The Houdini Museum of New York
Public Relations Proposal
By
Amy Jans, Adria Penna, Benjamin Midkiff,
Samantha Sniatowsky, and Julia Zackiewicz
Situational Analysis
The Houdini Museum of New York opened in New York in 2012. It is located inside
Fantasma Magic, which is a retail shop that sells magic trick products. Inside, you will find the second largest Houdini collection in the world! The cost to get in is free! It’s a gem for people in New York City looking for something fun- let alone free to do; however, when ten people were randomly asked at the Official New York City Information Center at 151 W. 34th St. if they have heard of The Houdini Museum, they all said no. When asked if they would like to go, they said yes.
The lack of awareness of The Houdini Museum not only hurts the business itself, but it prevents people from valuable information to be educated about the great and prolific, Harry
Houdini. Harry Houdini is one of the most legendary escape artists who has existed to this day.
He paved the way for modern greats like David Copperfield and David Blaine. He is an
American icon.
Many people travel to New York City for the sole purpose of visiting a museum.
According to Statista.com, “Over 14 million American households visit art museums every year, and 63 percent of Americans saw visiting an art/design museum as a cultural activity. In 2017,
81 percent of Americans participated in cultural activities for ‘having fun.’” When typed in
Google “Free museums in NYC” it could not be found in that search. With boosting the social media presence of The Houdini Museum, it will be able to get organic search engine optimization; therefore, be able to be found easier on Google.
The only social media they list on their website is Twitter, in which they have not updated since April 8th, 2014. Not listed on their website is their Instagram but their last post on
1 that was October 5th, 2018. They currently only have 1,841 followers. The Houdini Museum could also benefit from using an SEO company, like Yodel.com to make sure that they get on the front page of Google organically and in the paid Google section.
On the official guide to NYC, nycgo.com, they have a section of their website that lists the free museums in NYC, and The Houdini Museum is not on that list. By reaching out to the targeted media in the New York City museum niche, the museum will be able to get on the lists that people go to find when they are looking to choose a museum to visit. This will create more awareness with the goal of more foot traffic. The Houdini Museum is not even to be found in the most basic places where one would search for a free museum in New York City; for example, they could not be found on the high ranking website, tripsavvy.com, for their “New York City
Museums With Free or Discounted Admission” site. By being listed on this site and similar ones, it could generate more traction for the museum.
The fact that The Houdini Museum is free sets it apart from so many museums as they can be costly. The MoMa charges $25 for adults, and the Guggenheim is $25 for adults, the
Tenement Museum costs $27 on average for adults.
2 S.W.O.T. Analysis
Strengths Weaknesses
● Largest public Houdini museum ● Lack of signage around the museum
● Free Admission ● Small size of museum prohibits
● Has the ability to hold paid events hosting large events
including birthday parties ● Poor advertising/marketing efforts
Opportunities Threats
● Located near Herald Square ● Museum market in New York City is
○ Tourist area with heavy foot extremely saturated
traffic ● Lack of income threatens museum
● Museum has niche subject matter ability to fund operations
● To create media plan to develop and
reach the target audience to bring
awareness to the museum
Scope of assignment
The program used will inform and bring awareness to the public's about the Houdini
Museum exhibits and events offered by the museum. The museum’s director of customer service cites that they have a daily attendance of 45 people and an average booking of a paid events of
3 1.5 per month. Admission is free to the museum, but the paid birthday parties cost $1200. This price includes food, drink, cutlery & plates, as well as live entertainment by a professional magician. The exhibits were donated in 2012, and with no admissions fee, their main source of income is the paid events.
During 2018, the Houdini Museum hosted 6 paid events, with a total income of $7,200.
The main income comes from the magic shop that is attached to the museum. Income totals for the shop were not made public. However, the museum curator said that the shop almost solely supports the museum’s cost.
Objectives
● Increase museum of attendance from 45 people a month to 75 people.
● Increase the frequency of paid parties from an average of 1.5 a month to 4 a month.
● Increase the income of the museum from $7,200 from the paid parties to $35,000 from
donations gathered by the museum through 2 fundraising events.
Target Audience
There are two key audiences that this public relations campaign will be targeting. The first audience that will be targeted is the media. The media is a vital target audience audience for a public relations campaign because it is one of the best ways to get messages across quickly, and to a large number of people.
The second audience that will be targeted are Tri-State area families. The location of the museum is very convenient for visitors in the Tri-State region to access (near Herald Square and
Penn Station). The museum’s exhibits caters to children, as well as adults. Throughout the
4 duration of the campaign there will be two fundraising events. The events will be targeted to individuals in this area who are known to donate to museums.
Another target audience are magicians and fans of magic in the Tri-State area. Houdini is one of the most famous names in magic and is widely considered to be amongst the top 10 magicians of all time. The historical artifacts in the museum will be attractive to magicians and by making them aware of the museum, they will be more likely to visit.
Targeting the media, Tri-State area families and magicians will help increase the number of monthly visitors, paid parties and amount of donations gathered through fundraising events.
Research
When visiting the museum, unobtrusive research was conducted by listening to visitors reactions to the museum and their interactions with the museum employees. Eavesdropping on visitors provided the opportunity to to learn why they were visiting the museum and what interested them about it. One woman, who’s father is a magician, was visiting from Austria and was looking for some souvenirs to bring home for him. There was also a father and his daughter who appeared to be approximately 6 years old visiting the museum. Another family was visiting the museum and their son, who appeared to be approximately 8 years old, was an aspiring magician and was purchasing magic books from the magic shop. The information that was learned through this form of research was used to help determine the target audience.
A one on one interview was conducted with the director of customer service at the museum. Through this interview, it was learned that there are presently no efforts being made to
5 increase the number of visitors to the museum. It was also learned that the museums primary source of revenue is hosting birthday parties that cost $1200.
A survey was conducted using a convenience sample by randomly asking ten people at the Official New York City Information Center at 151 W. 34th St. if they have heard of the
Houdini Museum of New York. Everyone who was asked said that they had not heard of the museum but that they would be interested in going now that they know about it.
A survey was conducted through Survey Monkey using a combination of convenience and random sampling. The survey was distributed through various forms of social media asking for respondents from the Tri-State area. There were a total of 27 respondents.
Through the survey it was found that:
● Over 85% of respondents have not heard of the Houdini Museum of New York. This data
is a good indicator that the Houdini Museum suffers from a major lack of awareness.
● When asked why they would decide to visit a museum, over 30% of respondents said that
the content of the museum was the deciding factor making it a popular majority. This
provides good insight into what aspects of the museum should be highlighted in
communication efforts.
● The museum offers a small gift shop that sells Fantasma Magic products as well as
Houdini memorabilia. Respondents were asked how likely they would be to buy
something from the shop. 40% of respondents said they were somewhat likely to make a
purchase from the gift shop.
6
Messages
The purpose of this campaign is to attract more families and magicians to the Houdini
Museum of New York. The key messages that will be sent out throughout the duration of the campaign, must support the programs objectives. These messages will include:
● The Houdini Museum holds priceless artifacts from the wide span of the famed escape
artists and magician Harry Houdini’s career.
● Paid events at the Houdini museum are worth the price and are interesting as well as
informative.
● The Houdini Museum is a respected museum among the New York City museum
community.
Actions
As part of the re-launch of the museum, a special event will be held where families from the Tri-State area will be invited. The families will receive a tour of the museum and be taught by a magician how to do a magic trick. Due to the limited capacity of the museum, the families that will be invited will be influential families such as bloggers, YouTubers and families of local government officials that will help reach the target audience. At the end of the event, they will receive goodie bags that will include t-shirts and a deck of playing cards with the new logo.
The museum will host movie screenings where magicians and/or aspiring magicians will visit the museum and then get to watch a movie at the museum. The movies will be family
7 friendly and themed around magic and after the movie, a magician will show the guests how to do one of the tricks or illusions shown in the movie.
Another action to reach the target audience would be to host book signings for authors at the museum. The book signings would be held for authors releasing new books on how to do magic and stories that involve magic. An example of a book signing to host would be for Neil
Patrick Harris who has a New York Times best selling children’s book series called The Magic Misfits. Harris is releasing the third book in the series on September 10th, 2019 and the Houdini
Museum would be the perfect venue to host the book signing in New York City. This book would be the perfect book to host a signing for because it is intended for the target audience.
Another book signing would be for Jeremy Holt’s book titled Before Houdini which will be released in July 2019.
A Houdini Magic Club will also be started by the museum. The club will be an opportunity for magicians to meet up and mingle over cocktails at the Houdini Museum. The members of the club will have the opportunity to learn new magic tricks as well as share some of their own tricks. Since March is Women’s History Month, there will be an exclusive Houdini
Magic Club for Women. In the past three years, the International Magicians Society has seen a
35% increase in female members around the world. By creating a Houdini Magic Club for
Women’s History Month, the hope is to encourage more women to become magicians and to feel welcome amongst their peers. The Houdini Magic Club will also host monthly live shows where the magicians will have the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd. The members of the magic club will be featured on the website.
8 Communication Vehicles
Various communication vehicles will be used in this campaign to have the message reach the target audiences. The communication vehicles will be used to communicate regularly with people interested in visiting the museum and to increase awareness of all actions and events held by the museum.
Press release:
A press release will be made available for immediate release and will inform the media of the rebranding event for the museum. The press release will allow the media to report on the event and help reach the target audience. An additional press release will be made available for immediate release each time the museum hosts a public event.
Website:
The museum website, www.houdinimuseumny.com, appears to be very outdated. It appears that the last time the site was updated was to inform visitors of the new location. A website is a very important communication vehicle for museums as it acts as the main source of information between the museum and its visitors.
Social Media Influencers:
Social media influencers have the ability to reach large audiences and provide great return on investment. In earned media value returned, marketers see an average of $7.65 for every dollar spent on marketing through influencers.
Sarah Funk would be an example of an influencer to partner with. Sarah Funk is a
Youtuber who posts videos about New York City for locals and tourists. Some of her videos
9 include “Secret Spots in NYC,” “13 Free Things to Do in NYC That Are Actually Worth It” and
“Where to Stay in NYC Without Going Broke.” By partnering with Sarah Funk, the museum could sponsor a video of hers where she showcases museums that can be considered hidden gems including the Houdini Museum.
Another example of an influencer to partner with would be Brianne Manz the author behind the mommy blog Stroller in the City. In many of her posts, Manz writes about experiences in New York City with her children some of her posts include “11 Things to Do in
May in NYC” and “The Ultimate Playdate at Hudson Yards.” The museum could invite Manz and her family to visit the museum and sponsor a blog post where she writes about her family’s experience at the museum.
Social Media:
Social Media provides the opportunity to reach a large number of people without spending a lot of money. Social media allows for direct communication with the target audience which provides the opportunity to interact with the audience. Currently the only social media platform that is linked on their website is Twitter. The museum currently has Twitter, Instagram,
YouTube and Facebook however they are not very active. Reviving the museums presence on social media will help with rebranding the museum and will also increase awareness. 79% of parents find that the information they receive through social media is useful.
The following social media platforms will be used:
Twitter:
Twitter is a great social media platform for linking content and allowing users to share the content. Users are able to interact with content on Twitter by “retweeting,” liking and
10 replying to tweets. The current Twitter handle for the museum is @HoudiniMuseumNY and the last tweet on the account is from April 2014. Since the account has not been updated in 5 years, it has the incorrect address for the museum.
The twitter account will be revived and will be used to post about any new additions to the collection and any events being held at the museum. Twitter will also be used to link videos that will be posted to the museums YouTube channel and images from the Instagram account.That hashtag that will be used for the museum is #HoudiniMuseumNYC. By keeping the hashtag very straightforward, it will make it easier for users to find the museums content and to tag the museum. All new tweets made by the museums Twitter will use the hashtag.
Instagram:
Instagram allows users and businesses to post videos and images that can be seen by a large number of followers. Currently the museum has an instagram account with the username houdini_museumny however they have not posted since October 2018. The Instagram account will be revived and will be used to feature artifacts from the museum and also showcase quick magic tricks. The hashtag #HoudiniMuseumNYC will be used on all posts just like on twitter.
Having a hashtag that is specific to this location will make it easier for users to find public posts from other users who posted pictures or video from their visit to the museum.
YouTube:
A YouTube channel with the channel name Houdini Museum NY will be created for the museum. Currently the Fantasma Magic YouTube channel is linked on the museums instagram and the museum is sometimes in some of the videos, but when searching for the museum on
YouTube none of the Fantasma Magic videos appear.
11 A secondary YouTube channel will be made and will feature a quick tour of the museum to give potential visitors an idea of what they’ll see when they visit the museum. In addition to a tour of the museum, on the first Sunday of each month a video will be posted highlighting one of the pieces in the museum. The video will discuss the importance of the object and how Houdini used it. On the third Sunday of each month, another video will be posted highlighting the
Fantasma Magic products and how to use them for magic tricks. The YouTube channel will also be used to post highlights from events held at the museum and interviews with special guests about how Houdini influenced them.
Facebook:
Facebook is the most frequently used social media platform by the museum and in the first five months of 2019, they have only posted twice. Facebook can be used to easily promote events and to link media such as articles, photos and videos. It is also a great platform to communicate directly with the target audience by having the ability to directly respond to comments on posts and the chance for potential visitors to directly message the museum to ask questions.
Timetable:
June 2019 ● Conduct research and learn where the target market would
be able to find them.
● Write a survey
● Map out what communication vehicles to use
● Brainstorm content for posts. Have posts daily for a month
12 in the pipe. (Will schedule posts on later.com)
● Research Houdini facts to post on Twitter.
● Book Youtube channel guests for a month out.
July 2019 ● Edit and spell check for any grammatical errors all posts
scheduled a month in advanced
● Scheduled posts are launched
● Release Youtube content
● Write press release announcing rebranding
● Film more Youtube content featuring local magicians
teaching basic card tricks.
● Jeremy Holt Houdini book reading and signing.
August 2019 ● Send out press releases
● Reach out to influencers, invite them to an influencer event-
where photo ops are set up and professional photos are taken
of them doing magic at the shop and at Houdini exhibits.
September 2019 ● Send out press release for event
● Rebranding event inviting families to the museum.
● Continue to brainstorm content/ create content/ and post
content.
● Create NYC Magic Club- where people learn new magic
tricks monthly (also can get more content like pictures from
13 meetings, videos to post on youtube.)
● Kids magic book reading and signing with Neil Patrick
Harris.
October 2019 ● Start having a monthly live show with the NYC Magic Club
● Design new merchandise for the new year. New
merchandise is for the Youtube channel and museum.
● October 31st is National Magic Day and Houdini death
anniversary- if kids come in costume, they get candy.
November 2020 ● Have a photoshoot with new merch.
● Give new Houdini Museum merch to influencers to post as
well as tickets to live performances.
December 2020 ● Holiday party with stockholders, magicians, and club
members.
● Since owner of Fantasma Magic Store (and toy
manufacturer) is the same as The Houdini Museum- there is
a lot creative room to grow. Fantasma Magic Store will
develop new line of magic tricks to look cool on social
media and start a #doItlikeHoudini challenge where you do a
magic trick with the Fantasma product- with the hashtag,
then challenge 3 friends by sharing the promo code
14 “doitlikeHoudini”.
January 2020 ● Prepare for “The Houdini Museum Magic Con” which is
like comic con but for magicians.
● Release book on magic tricks at the Magic Con.
● Have Magic Con, which will have a Houdini dress alike
contest.
February 2020 ● Write new press release promoting our youtube channel,
clubs, and product.
● Send out press releases to our media list.
● Send out new Social Media Magic Trick Fantasma product
set to influencers.
March 2020 ● Go on morning talk shows to talk about The Houdini
Museum.
● Get placements in Vanish Magic Magazine, Time Out NY, and the New York Times.
● Start a female magic club in spirit of “Women’s History
Month”.
April 2020 ● Have spring movie screenings- once a week.
● Week 1: Harry Potter
● Week 2: Now You See Me
15 ● Week 3: The Illusionist
● Week 4: The Prestige
May 2020 ● Evaluation of campaign
Media:
Magazines Local TV News
Vanish Magic Magazine ABC7 Eyewitness News
Time Out NY CBS New York
Local Newspapers NBC New York
New York Times Local TV Talk Shows
Newsday Good Morning America
New York Post Strahan & Sara
Local Radio Stations
WHTZ 100.3 (Z100)
WLTW 106.7 (Lite FM)
WCBS-FM 101
16 Budget:
BUDGET $50,000 Total
Events $25,000
Rebranding Party $11,100
Venue Staff $2,600
Food & Drink $2,700
Publicity $3,000
Goodie Bags $2,800
Book Signing $3,200
Venue Staff $1,200
Publicity $2,000
Summer Movie Screenings $5,650
Venue Staff $1,350
Food & Drink $1,100
Publicity $2,200
17 Licensing $1,600
Monthly Live Show with NYC Magic Club $4,450
Venue Staff $1,500
Food & Drink $750
Publicity $2,200
Social Media $20,000
Influencer Partnerships $14,000
Website Redesign $1,000
Twitter $500
Facebook $1,000
Youtube $3,500
Content $5,000
Press Releases $5,000
18 Evaluation:
While evaluating a public relations campaign, it is important to examine whether there were changes in awareness and actions. The following methods will be used in order to determine the success of this specific campaign:
1. Were the objectives achieved? This will be determined by going back to the museum and
conducting another one on one interview with the Director of Customer Service.
a. Did the number of monthly visitors increase from 45 to 75?
b. Did the frequency of of paid parties increase from an average 1.5 a moth to 4 a
month?
c. Did the income increase from $7,200 from the paid parties to $35,000 from
donations gathered from the 2 fundraising events?
2. Did the program reach the desired audience? This will be determined using social media
analytics and online feedback through sites like Google and Yelp.
a. The desired audience for the campaign was the media, families and magicians in
the Tri-State Area
3. Message exposure. This will be measured by conducting an additional survey to
determine whether or not the message reached the target audience by asking the same
questions as the initial survey and seeing if the responses changed. Social media analytics
will also be used to evaluate the message exposure.
a. How many people were exposed to or interacted with the social media posts.
b. Did the audience understand the messages?
c. Were the correct messages sent?
19 d. Did the messages inspire the audience to visit the museum or book a party?
4. Content analysis of the media. This will be measured by reviewing and analyzing the
content they have published and making sure it aligns with the messages that are
published internally.
20 Works Cited:
Fuller, Steve. “Topic: Museums.” Www.statista.com, www.statista.com/topics/1509/museums/.
Staff, NYCgo.com. “Free NYC Museums and Sights.” NYCgo.com, NYC & Company, 28 Mar. 2019, www.nycgo.com/articles/free-nyc-museums.
Bhattacharya, Tania. “It's No Trick: Women Are Crashing the Male-Dominated World of
Magic.” OZY, 30 Jan.2019,
www.ozy.com/fast-forward/its-no-trick-women-are-crashing-the-male-dominated-world-of-m
agic/91260.
“Movie Licensing.” Movie Licensing for Outdoor Movie Screen Events | TZ Cinema, www.tzcinema.com/outdoor-movie-screen-rentals/movie-selection/film-licensing.
Duggan, Maeve, et al. “Parents and Social Media.” Pew Internet, Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, 22 May 2017, www.pewinternet.org/2015/07/16/parents-and-social-media/.
General Information on the Houdini Museum of New York. http://www.houdinimuseumny.com/
21 Fastenau, Jelle. “Under the Influence: The Power of Social Media Influencers.” Medium, Crobox, 6 Mar. 2018,
medium.com/crobox/under-the-influence-the-power-of-social-media-influencers-5192571083
c3.
“Houdini Museum of NY at Fantasma on Instagram • Photos and Videos.” Instagram, www.instagram.com/explore/locations/276943923/houdini-museum-of-ny-at-fantasma/.
Musleh, Connie. Personal Interview. April 29, 2019.
“New York City Museums With Free or Discounted Admission.” TripSavvy, www.tripsavvy.com/free-and-discount-nyc-museum-admission-1613168.
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