Minting a new Mint

Editor's note: Michael Straus is president of InterActive Research Corp., a group of full-service research companies including InterActive Research of Atlanta and Project Research, Inc. of Minneapolis.

The company's original product is mature, perhaps in need of a makeover. A new product is under development, but requires definition and direction. Where does a company turn for market information and guidance? A logical first step for most consumer product companies would be to conduct in-depth marketing research.

But what if the company is a museum and the product is art appreciation? Could it also benefit from marketing research? The Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, N.C., preparing to embark on a bold growth plan for the 21st century, decided to give research a try and discovered it can be highly effective in ensuring future success.

The museum, nestled in Charlotte's affluent Eastover community, enjoys a reputation as one of the Southeast's leading cultural institutions. Offering a little something for everyone, the Mint's holdings include American and European paintings and decorative arts; pre-Columbian, African and Spanish Colonial art; historic costumes; the definitive collection of historic North Carolina pottery, regional crafts and one of the premiere collections of European and American porcelain and pottery in the nation.

But Charlotte had grown and changed in recent years, and it was time to reconsider the museum's collection mix. The city's population includes a sizable segment of art-savvy newcomers from northern cities who have been exposed to some of the country's great art institutions. Was the Mint's vast and diverse collection the best way for a small museum to present art to the public? And just who was this public?

In addition, NationsBank, the city's leading corporate citizen and an ardent proponent of uptown Charlotte, had recently given the Mint the historic Montaldo's building, a former uptown women's clothing store. The Mint had decided to create the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in the 82,000-square-foot, five-story building. But was this what the public wanted and did they understand the concept? Who would come and when?

Needed information

These were the types of questions the museum faced as it grappled with its future. A committee was formed to implement a full-fledged marketing plan. First, however, they needed information and InterActive Research, an Atlanta-based marketing research firm, was retained to help.

InterActive Research devised a two-part study for gathering data for the Mint. The research was designed to measure awareness, usage and attitudes toward the existing Mint Museum and the new Museum of Craft + Design. The first part, a qualitative study, consisted of 15 focus groups made up of Mint members, non-members, young professionals and Charlotte residents who did not fit the traditional Mint member demographics. The purpose of this phase was to explore the issues and attitudes facing the Mint.

The second part of the research, a quantitative study, consisted of a detailed questionnaire mailed to approximately 10,000 Charlotte area residents. Designed to quantify the issues and aid in developing a program, this mailing elicited 1,300 responses, far exceeding the norm for a typical mail survey and indicative of the strong feelings the community holds for the Mint.

The results of the marketing research have served several important purposes. According to Harry Creemers, vice president of development and marketing at the Mint, the data confirmed what the museum had suspected about its market and its collections, while shedding much-needed light on many other areas as well. Armed with this data, Creemers feels the Mint is moving confidently into the future on a well-marked path.

Clearer picture

Boosting membership is a critical issue for all museums and one addressed in the study. While the Mint's existing membership data was thorough, it only provided a glimpse into the lives of those actively involved in the museum. InterActive Research gave the museum a clearer picture of their potential customer, why that person had not yet become a member and what that person was looking for in an art museum experience.

Another hurdle to increased membership uncovered by the research is that, like most art museums, the Mint is perceived as elitist. First-time visitors found the expansive, highly polished marble lobby intimidating. One participant went so far as to say she felt she needed a written invitation to go to the Mint. Such data helped the Mint realize it had a great deal of work to do to make the museum more inviting. It also gave a clear indication of how the new museum entrance should be designed. An effort will be made to warm up the entrance to the Museum of Craft + Design with wood floors and neutral tones.

The research also served to validate the Mint's decision to consolidate its collections in the existing museum around a more focused theme - art in the Americas. The Mint is reinstalling its collections accordingly and in chronological order, starting with pre-Columbian art and artifacts and moving up through modern art. The collection will be peppered with key European pieces representative of the various influences on American artists at a specific point in time. Art that no longer fits this redefinition, as well as copies and lesser pieces by an artist, will be auctioned off in order to raise capital for additional acquisitions.

What is a craft?

Interestingly, the research generally supported the plan to create a Museum of Craft + Design, but indicated a greater educational outreach effort was needed to better define the concept.

According to some of the findings from both the focus groups and the questionnaires, the public does not have a clear understanding of what is meant by craft. Crafts can be anything from rudimentary folk art to studio glass. Obviously, an effort must be undertaken to educate the market as to what is meant by craft and to clearly explain what is to be included in the new location.

Parking and price are two typical attendance barriers for any urban location, and the Mint Museum anticipated both might pose a problem for the new Museum of Craft + Design. The research suggested the museum make plans early on to alleviate the parking crunch as its impact on attendance could be severe from the beginning. Potential customers revealed they worried about the availability, cost and safety of parking uptown. Accordingly, the Museum is exploring the possibilities of safe, close visitor parking.

Entrance price, too, emerged as a definite issue for both the existing and the new museum. The research indicated a $5 to $7 fee structure would be acceptable, with joint museum memberships even more attractive. The Mint is looking into joint memberships for both its own locations and with those of other uptown institutions.

Many museums offer visitors food and beverage service, and the Mint was curious as to whether it should. The research resulted in a resounding "yes." Respondents wanted some type of food service at both locations. Unfortunately, neither the Mint Museum of Art, nor the Museum of Craft + Design is equipped to offer an on-site restaurant to the general public.

However, since the craft museum is located uptown near a number of restaurants and cafes, the museum may give visitors a map that indicates where food and drink can be purchased nearby. This will be particularly important for attracting the uptown worker on his or her lunch hour.

More touring shows

The Mint Museum of Craft + Design is scheduled to open January 1999, with the White House Collection of American Craft, created under the auspices of Hillary Rodham Clinton. It will be the last stop on this prestigious collection's tour before it is permanently installed at the Smithsonian. Mounting this show also fits in well with the research results which indicated the public wants to see more national touring shows, something to which both the Mint and the Mint Museum of Craft + Design are committed.

These are just a few of the issues that the marketing research was able to clarify for the Mint Museum of Art as it moves into the next century. With answers to puzzling questions and a clear understanding of public wants and desires, the Mint is able to avoid the pitfalls faced by any new business or one in the throes of redefining itself.

These answers will serve as guideposts as the Mint Museum of Art and its new sibling, the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, strive to meet some of the changing cultural needs of Charlotte and the surrounding communities in the coming years.