach to understanding museum audiences, where museums build relationships with both potential and traditional audiences. And I have experienced several of the art nights myself. The museum relates to its audience by using incentives which drags young people to the museum, and to give new visitors a different and more suitable experience at the museum. Leading them to hopefully come back again.
The museum promotes the art nights in social media. While marketing in museums often have been considered as a dirty word which is inconsistent with non-profit status, Astrup Fearnley have chosen to market the art nights in social media to find new, young visitors. The museum is trying to understand what the user segment needs and want, and is also willing to give them what they want.
Being a visitor to the art night involves a great ticket discount, having DJs play music and serving drinks. And in addition, it is during night time instead of the normal opening hours at day time. The vibe is quite different than normally at the museum. Almost like at a club, but filled with art. There is also quite a lot of museum staff at work at the art nights, to help the new audience if they have any questions. “Contemporary art speaks well with the young audience”, said the marketing manager to Finansavisen. And I agree. Personally, the art night makes the museum even more fun, and easier, to visit for the younger audience like myself.
Photo from the Astrup Fearnely museum, taken by me:
References:
- Finansavisen (2019): “Jakten på de unge”, published in Finansavisen on April 27th.
- Booth, Peter (2019): Seminar 6, fall 2019, by Peter Booth at BI Business School
Making sense of art and design industries 