MARKETING THE PASADENA MUSEUM OF

HISTORY- MUSEUM, MANSION, AND RESEARCH LIBRARY & ARCHIVES

Angelo Roselle
LIBR-283-11
Fall 2009
San Jose State University
1. INTRODUCTION TO PMH:

founded in 1924 as the Pasadena Historical Society

small marketing budget and not enough time spent
on marketing

staff (primarily volunteers & part-time employees)

goals and objectives have been identified by
Museum

lack of customer-mindset

lack of formal segmentation, scanning, research
and evaluation methods

show signs of a social-service culture
2-A MISSION

 Discussion of Mission Statement:

current mission statement-[…] promote an appreciation of
history, culture, arts, and sciences relevant to Pasadena and adjoining
communities (http://www.pasadenahistory.org/)

suggested mission statement-[…] to educate the Pasadena
and Southern Californian communities by promoting an awareness of
Pasadena’s history, culture, arts, and sciences. The Museum supports
this appreciation of Pasadena through the research library & archives’
collections, museum exhibitions, mansion tours, and educational
programs.
2-B. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
 Discussion of actual goals
and objectives identified in
organization’s 2002
Strategic Plan:

outside assessment programs
conducted (MAP, CAP, AAM, &
preservation assessment)

informal and formal evaluation
methods

Recommendation for determining
short-term realistic goals and
objectives; regular review and
evaluation of goals and objectives
 Identified goals and
objectives:

Goal I: reduce backlogged archival
collections
 objectives include, hiring
interns, part-time archivists,
and reducing backlogs by 50%
over the next calendar year

Goal II: Increase revenue
generated by photograph
collections
 objectives include, digitizing
collections, hiring part-time
student workers, and moving
collections online for purchase
within the next calendar year
3. ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES
 Environments, Records, Data Sources:

competitive environment recognized, although not properly scanned

macro environment and public environment do not receive attention

environments identified as important: demographic, technological, and
competitive

internal forces affecting PMH are recognized but not formally identified

internal records recommended as data sources include: customer sign-
in sheet, complaint log, meeting reports, and strategic plans

external sources recommended include: U.S. Census statistics,
competitors’ Websites and brochures, and organization related
publications (e.g. Museum News, American Association of Museums)

recommended using an employee (or another stakeholder) to do formal
scans, stay knowledgeable about data sources, and be able to recognize
changes in the environments
4. STAKEHOLDERS/PUBLICS
 Stakeholders & Conflicts of Interest:

only Museum Members and Board of Trustees listed

discussion about potential conflicts of interests

recommended a formal database for primary stakeholders and
recognition of potential conflicts of interest

 Primary Stakeholders (and conflicts of interest) Identified:

Primary Donor (Paloheimo family)-input public

Museum Volunteers-internal public

Other Nonprofits (Pasadena Library)-partner public

Museum Customers-consuming public

Paid Employees-internal public

Graduate Student Interns-internal public
5-A. SWOT (STRENGTHS)
 Museum has conducted a SWOT 2006 analysis

Recommended frequent evaluation and action.
 Strengths :

Dedicated, knowledgeable, and friendly volunteers

Free Parking

Good reputation and well-known in Pasadena

Fantastic location

No Archives appointments necessary for regular
hours
5-B. SWOT (WEAKNESSES)

 Weaknesses:

Lack of funds available for projects

Lack of a full-time archivist on staff

Not enough storage space

Short hours of operation

Collections not available on the Internet

5-C. SWOT (OPPORTUNITIES)

 Opportunities :

Collaboration with other Pasadena nonprofits

Archival research workshops with PCC and
Pasadena High Schools

Get the city of Pasadena more involved

Start event blogs using archival collection diaries

and letters to build an online presence

Attract more interns through digitization projects
5-D. SWOT (THREATS)

 Threats:

Competition from other nonprofits using online
services

Local competition receives city funding

Local competition has more resources to attract

interns

California Budget Crisis

Not enough presence in the community

6. CUSTOMER MARKET RESEARCH
 Current Research:

only well-funded exhibits/programs get customer market research

no customer research for archives
 Potential Research Methods:

used internal and external data sources to map out customer base.

suggested data sources including: U.S. Census, IES, Pasadena online
magazines, city visitors bureau, Sperlings Best Places, Claritas, internal
customer forms, and U.S. Public Library Geographic Database
 Recommendation:

use internal records for customer research (e.g. sign-in logs, complaint
logs) and numerous online external data sources

track virtual research requests, follow-up with customers, use limited
budget research strategies, and conduct regular customer market
research
7. IDENTIFYING AND SELECTING MARKETS

 Current Segmentation:

lack of systematic segmentation

Archives only makes a distinction between
customers as “browsers” and customers as
“serious researchers”
 Primary Markets Identified:

authors,
students, and realtors

recommended student market be further
segmented and prioritized
7. IDENTIFYING AND SELECTING MARKETS
(CONT.)
 Positioning Strategy Identified:

search for a niche
 Positioning Strategy Suggested:

build upon strengths
 Recommendation:

Research markets, develop and prioritize segments for
primary markets, and use a differentiated marketing
strategy for targeting markets

Use a combination of the three positioning strategies to
find the perfect place in the local community
8. MARKETING MIX STRATEGY
 Marketing Mix Strategy:

product mix: information products and research services

product lines: archival services and museum services

product items discussed: research databases and
photograph collections

tweak: place, price and promotion: move databases and
photograph collections online allowing for ease of access
and increased markets not currently available
 Recommendation:

define the marketing mix using a formal strategy,
understand cost to customers, and consider tweaking
products to add new markets (e.g. online users)
9. PRODUCTIVITY/EVALUATION
 Evaluation Methods-Organization Level

SWOT, strategic plans, outside agency studies
 Evaluation Methods-Program Level
 focus groups, community meetings, satisfaction surveys
 Evaluation Opportunities

use customer forms, website tracker applications,
observations, and in-house research request data to
track customer behaviors

use pop-up surveys for Web use, complaint/suggestion
boxes, casual interviews, and visitor surveys
DATA SOURCES
Information used in this paper was gathered from
a variety of sources including:

Internal-archives forms, strategic plans, SWOT list,
archives procedure manual, museum assessments,
Web site, staff interviews, and personal
observations

External-U.S. Census statistics, U.S. Public Library
Geo Database, Pasadena organization Websites,
museum-related magazines, LA Times, professional
organization Websites, and Pasadena city Websites