Members of this list have been of great help in contributing information
for a regional history museum planning effort here in Tampa Bay. Your posts
regarding ethnic heritage information were most useful and appreciated, and
now I'd like to ask your help in what may be an interesting museum
marketing discussion.
 
In the process of developing a Master Plan we have found that the
*traditional* marketing emphasis on families may not be wise in the future.
Although America is graying (a fact increasingly clear to me after passing
40) many museums plan to to continue operating and marketing as if there
will be no end to the baby boom. Arguably, one of the most important things
we do is teach students, BUT
 
a) The number of children is decreasing in many areas
 
b) School funding for field trips and enrichment activities
   is WAY down in most areas
 
c) Children do not vote tax money for museums, usually do not pay for
admission out of their pockets, normally do not go to museums unless in a
group or family activity setting (when did you last hear "hey, let's go
hang at the museum!"), rarely beg to be taken to history or art museums
(dinosaurs or Trekker science museums aside), do not call politicians on
the good-ole-boy/girl network to lobby for support, and do not make
corporate contributions or private bequests
 
It IS true that children influence their parents and what they support. "Do
it for the kids" works, but to a diminsihing degree if you look at the
decreasing percentage of money spent on education and the battles between
generations on education tax levies. It is also true that AARP is many
times more successful at lobbying than all of the arts and humanities
organization rolled into one.
 
Our research into households in the Tampa Bay area has resulted in some
VERY interesting data that apparently is true for other areas of the
Sunbelt and U.S. (and no, the jokes about St. Petersburg being a giant
retirement community are really not true):
 
-------------
County Households without Children                      55+%
County Households with Children                         30+%
 
City Households without Children                        57+%
City Households with Children                           25+%
 
Regional Households without Children                    65+%
Regional Households with Children                       24+%
 
Regional Single adult households                        25%
----------------
 
This would suggest that the adult singles market is as important as the
student market. Based on this information, I am beginning to believe we
could do well with "singles nights" and shuttle buses to retirement
communities. Not to be cras in comparison, but adult marketing and shuttles
have worked for churches, bingo parlors and Las Vegas casinos.
 
I would be very interested in the experiences of any colleagues that have
had success in marketing programs directed at single-adult, retiree and
married-no-children audiences. Specifically, what programs have worked
well, have alternative hours been necessary for all-working households, and
what has NOT worked? In these days of adults looking for safe, cheap
non-violent leisure time options, museums may have one answer.
 
BTW, if you have not done so, downloading and analyzing the 1990/92 census
information for your service area from the U.S. Census computer is a very
enlightening and awakening experience.  And its free.
 
Thanks for your answers. I'll post summaries of interesting replies to the
list.
 
_____________________________________
Byron A. Johnson, Exec. Dir.
The Tampa Bay History Center
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
Mail:   P.O. Box 948
        Tampa, FL  33601-0948