Advertising for cultural attractions
Advertising built around visitation and revenue.
Visitation and revenue fuel the mission.
More people through the gates means more people experiencing the institution, supporting its work, and expanding its impact.
our approach
A disciplined approach to advertising cultural attractions.
Years of working with cultural attractions across the country have shaped how we approach advertising.
Focus
Visitation strengthens the mission.
Advertising should be focused on increasing visitation and revenue. More people through the gates means more people experiencing the institution, while stronger revenue provides the resources to support education, conservation, programs, and the broader mission.
Media-First strategy
Start with how the advertising budget should be invested.
Build the advertising plan around the budget, audiences, and media channels first. Determine who needs to see the advertising, where you can reach them, and how much investment each channel needs before deciding what creative assets and ads to produce.
Creative Messaging
Show people what it feels like to visit.
Cultural attractions are experiential. Show people exploring the garden, seeing the animals, interacting with an exhibit, or attending the event. Give prospective visitors a sense of what they will see, do, and feel when they walk through the gates.
creative discipline
Build the advertising for where people will see it.
Creative should serve the advertising plan, not consume it. Invest enough to produce strong advertising for the channels in the plan without letting expensive production, new platforms, or one-off ideas take dollars away from the media investment needed to reach people.
Visibility
Advertising should maintain a presence in the community.
Cultural attractions are civic institutions, not e-commerce businesses. Paid social and search are important, but TV, radio, outdoor, and other high-impact channels keep the institution visible in the community while digital media helps drive and measure visitation.
measurement
Treat advertising like an investment.
Every advertising dollar should be managed with care and measured against the outcomes it is intended to produce. Connect advertising to ticketing and analytics to understand visitation, revenue, and return on ad spend – and use that information to make better investment decisions.
Marketing Insights for Cultural attractions
Practical marketing thoughts from our work with cultural attractions.
get our insights
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