More Than 10,000,000 People Have Visited the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Special Report & Insights from Our Visit in May

More than 10,000,000 People Have Visited the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Special Report & Insights from Our Visit in May

An article from Encore’s June 2011 SHOW MARKETING INSIGHTS For trade and consumer shows, exhibitions and conferences

Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao building is widely recognized as one of the most important pieces of work of its time, and has become an international architectural icon.

The structure is certainly amazing, and combined with the sculptures outside, the 43' tall topiary "Puppy" by Jeff Koons, and the 30' tall spider "Maman" by Louise Joséphine Bourgeois, we left the museum with an incredible impression.

However, the takeaways we want to share with you are not about architecture and art but about marketing.

Considering the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has attracted 10,000,000 visitors since it opened in 1997, including almost one million visitors in 2010, a 6% increase over 2009, they are certainly doing something right. We were curious what was driving this traffic.

In that the majority of people visiting Bilbao seemed to be there to see the museum, it was certainly not hard to strike up a conversation about the museum. We asked several people at our hotel, restaurants and the museum, why they decided to the visit the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. We were afforded many valuable insights and share a few of them with you.

Many people mentioned the Guggenheim name. Leveraging the Guggenheim brand equity was a smart strategy and was paying off. The Guggenheim name clearly played an important role, especially in the upper part of the "decision to visit" funnel.

However, the predominance of answers we received were in the product component of the marketing mix, and the "unique building/architecture" was by far the key driver. When you consider the range of possible answers to our question, this answer says a lot.

The museum has created a unique value proposition with its strategy to build such an unconventional structure that is pulling people through the "decision to visit" funnel.

ONE STRONG DIFFERENTIATED VALUE DRIVER CAN GO A LONG WAY!

As you develop strategies to attract more visitors and buyers, ask yourself the following questions...

(1) What are the real benefits (not features) you offer to your target audience? (2) Are the benefits strong enough to get your target to take action? (3) Is your value proposition to your target truly different than the competition?

Show Marketing Insights is published monthly by Encore. Subscribe FREE today. Encore is an audience strategy, marketing and media buying agency, which specializes in local, national and global trade and consumer shows, exhibitions, conferences and other types of events. More info is available at www.EncoreMediaPartners.com.