The Jahangirnagar Journal of Marketing ISSN: 2308-6238 Vol 5, June 2017

Marketing Strategies of Museums in : A Study on Bangladesh National Museum Barota Chakaborty1 Abstract: The term – museum marketing has seen significant interest in over the past few years. In Bangladesh, the marketing of museums is still an unusual untried concept. As, this study intended to focus on the marketing strategies of a museum of the country, the Bangladesh National Museum has been selected and 30 personnel have been selected applying the non-probability judgmental sampling technique, Metropolitan City has been taken for the analysis. Through the use of interviews, the authors have examined the segmentation, targeting & positioning process and the marketing mix decisions that are distinct for the museum. Finally, the implications of these findings are discussed and some recommendations have been made for the chosen entity.

Keywords: Marketing Strategy, Marketing Mix, Museum Marketing

JEL Classification Code: M31.

Introduction In response to the rising profit sectors, the entity of the non-profit sector has emerged as an important part of modern society. In the process, the Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) have played a pivotal role in the growth of the region since the time they gained prominence in the 1980s. More than just engaging volunteers to provide relief operations in times of domestic or international crises, or providing basic services to marginalized and underprivileged sectors of society, NGOs have expanded their role of being governments’ partners in pro-active policy formation and program implementation. They raised public consciousness of issues, advocated policy reforms, seek out alternative development strategies, and created innovative strategies to encourage citizen participation in socio-political and economic matters. They also served as monitoring institutions of the state, and facilitated international dialogue and understanding through their networking activities. Over time, these NPOs have also become resource centers in the region, providing the public with information and technical and financial assistance.

When it comes to the point of marketing, significant differences are observed between the practices of profit and non-profit entities. These differentiations greatly vary based on different economic structures. In developing countries, there is general agreement that non-profit organizations have a greater need for marketing, but there is little agreement on how NPOs should approach marketing. The goal of traditional marketing efforts at for-profit firms is most often improving the company’s bottom line (Pope, Isely & Tutu, 2009).

Marketing a museum is the process of identifying the needs and wants of the visitor and delivering benefits that will satisfy or enhance their experience (Association for Heritage

1 Assistant Professor. Department of Marketing, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka-1342. E-mail: [email protected] 26 The Jahangirnagar Journal of Marketing, Vol 5, June 2017

Interpretation: Brand Presentation, 2013). It also helps maximize the performance of the museum. It is a complex activity requiring extensive creativity, planning, organization and problem solving. Museums are propelled into a world of economics which is fundamentally an old concept in world context. In Bangladesh, museum marketing is a new area of opportunity. Bangladesh has a history of glorious heritage with its numerous types of resources. Museums are a great source of attractions with various primitive and ancient collections of history. Museums, in the company of the entire cultural sector, have therefore, have become progressively preoccupied with business concerns about costs, financing, evaluation, development, and profitability. Marketing of a museum, a more recent and unknown concept in Bangladesh tends to put in its appearance, even though considerable confusion still reigns as to its precise objectives and methods.

Museums are institutions which collect, research, display and interpret objects. Their very existence depends on the possession of a collection (McLean, 1994). While collection care and interpretation are acknowledged as basic museum functions, declining public funding and accountability pressure have led to the discovery of museum marketing as an important contribution to museums’ viability (Rentschler, 1998). Marketing has increasingly been seen as an essential museum activity (Kelly and Sas, 2002). It is argued that marketing can serve to achieve the museum’s mission rather than compromising it (McLean, 1993; Reussner, 2001).

As an industry or institution, museums are huge amount of resources where numerous histories are being explored before the visitors. In Bangladesh, roles of museums are not well known to the people, due to lack of concern and awareness. Marketing a museum will help to create awareness of the people of our country and to know deeply about the history and heritages of their own origin.

Objectives The overall objective of the study is to identify the marketing strategies of museums in Bangladesh, focusing on the selected museum – Bangladesh National Museum. The specific objectives are as follows: i) To analyze the STP (Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning) strategies of Bangladesh National Museum. ii) To identify and assess the application of marketing mix for Bangladesh National Museum and iii) To recommend some policies regarding marketing strategies of Bangladesh National Museum.

Literature Review A museum is a non-profit making, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, and open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits for the purposes of study, education and enjoyment, material evidence of humanity and its environment. (Ambrose & Paine, 1993)

Museums have been propelled into a world of economics which is fundamentally foreign to us. They are not only subjected to the rigors of theoretical economic analysis but may also thereby come to be seen in narrowly financial terms: operating budget, manpower Marketing Strategies of Museums in Bangladesh: 27 A Study on Bangladesh National Museum requirements, commercial returns, visitor numbers and value of acquisitions. Indeed, today we talk of the museum industry and the institutions as ‘cultural enterprises’, seeing curators in the same light as company managers (Musées et économie 1992a, b). Museums, in the company of the entire cultural sector, have therefore become progressively preoccupied with business concerns about costs, financing, evaluation, development, and profitability.

For many people marketing is traditionally seen as the technique which a business employs to sell its products (cars, detergent) or services (banking, data management) to consumers, mainly by means of advertising (Sandell & Janes 2007). The consumer has progressively been moved into the centre of the marketing operation, and on the other hand, the concept has been extended into the world of public service and non-profit institutions.

Current trends in museum marketing begin with experiences that are offered to audiences. According to Fisher (2000), museum experiences are mission based, have educational value, and further the museum's strategic goals. The experiences are audience focused and permit sharing with other people. The broadest aspects of museum marketing includes: • Identifying leisure-time recreation needs and wants of potential museum visitors and other audiences, especially unmet needs. • Identifying art museum experiences that can be matched to user needs. • Identifying additional experiences that are compatible with the museum mission and resources. • Identifying ways in which potential users can be informed about and attracted to museum experiences. • Making sure that new and returning, museum users are completely satisfied with museum experiences and amenities surrounding their visits.

There are numerous articles in which marketing academics or practitioners have written about how art museums should apply marketing concepts (Hendon 1979; Mokwa, Dawson, and Prieve 1980; Yorke and Jones 1987). Most of the literature indicates that determining the appropriate customer segments and the marketing mix are of prime importance. According to, McCarthy (1975), marketing mix contains six major elements: 1. Pricing 2. Products and services to offer 3. Advertising and public relations 4. Sales promotions 5. Sales force 6. Channels of distribution (where the product is sold or viewed)

Despite the "elitist" nature of the art museum audience, museums have a social responsibility to broaden their target audience to include less well educated viewers in order to justify government subsidies. Thus, museums are forced to reconcile opposing desires in determining their mission or objectives (Cramer 1979; Hancocks 1987; Zolberg 1984).

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Pricing within museums is not well understood, and very few studies have been conducted to try to determine the price responsiveness of current or potential members to the public being charged general admission to museums. The studies that have been conducted show that there is low price elasticity (Cameron and Abbey 1962; O'Hare 1975). Product discussion focuses on current visitors and special exhibits with very little attention paid to target markets or likely audiences. Ancillary purchases from the bookstore and the restaurant are also considered but only as a secondary activity (Beer 1987; Bowden 1986; Braverman 1988; Gardner 1986; Hood 1986).

The primary focus of many of the marketing articles is on advertising and the need to communicate a consistent message (Adams 1986; Fronville 1985; Shapiro 1973; Stone 1988). Several museums are exploring alternative channels of distribution such as satellite branches, traveling exhibits, and interactive exhibits within traditional museums (Keens 1986; Bunch 1988).

In summary, museums are aware of standard marketing techniques to market their products and services to their customers. In spite of most museums' using some form of marketing, there are many problems with the current state of marketing in art museums. First, the curatorial staffs, who are the "product designers" and "purchasing agents," do little research to understand what the customer wants. Instead they select or design exhibits which they feel the visitor should see. The marketing personnel are then supposed to convince the public that they should see these exhibits. The problem is analogous to an engineering-driven company which produces products the customer does not demand. Achieving a museum's full potential in the marketplace depends on the integrated efforts of all departments to produce and deliver the museum's products.

Second, competition has not been well-delineated, and no attempt has been made to focus on how an art museum must "compete" in the marketplace. The full effects of competition have not been visible to art museums because of the special market niche which they fill and the effective entry barrier to would be new entrants. Thus, art museums have been spared the reality of typical competition. However, the decreasing leisure time of Americans (Louis Harris and Associates 1988) puts pressure on people to economize their time. Museums must enlarge their perspective on competition to include the alternatives from which the potential visitor chooses. Third, most of the marketing emphasis has been on fund-raising through membership drives and the advertising of exhibits, not on products. Marketing is merely a staff function designed to serve the "product designers." Marketing's responsibility is to "sell" the finished product, not to assist in producing the product.

Finally, marketing has a negative image because it is thought to be trying to "mass market" the museum, which the curatorial staff views negatively. Top management of most museums does not come from a marketing background and has little understanding of the importance of marketing or its likely impact on the museum (Raymond and Greyser 1978; Unterman and Davis 1982). Complicating this misconception is that, as museums become more and more pressed for funds, the costs of a marketing staff are visible and thus vulnerable to cost-cutting measures, while their benefits remain intangible. In most museums, marketing is not formally part of the organization but is Marketing Strategies of Museums in Bangladesh: 29 A Study on Bangladesh National Museum often subsumed under development or public relations. Even when there is a marketing director, his or her role often conflicts with the curatorial staff.

Perspective of Museum Marketing: The Smithsonian Institution (2001) described three patterns of how marketing (and the director of marketing) fits into a museum’s organizational structure in a review of current practices in art marketing to general audiences,. The Smithsonian found that the three patterns were dependent on the span of responsibility assigned to marketing. The three patterns, Audience Centered, Service, and Coordination, was described as follows:

In the audience centered pattern, marketing typically reports directly to the museum director and has responsibility for functions that interact with the public such as communications, public affairs, and visitor services. Occasionally, membership also falls under marketing. More rarely, protection services (guards) or website managers report to marketing. In the Audience Centered pattern, marketing has become an audience advocate. This pattern tends to make the museum “outside-in” since potential visitors are more important in the selection, design and promotion of exhibits.

In the service pattern, marketing is typically a lower level function frequently reporting to communications, public affairs, or development. Marketing plays a support role, rather than a lead role, in handling promotion of exhibitions and research in the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. This pattern tends to make the museum “in-outside” since internal museum constituencies are more important in the selection, design and promotion of exhibits.

In the coordination pattern, marketing reports to another function, such as communications. It is differentiated from the Service pattern because marketing also provides staff resources to an upper-level task force that meets to discuss (and coordinate) marketing and visitor service across the museum.

Art viewership is a complex interaction between the viewer and the work of art. It requires sophistication, knowledge, and a desire to learn and appreciate the object being viewed. Because art is an "acquired" taste, it has historically appealed to certain segments of the market who have devoted time and effort to appreciating art. 2 Thus, the audience for art museums has been heavily populated by upper-income, educated households. This can be contrasted to science museums and zoos, which attract families and middle- income households more representative of the population. The issue facing art museums is: should they expand their viewership to appeal to new segments not currently attending museums? (Blattberg & Broderick, 1991).

According to Blattberg & Broderick, (1991), there are two distinct types of audiences that art museums can target. The first is the group of potential donors who often become members and are more likely to become heavily involved in museum activities. This group is small, will generate far more revenue and profits to the museum, and appreciates the current types of exhibits the museum offers. It is relatively easier to serve this group than it is to serve the general public. In fact, museums generally focus only on this audience. The second type of audience is the general public, who attend museums to be

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30 The Jahangirnagar Journal of Marketing, Vol 5, June 2017 entertained and to be educated. Few will not ever become donors of works of arts nor will they become major financial benefactors. However, they occasionally become members and often spend money at the museum store and restaurant. The second group is the general public is more difficult for art museums to target. For example, middle- and low-income families are much less likely to attend art museums, and so trying to determine what types of exhibits will appeal to them is difficult. A major concern in appealing to this group is balancing the entertainment and educational value of the exhibit. If the museum were to compromise the aesthetic value of the exhibit, the traditional product would deteriorate, resulting in a potential loss of support from the museum's core audience (Blattberg & Broderick, 1991).

According to Kotler (2008), the marketer’s task is to develop the marketing activities that create, communicate, and deliver value for consumers. Marketing activities assume a variety of forms. The marketing mix of activities, known as the 5Ps include — product, price, promotion, place, and people. The product is the motivating factor that determines whether someone visits the museum (Blattberg & Broderick, 1991). For example, to compete for the broad audience of middle-income families with children, it is necessary to develop alternative exhibits which are less sophisticated and which have an amusement component with subtle educational elements. Junior children's museums provide this type of product-but only for very young children. Science museums effectively attract a large visitorship. Their exhibits are more interactive and more involving than art museums. People receive audio and sensory stimulation as well as visual. There is always a great deal of activity to attract the visitor's attention. Children, in particular, enjoy attending these museums.

According to Blattberg & Broderick (1991), most museums live and die on the basis of special exhibits which generate large viewership, called blockbusters, and would prefer some relief from the pressure of having to generate such exhibits frequently. The reason is that blockbusters have an adverse effect on staffing, organizational requirements, and normal attendance. Unfortunately, blockbusters represent a high percent- Blockbusters are analogous to sales offered by retailers. Retailers use sales to attract new customers. Once the customer is in the store, it is hoped that he or she will purchase additional items. Thus, sales generate traffic. Other departments in the store can then make additional profits. Most museums understand this strategy. They sell related merchandise (books, posters, and reproductions) to visitors of major exhibits.

Membership also increases because becoming a member is a way to guarantee one's admission to very successful exhibits. Typically, blockbuster exhibits are intended to - i. Attract new types of visitors to the museum; ii. Increase the museum's revenues; iii. Provide benefits (e.g. special showings) for members of the museum; and iv. Increase membership. While museums, like retailers, would like to eliminate the blockbuster, it is improbable this will occur. Museums can redirect their thinking to address how blockbusters can be used to meet financial and viewership goals (Blattberg & Broderick, 1991).

Marketing Strategies of Museums in Bangladesh: 31 A Study on Bangladesh National Museum

Traditionally, museums use their primary location (the museum) for visitors' access to exhibits or their collection. However, there is a trend to create alternative sites where the visitors can view exhibits. This is similar to retailers' offering different locations to make it easier for customers to shop at their stores. In assessing this strategy, many of the same issues retailers consider in site selection are relevant to art museums. In selecting locations for museums the issues are: (1) the number of people visiting the location, (2) the demographics of the area, (3) the cost of the space, (4) logistics, and (5) cannibalization of visitors to existing locations (Blattberg & Broderick, 1991).

According to Blattberg & Broderick, 1991, to most art museums, pricing is a mystery. There are many difficult and complex questions that need to be answered. In analyzing pricing it is easiest if it is separated into two types (1) general admission fees and (2) membership fees.

Methodology The methodology includes literature review and secondary data analysis, followed by undertaking personal interviews to have an effect on the descriptive research. Apart from the literature so far consulted and discussed, the initial phase of the research design has begun with further review of relevant literature and analyses of relevant data available in the secondary sources on the issue. Various articles, journals, empirical research works have been reviewed for the literature.

The present study has been conducted based on both primary and secondary data. A qualitative (exploratory) study has been conducted to understand the relevant issues following certain in-depth interviews of experts (marketing experts and archaeologists) who are associated with the museum sector. This has been followed by a descriptive study based on primary data using surveys. Secondary data has been collected from online sources, including the website of Bangladesh National Museum, several research journals and newspapers as well. Primary data has been collected by questionnaires from the museum administration, marketing experts and archeologists in Bangladesh.

To conduct the survey, convenience sampling technique has been used. The sample size for the study has been determined as 50, and been taken from three groups of respondents, including the museum administration, marketing experts and archaeologists. Table 1 shows the distribution of sample for the study: Sample Name Sample Size Museum Administrators 10 Marketing Experts 15 Archaeologists 05 Table 1: Distribution of Sample

Analyses of Data STP (Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning) Strategies of Bangladesh National Museum

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Segmentation To initiate a good marketing, it is always needed to determine the appropriate target audience. Thus, the first element to be set out in any marketing strategy is the organizations approach toward targets. However, target audience come in many shapes and sizes and a fundamental problem for marketing managers is how to deal with this complexity. As a result, marketers can deal with them applying – the same strategy, unique strategy or individualized strategy (Andreasen & Kotler, 2004).

While segmenting the market, a non-profit organization might apply a two-by-two matrix (Frank, Massy & Wind, 1972). It determines that, the segmentation variables might vary in two different ways. Figure 1 represents the bases for segmenting a market. While identifying the segmentation process of Bangladesh National Museum, the authors have used the two-by-two matrix of Frank, Massy & Wind, 1972 (Figure 1).

General Behavior Specific

Age group: Loyalty: • (11-16) years - School going Students • People who have enough interest in culture • (16-18) years- College going Students and heritage. • 18&Above-University going Students

Place of Residence: Stages in Decision: Objective • Domestic Visitors • The teachers can play the role of initiators, Measures • Foreign Visitors who can take their students to a visit to the museum. Social Class: • Lower Income Class • Middle Income Class

Lifestyle: Beliefs: • Culture-oriented adults who like to spend • Those who believes in a cultural time on visiting historical Bangladesh. places/museums. • Corporations, Government agencies or foundations, who might desire to donate a Inferred Values: grant to the museum. Measures • People who possess high value. ss

Figure 1: Segmentation Bases for Bangladesh National Museum MMMuseum Figure 1 shows that based on the objective measures, Bangladesh National Museum can divide their market generally on the basis of age group, place of residence and social class. The museum usually targets three age groups: (11-16) years – the school going students, (16-18) years - the college going students and the 18 & above group- the university going students. It also targets both the domestic and foreign visitors, based on the place of residence and finally, the lower and middle income class of people, based on the social class.

Marketing Strategies of Museums in Bangladesh: 33 A Study on Bangladesh National Museum

The museum also segments based on the loyalty and stages in decision. It is targeted to the people who are interested in culture and heritage, whereas, it also targets the teachers from schools, colleges and universities, who can influence their students to visit the museum under their school service programs. Based on the inferred measures, the culture-oriented adults who like to spend time on visiting historical places/museums are targeted by the museum, as well as, people with higher values are also aimed by the National Museum.

Targeting According to Kotler (2008), museums welcome all visitors. The purpose of targeting is to attract and develop additional groups that might not come at all or might be less involved than desired in museum activities. Deciding which groups to target, and how many, is a matter of target market selection. The choice of target markets depends on specific factors affecting the museum: its collections, exhibitions, location, and programs. The more limited the museum's resources are, the more likely it is that it can concentrate on only a few market segments. The more homogeneous its market, the less the museum needs to diversify its offerings (Kotler, 2008).

According to Andreasen & Kotler (2008), there are four strategic choices for selecting the target market, such as: i) Undifferentiated or Mass Marketing, ii) Differentiated Marketing, iii) Concentrated Marketing and iv) Mass Customization.

Among the four general strategic choices, Bangladesh national Museum usually follows undifferentiated or mass marketing in terms of its collections, exhibitions and services. The museum offers a wide variety of collections and exhibitions of nearly 86,000 objects in its four curatorial departments for all types of visitors. Also, some of the services provided by the museum, including - reception/ information centre, lockers and cloakrooms, seating arrangements for the visitors, food services, guided tour services from the display officers, library services, the sales centre and auditorium facilities, are offered to all the visitors.

The museum applies differentiated marketing, in terms of its programs. The museum runs several target market specific programs under is Department of Public Education. Among the seven sections of this department, the Education Section provides guided tours, runs the School Service Program for the school going children and conducts the visits of foreign dignitaries and state guests.

Positioning With a mission to establish a link between the vanishing past and the vibrant present with a view to ensuring the acquisition and advancement of knowledge for intellectual growth, national pride and awakening, social progress, and international harmony, all in the service of the public and in accordance with professional standards, Bangladesh National Museum positions itself as one of the largest museums in South Asia.

Also, the museum has a familiar and established logo, which symbolizes the museum building and its name in Bengali (বা廬লাদেশ জাতীয় জােুঘর).

Marketing Mix:

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Data suggests that, alike any other services organization, the marketing mix of Bangladesh National Museum includes its – products, price, place, promotion, physical evidence, people and procedure. Products: In the context of Bangladesh National Museum, the products include its exhibitions, programs, and its facilities.

Exhibitions: Bangladesh National Museum has a vast set of diversified collections and exhibitions. Among the seven distinct departments of the museum, four of the departments, namely: History and Classical Art, Ethnography and Decorative Art, Contemporary Art and World Civilization and Natural History, contain large number of varied collections and exhibitions.

- Department of History and Classical Art: It is the largest Curatorial Department having a total number of 67,000 collections. The collections include specimens of prehistory, pottery and other objects of archaeological interest, stone sculptures and architectural members, wooden sculptures and architectural members, copper, bronze and brass images, terracotta plaques, epigraphs, coins, jewelry, manuscripts, documents, miniatures, specimens of calligraphy, portraits, mementos of great and important persons, and objects pertaining to the liberation struggle of Bangladesh.

- Department of Ethnography and Decorative Art: Being divided into two approaches - the study of ethnic groups of Bangladesh and the study of decorative art in all its manifestations, this department possesses a wide range of tangible and intangible resources reflecting the lifestyles, traditions, festivals, beliefs and rituals of the people. It holds an extensive collection of decorative art from the medieval and modern periods. Its collections include arms and armor, baskets, boats including replicas, ceramics, furniture, glass, ivory-work, metalwork, stonework, woodwork, gold and silver ornaments, musical instruments, textiles, costumes, a wide range of folk art including dolls, mats, fishing implements, templates of cakes, hookahs, and embroidered quilts, and objects representing the patterns of life of ethnic groups.

- Department of Contemporary Art and World Civilization: This department has huge collections of art works of nationally recognized young and old artists. Of particular interest are the paintings of such master artists as - Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, Quamrul Hasan and S. M. Sultan. The department is also designed to represent different countries of the world. Original objects from Bhutan, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Maldives, Nepal, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA have been collected and displayed.

- Department of Natural History: This department is designed to develop a better understanding of the natural world and the process that moulds it, and to explore the interrelationships and mutual dependence of all forms of life. The being exhibited, include: rocks and minerals, specimens of petrified wood, corals, fossil organisms, species of rare mollusk, marine fishes, tropical plants, flowers and fruits, medicinal herbs and spice plants, reptiles, mammals, a gigantic skeleton of a whale, and birds. Herbarium sheets, oil paintings, models, colorful pictorial representations of some specimens, and a chart of the geological timescale have also enriched the displays.

Marketing Strategies of Museums in Bangladesh: 35 A Study on Bangladesh National Museum

The museum has some rare collections and exhibitions, such as – - the biggest sculpture of Lord Vishnu from 11th Century, made of black basalt, retrieved from Munshiganj - The skeleton of a 44th feet humpback whale, retrieved from Cox’s Bazar and - Some unique sculptures by famous sculptor – Late Novera Ahmed - Bangladesh National Museum maintains individual galleries, respectively, for displays of the artworks of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin and Liberation Struggles of Bangladesh. It also maintains a distinct gallery in the memory of the “Father of the Nation” – Bangabandhu .

Programs: Bangladesh National Museum runs a variety of seasonal and occasional programs and projects, including discussion & cultural events on various poets and writers, photography exhibitions, exhibitions of sculptures by various artists, cultural events by several musicians, children's art exhibition, seminars, symposiums, magic shows, debate and lectures on the birth and death anniversaries of leaders and martyrs. It also celebrates programs like – the Martyrs’ Day, international Mother Language Day, Independence and National Day, Bengali New Year’s Day, International Museum Day, Annual Anniversary and the Victory Day, annually.

Facilities: Bangladesh National Museum offers the visitors with facilities of the ticket counter, security system, reception/ information centre, lockers and cloakrooms for the convenience and safety of the visitors, seating arrangements for the visitors, a small kiosk selling snacks and beverages for the visitors, guided tour services from the display officers, library services with 35,000 books and journals on history, art and culture, science and technology, and other relevant subjects under the Department of Public Education and a sales centre at the museum. The museum also provides with auditorium facilities to the people. Some other facilities include: - The museum has introduced three touch screen devices. One describing the overall history and operations of the museum and two other devices, situated at Galleries 38 & 40, respectively portraying the history of pre and post liberation war period (17th December 1971-31st December, 1975) of Bangalee, Bangladesh and Liberation War. - Bangladesh National Museum has recently introduced a “Light & Sound Show”, in an endeavor to give a live experience of the liberation war to the visitors under the gallery of Liberation Struggle of Bangladesh: Bangalee, Bangladesh & Liberation War. - The museum also has created a documentary on the synopsis of itself, which is being telecasted within the museum, to attract and give knowledge to the visitors. - The Department of Public Education of Bangladesh National Museum provides wheel chair services to the differently able visitors. - The museum supplies a full time CCTV coverage of the entire museum, which is monitored by the security division. - The museum has also introduced a kiosk for collection of feedbacks from the visitors, regarding the services of the museum and very recently, it has introduced two “photo kiosks”, where, the visitors of the museum can take pictures of themselves to celebrate their experiences and get the photos instantly, so that, they can cherish their memories.

Price: For Bangladesh National Museum, price refers to the entry fee charged from the visitors and the selling price for the items being sold in the sales centre - The Souvenir

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Shop (�ভেচ্ছা স্মারক বিপবি). For the entrance fee, the museum follows differential pricing strategy for its different segments of visitors, as well as, for its other branch museums. The pricing of Bangladesh National Museum and its branch museums are presented below (Table 2):

Name of the Museum Segments Entry Fee for Single Entry Bangladeshi Citizens 20 Taka Citizens of SAARC 20 Taka Countries Bangladesh National Museum Other Foreign Citizens 100 Taka Children under 12 years 2 Taka Children under Three Years No Fees Disable Persons No Fees Entry Fees for Branch Museums Name of the Museum Segments Entry Fee for Single Entry Bangladeshi Citizens 20 Taka Citizens of SAARC 20 Taka Osmany Museum, Sylhet Countries Other Foreign Citizens 75 Taka Bangladeshi Citizens 20 Taka Ahsan Manzil Museum, Citizens of SAARC 20 Taka Dhaka Countries Other Foreign Citizens 100 Taka Bangladeshi Citizens 20 Taka Zia Memorial Museum, Citizens of SAARC 20 Taka Chittagong Countries

Other Foreign Citizens 75 Taka Bangladeshi Citizens 20 Taka Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Citizens of SAARC 20 Taka Sangrahasala, Mymensingh Countries

Other Foreign Citizens 75 Taka Bangladeshi Citizens 20 Taka Independence Museum, Citizens of SAARC 20 Taka Sohrawardi Uddan, Dhaka Countries

Other Foreign Citizens 100 Taka Table 2: Differential Prices for Bangladesh National Museum & Its Branch Museums

Table 2 shows that, the National Museum and all its branch museums charge their entry fees in Bangladeshi taka (BDT). National Museum has divided the entry fee for the visitors, on the basis of age of the visitors and nationality of the visitors. Based on the nationality of the visitors, the museum charges BDT 20 for both the Bangladeshi citizens and citizens from the SAARC countries, whereas, BDT 100 for the foreign visitors. The scenario is same for two of its branch museums - Ahsan Manzil Museum, Dhaka and Independence Museum, Dhaka. The other three branch museums - Osmany Museum, Sylhet, Zia Memorial Museum, Chittagong and Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Sangrahasala, Mymensingh charge BDT 75 for the foreign visitors only, whereas, they charge BDT 20 for both the Bangladeshi and SAARC country citizens. Marketing Strategies of Museums in Bangladesh: 37 A Study on Bangladesh National Museum

The table also shows that, based on the age of the visitors, Bangladesh National Museum charges BDT 2 for children under 12 years, whereas, they provide a free visit of the museum to the children less than 3 years and people with difficulties.

The sales center, commonly known as - The Souvenir Shop (�ভেচ্ছা স্মারক বিপবি), sells replicas of selected objects, as well as, souvenirs like – pens, writing pads, bags, mugs and key rings, imprinted with the name and logos of Bangladesh National Museum. The museum has a specified price list for all the items and they earn revenue from the items sold.

Place: Bangladesh National Museum, through its five distinctive departments – Department of History and Classical Art, Department of Ethnography and Decorative Art, Department of Contemporary Art, Department of World Civilization, Department of Natural History and Department of Conservation Library through which, they offer their various collections and exhibitions to the visitors. Also, through their Department of Public Education, the museum provides education to all kinds of people. This Department consists of seven sections, namely-education, display, library, photography, audio-visual, publication, and auditorium.

Auditoriums: Bangladesh National Museum has two auditoriums (the Main Auditorium and the Poet Sufia Kamal Auditorium) and one hall (the Nalini Kanta Bhattasali Exhibition Hall).Although these facilities are intended for the Museum, foreign and native organizations and agencies, subject to availability and restrictions and abiding by the rules, can hold lectures, seminars, symposium and cultural functions at the Main Auditorium or at the Poet Sufia Kamal Auditorium and can hold exhibitions at the Nalini Kanta Bhattasali Exhibition Hall on a rental basis.

Also, currently, the museum has five branch museums - Ahsan Manzil Museum, Dhaka; Independence Museum, Dhaka; Osmany Museum, Sylhet; Zia Memorial Museum, Chittagong and Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Sangrahasala, Mymensingh, all of which are associated with the operations of the National Museum. A synopsis of the monthly visit of these museums is given below (table 3):

Name of the Museum Foreigner Children Adult Total Bangladesh National Museum 10.5 5803 44378 51175 Osmany Museum 01 20 382 403 Ahsan Manzil Museum 196 2338 40774 43308 Zia Memorial Museum 06 408 8647 9061 Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin 02 373 2041 2461 Sangrahashala Independence Museum - 435 7149 7584 Table 3: Monthly Visitors of the Museums (October 2015) Source: Website of Bangladesh National Museum

Promotion: For promotion purpose, National Museum does not apply traditional promotional tools, like- advertising, rather, they sometimes arrange some events in forms of museum programs and inform the target audience by using posters. They also have a

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38 The Jahangirnagar Journal of Marketing, Vol 5, June 2017 detail visual demonstration of all the galleries near the main staircase and a graphical representation of the entire gallery plan at the information centre.

Through internet, the museum also promotes their offerings through their official website – www.bangladeshmuseum.gov.bd/site. The website offers a brief description of the history and evolution, the operating departments, the people, their various programs and the news portal. It is a developed one and can be accessed easily. The museum has also a page in one of the most popular social networking sites – Facebook, with the address- http: //www.facebook.com/Bangladeshmuseum.gov.bd/

People: People are the museum staff members who serve visitors and interact with a range of stakeholders in a variety of contexts. For Bangladesh national Museum, the people factor plays a significant role in the total procedure, starting from the ticket counter, to the ticket checking counter at the main entrance to the museum. Then, it’s the security division, who, ensure the overall security of the museum through the security equipments and the total CCTV coverage of the museum.

Then, there are people for providing assistance to the visitors at the food kiosk, who sells and serves food and beverage to the visitors, a person at the locker and cloakroom for the convenience and safety of the visitors' belongings and a sales executive at the sales centre- the Souvenir Shop.

The museum’s administration is divided into three groups: Director General, Secretary and Executives. There are three sections- the Board of Trustees Section, the Exploration Section, and the Registration and Control of Antiquities Section, under the Director General of Bangladesh National Museum. The Board of Trustees Section looks after all affairs of the Board of Trustees. This Section keeps track of all meetings of the Board of Trustees for circulation of notices and minutes to the Trustees in time and is responsible for maintaining all records originating from the meetings.

The Exploration Section is responsible for collection of antiquities and other objects by means of exploration. It conducts fieldwork in collaboration with the Curatorial Departments.

The Registration and Control of Antiquities Section maintains and preserves all accession registers, documents, files, reports, notes, etc. relating to the collection of antiquities and other objects in the Inventory Records Room. This Section assigns accession numbers, makes location and tag cards, and extends all kinds of cooperation to the Curatorial Departments. While the Curatorial Departments are custodians of the antiquities and other objects, the Registration and Control of Antiquities Section monitors their movement.

The museum also has a secretary and a group of executives, including keepers for its six departments, senior accounts officer, senior administrative officer, senior security officer, registration officer, auditorium manager, assistant engineer, display officer, publication officer, and deputy keepers for the branch museums.

Physical Evidence: Bangladesh National Museum is one of the largest museums in South Asia within a total exhibition area of more than 20,000 square meters. With a total of Marketing Strategies of Museums in Bangladesh: 39 A Study on Bangladesh National Museum nearly 86,000 objects in its four curatorial departments, the museum displays its objects in 44 galleries, portraying the cultural and archaeological heritages of ancient and many other ethnic communities.

Process: Bangladesh National Museum is entirely process oriented. The museum is fully controlled by the CCTV services and the visitor has to go through a security checking through devices. For getting information about the museum, the visitors get an automated kiosk providing information regarding the history, all the floors and gallery plan of the museum.

Also, there is a kiosk for collection of feedbacks from the visitors, regarding the services of the museum and very recently, it has introduced two “photo kiosks”, where, the visitors of the museum can take pictures of themselves to celebrate their experiences and get the photos instantly, so that, they can cherish their memories. The museum has also introduced two touch screen devices, situated at Galleries 38 & 40, respectively portraying the history of pre and post liberation war period (17th December 1971-31st December, 1975) of Bangalee, Bangladesh and Liberation War.

Recommendations and Conclusion By analyzing the various marketing strategies of Bangladesh National Museum, some recommendations can be made. These are described below:

- Bangladesh National Museum should initiate applying internal and interactive marketing strategies and place it higher on their hierarchy of organizational priorities. This will allow them to be more efficient in all the three market areas: obtaining funding, reaching out to a diverse target audience and effectively utilizing good staffs.

The internal marketing will help the museum to make their employees more focused to their principles and policies of providing aesthetic experiences to the visitors. Also, in a part, the security division needs to be a little bit careful, as many of the visitors take pictures of and in front of the collections, whereas, it is strictly prohibited to take any kind of photos of the objects, without the authorities' permission.

Through interactive marketing, the museum needs to communicate with their target market. National Museum has to add more communication tools to their communication plan. At present, the museum uses its brochure, posters, website and a page in the social networking site- Fcaebook. Besides of these tools, the museum can also develop an advertisement, strengthen their personal selling efforts at their sales centre, as well as, can also target other social networking sites, such as – twitter to interact with its target customers.

- Bangladesh National Museum should stress more on their branding elements. As part of the branding elements, the museum only has a brand name and a very simple logo. They can develop a slogan for the positioning of their offerings, over the other organizations striving to fulfill the similar needs.

- Bangladesh National Museum can also target several for-profit organizations for funding, so that, they can initiate new things. Many of the corporations might be interested to donate the museum as a part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR).

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- The museum administration can hire marketing experts for building marketing – focused customer-centered and attractive value proposition.

Finally, it can be concluded that, the Bangladesh national Museum is among the richest in South Asia, drawing upon a deep well of its own and upon centuries of cosmopolitan interaction with the rest of the world. But modern history and its upheavals have left many people in Bangladesh without access to cultural exploration. Today, television and other social media have largely displaced museums as the primary source of aesthetic experience and pleasure and visiting museum has gone out of fashion. In this condition, National Museum is one of the entities that had thoroughly been successful to achieve its objectives by keeping their mission of establishing a link between the past and present.

Limitations & Future Scope of the Study The present study is limited by the fact that, the sample of the selected museum studied is unlikely to be representative of the national population in Bangladesh. For this study, only Dhaka city has been selected as the sampling arena. All of this information will provide a very narrow, but, basic scenario of marketing practices by Bangladesh National Museum in Bangladesh. To have an intricate picture of the whole system, other relevant studies must be conducted.

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