Comments on: The Director of Fun http://newcurator.com/2009/08/the-director-of-fun/ Sun, 30 Aug 2009 11:14:06 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Pete http://newcurator.com/2009/08/the-director-of-fun/comment-page-1/#comment-1417 Pete Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:37:24 +0000 http://newcurator.com/?p=1345#comment-1417 No, but I expect that one would lean to one or the other a bit more. No, but I expect that one would lean to one or the other a bit more.

]]> By: Sophia http://newcurator.com/2009/08/the-director-of-fun/comment-page-1/#comment-1410 Sophia Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:15:32 +0000 http://newcurator.com/?p=1345#comment-1410 "I wonder who was behind this. I wonder if it was more a “marketing” person than a “museum” person. I would think the former because a marketing person is more likely to have the contacts/abilities to get BBC News to cover the story and I like to think a museum person wouldn’t be insensitive to the thousands of under-threat or laid-off museum workers by showing that a cute/marketable six year old can get job when you can’t." Are the two mutually exclusive? “I wonder who was behind this. I wonder if it was more a “marketing” person than a “museum” person. I would think the former because a marketing person is more likely to have the contacts/abilities to get BBC News to cover the story and I like to think a museum person wouldn’t be insensitive to the thousands of under-threat or laid-off museum workers by showing that a cute/marketable six year old can get job when you can’t.”

Are the two mutually exclusive?

]]> By: Pete http://newcurator.com/2009/08/the-director-of-fun/comment-page-1/#comment-1409 Pete Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:22:19 +0000 http://newcurator.com/?p=1345#comment-1409 It shocks me eveytime I've been told "It's okay! It's Marketing!", like thats sound kind of excuse. Critical functions seem to completely disappeared everytime someone has said "It was good PR". It's like you can half recognise what's being told to you and just accept the half-truth. Dana, I'm going to try to pick through your response, but I'm trying to make sense of it. At no point did I say I was some Kleinesque anti-marketing zealot. Otherwise, why I'm I constantly pointing to Maryann Devine? Why has my Tumblr got bilboard advertising on it? Why are these marketing managers emailing me with stuff I might like the look of? "Marketing" as communication is good. Branding is focussing your professionalism into a particular mould. This fluff story is nothing. You are not relating to a happy, excited six year old. You are relating to a image, a facsimilie, a ghost of moving light on a screen. Don't pretend you know him. Don't pretend he's like any other six year or, more importantly, anything like your six year old. What you saw was not a six-year old, but an two-minute old advert. It upsets me when someone so young is reduced to that. Marketing is communication, useful for hundreds upon thousands of things. It is shitty when it's used to lie to or bullshit us. I have no idea where you get this opinion that museum workers think marketing is evil like everyone in a museum is some kind of hippy. At worst, they maybe apathetic or too busy with other things. But as you've just demonstrated, a lack of understanding also creates a lack of critical analysis, and if you think this "Director of Fun" fluffy, meaningless, inane and infantile news piece that <em>is aimed at your children</em> is okay, then there are greater problems. It shocks me eveytime I’ve been told “It’s okay! It’s Marketing!”, like thats sound kind of excuse. Critical functions seem to completely disappeared everytime someone has said “It was good PR”. It’s like you can half recognise what’s being told to you and just accept the half-truth.

Dana, I’m going to try to pick through your response, but I’m trying to make sense of it. At no point did I say I was some Kleinesque anti-marketing zealot. Otherwise, why I’m I constantly pointing to Maryann Devine? Why has my Tumblr got bilboard advertising on it? Why are these marketing managers emailing me with stuff I might like the look of?

“Marketing” as communication is good. Branding is focussing your professionalism into a particular mould.

This fluff story is nothing. You are not relating to a happy, excited six year old. You are relating to a image, a facsimilie, a ghost of moving light on a screen. Don’t pretend you know him. Don’t pretend he’s like any other six year or, more importantly, anything like your six year old. What you saw was not a six-year old, but an two-minute old advert. It upsets me when someone so young is reduced to that.

Marketing is communication, useful for hundreds upon thousands of things. It is shitty when it’s used to lie to or bullshit us.

I have no idea where you get this opinion that museum workers think marketing is evil like everyone in a museum is some kind of hippy. At worst, they maybe apathetic or too busy with other things. But as you’ve just demonstrated, a lack of understanding also creates a lack of critical analysis, and if you think this “Director of Fun” fluffy, meaningless, inane and infantile news piece that is aimed at your children is okay, then there are greater problems.

]]> By: Dana http://newcurator.com/2009/08/the-director-of-fun/comment-page-1/#comment-1405 Dana Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:02:03 +0000 http://newcurator.com/?p=1345#comment-1405 I'm afraid I cannot agree. Marketing is an essential part of a museum just as it is a part of any non-profit or for-profit venture. A museum engages in marketing every time it advertises its events, writes articles for the local paper, sends out newsletters or engages its community in any way. Often marketing within the museum community is done by happenstance rather than by design, and too often its marketing is done without regard to the institution or its audience. This is a cute story, and yup likely just one of thousands of programming events that the museum engages upon through its educational officers. Most people don't want to read about the stats and policies regarding children, they want to know a personal story. This is similar in telling a story within the museum context itself. We give the artifact context in order for our visitors to relate to the object and see something of themselves in the story. I took my daughter, who is 7, to a historical house today and she related much more to objects that told a story she understood. She stood in awe of an artifact that another 7 year old played with over 100 years ago and wanted to talk about it for ages, whereas other artifacts she only glanced at as they didn't relate to her so much. This is human nature. I don't see an unhappy child in the BBC article, I see an excited kid who wants to be involved. If my own daughter wanted to be involved on that level at any of our museums I would be glad to supply the writing material, stamps etc. and support her. The more children are involved in our community the better our community is as a whole, especially in heritage. This might be about marketing, but its also about community involvement. Too long museums have missed the mark when it comes to marketing - it is often believed to be an evil thing and that as museum professionals we are selling out if we engage in marketing. I think all that ideology shows is a total lack of understanding of what marketing is and can be, and how it can be best used by the museum world. I’m afraid I cannot agree. Marketing is an essential part of a museum just as it is a part of any non-profit or for-profit venture. A museum engages in marketing every time it advertises its events, writes articles for the local paper, sends out newsletters or engages its community in any way. Often marketing within the museum community is done by happenstance rather than by design, and too often its marketing is done without regard to the institution or its audience. This is a cute story, and yup likely just one of thousands of programming events that the museum engages upon through its educational officers. Most people don’t want to read about the stats and policies regarding children, they want to know a personal story. This is similar in telling a story within the museum context itself. We give the artifact context in order for our visitors to relate to the object and see something of themselves in the story. I took my daughter, who is 7, to a historical house today and she related much more to objects that told a story she understood. She stood in awe of an artifact that another 7 year old played with over 100 years ago and wanted to talk about it for ages, whereas other artifacts she only glanced at as they didn’t relate to her so much. This is human nature.
I don’t see an unhappy child in the BBC article, I see an excited kid who wants to be involved. If my own daughter wanted to be involved on that level at any of our museums I would be glad to supply the writing material, stamps etc. and support her. The more children are involved in our community the better our community is as a whole, especially in heritage. This might be about marketing, but its also about community involvement. Too long museums have missed the mark when it comes to marketing – it is often believed to be an evil thing and that as museum professionals we are selling out if we engage in marketing. I think all that ideology shows is a total lack of understanding of what marketing is and can be, and how it can be best used by the museum world.

]]> By: jgoreham http://newcurator.com/2009/08/the-director-of-fun/comment-page-1/#comment-1402 jgoreham Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:57:42 +0000 http://newcurator.com/?p=1345#comment-1402 Oh now I understand your cryptic twitter reply from yesterday or the other day! This is a pretty weird story. I used to volunteer at the NRM, when I lived in York. Unfortunately, I don't know who's working in marketing at NRM (I could probably scratch my head and remember who's doing that at other prominent York-based heritage orgs, though). Oh now I understand your cryptic twitter reply from yesterday or the other day!

This is a pretty weird story. I used to volunteer at the NRM, when I lived in York. Unfortunately, I don’t know who’s working in marketing at NRM (I could probably scratch my head and remember who’s doing that at other prominent York-based heritage orgs, though).

]]> By: Pete http://newcurator.com/2009/08/the-director-of-fun/comment-page-1/#comment-1395 Pete Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:13:00 +0000 http://newcurator.com/?p=1345#comment-1395 Well said Well said

]]> By: Michael J http://newcurator.com/2009/08/the-director-of-fun/comment-page-1/#comment-1394 Michael J Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:28:09 +0000 http://newcurator.com/?p=1345#comment-1394 It's such a shame since kids are learning machines. It would have been a much better advert if it showed grown ups demonstrating the curiosity and passion of a seven year old, instead of the other way round. It’s such a shame since kids are learning machines. It would have been a much better advert if it showed grown ups demonstrating the curiosity and passion of a seven year old, instead of the other way round.

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