MARKETING A MUSEUM WITH CITIZEN PHOTOGRAPHY

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The Bonnefanten Museum has decided, it seems, to not only engage with its visitors but also to actively engage them in the museum's marketing. 

Under the marketing banner  "A museum with YOUR view!" it asks visitors to send in pictures of the museum and get a chance to win a prize. Rather than issue its visitors with a list of DO NOTS & MUST NOTS it has pared down its rules to a minimum and ALLOWS ITS VISITORS TO TAKE/MAKE PHOTOGRAPHS/IMAGES quite clearly.

The museum intends publishing the received pictures on its website with attributions. Once a month, the most original picture will be selected out of all the sent images with the lucky ones wining a prize. Now there is win-win idea for you with visitors encouraged to ENGAGE with the museum and it artworks.

This not a particularly novel idea as there are many museums and art galleries who have overcome their overactive paranoia about people 'stealing images' from their collections. For example, in Tasmania, MONA's policy of allowing visitors to take photographs in the museum and its art is PAYING BIG DIVIDENDS – you see the visitors are social networkers using their cellphones and BLOGS to share their MONA experience and encourage others to 'come see for themselves'. 

You just cannot buy that kind of advertising!

This is not only smart marketing it is VERY smart marketing!

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON THE MUSEUM

About The Museum 

The Bonnefanten Museum was founded in 1884 as the historical and archaeological museum of the Dutch province of Limburg. The name Bonnefanten Museum is derived from the French bons enfants ('good children'), the popular name of a monastery in Maastricht that housed the museum from 1951 until 1978.

In 1995, the museum moved to its present location, a building designed by the Italian architect Aldo Rossi. With its landmark cupola overlooking the River Maas, it is one of Maastricht's most prominent modern buildings.

Since 1999, the museum has become exclusively an art museum. The historical and archaeological collections were housed elsewhere. In 2009, the museum celebrated its 125th anniversary with the exhibition Exile on Main Street.

About The Collection

The combination of old art and contemporary art under one roof gives the Bonnefanten Museum its distinctive character. The department of old masters is located on the first floor and displays highlights of early Italian painting and Flemish and Dutch painting from the 16th and 17th centuries. Exhibited on the same floor is the museum's extensive collection of Medieval sculpture. The contemporary art collection is exhibited on the second floor and focuses on American Minimalism, Italian Arte Povera and Concept Art.