Dr. Anna Leask and Dr. Paul Barron,

School of Marketing, Tourism and Languages, Edinburgh Napier University.

Engagement with Generation Y: RBS Museum Lates

Overview

• Introduction to Generation Y• Characteristics of engaging with Generation Y• Strategies to engage with Generation Y• Introducing ‘LATES’ as a means of engagement• National Museum of Scotland RBS Museum Lates case

study• Opportunity for discussion

Who are Generation Y?

• Those born between 1979-1994, representing the next big lifelong cohort with its own unique combination of needs, wants and expectations

• “An identifiable group of cohorts that share both year, age location and significant life events” (Kupperschmidt, 2000:66)

• Represent a significant group with 18.6% of total UK and 25.47% of the world population (Johnson Controls, 2010; Meredith & Schewe, 1994; Neuborne & Kerwin, 1999)

Gen Y Profile (Johnson Controls, 2010)

• Generation Y and the Workplace: Annual Report 2010 found that this generation possess the following characteristics:• Transformational: They have grown up in a different world

to their parents – surrounded by modern technologies and a society of consumption

• Do things differently: Modern education curricula have brought a wave of transformation in their life

• Techno-savvy: The 20th and 21st centuries have brought and will continue to bring the most transformational technological solutions to our world

• Agile multi-taskers: Agility to do different things at the same time … though not necessarily in a more efficient manner!

• Challenging: Most agreed this to be a threat but it has yet to be proved.

Gen Y: characteristics

Highly socially oriented

Born 1979-1994:

aged

18-31 yrs

Consummate experience

seekers

Entertaining inter-connected experiences

Personalised products & events

High brand awareness: Low

brand loyalty

ICT, Social media & (E)WOM

Technology integral to lives

Unique needs

& expectations

(Ashbridge Business School, 2008; Johnson Controls, 2010; Kupperschmidt, 2000; Meredith

& Schewe, 1994; Neuborne & Kerwin, 1999)

Strategies to engage with Gen Y

• Developing technology and community (Ashbridge Business School, 2008; Jennings et al., 2010):

• Creation of peer communities and opportunities for interconnections with Gen Y tools: use of social media and web; Word-of-Mouth and Word-of-Mouse communication strategies

• Opportunities for creative use of technology: Gen Y highly socially-oriented; responsive to WOM and peer feedback

• Extension of visitor experience and social interaction, pre-, during- and post-visit

• Offering value (money, novelty, brand) (Der Hovanesian, 2010; Benckendorff & Moscardo, 2010):

• Gen Y: significant levels of disposable income; preference to spend over saving; seeking value for money and time; less spend on recreation;

• Association with like-minded brands;

Strategies to Engage Gen Y

• Segment-specific strategies to facilitate the creation of real value in terms of both time and effort expanded e.g. Gen Y friendly Destination Passes, destination discount deals (willing to spend, happy to pay for added value, but demand value for money)

• Creation of complementary, targeted services (Bound et al., 2008; Grove & Fisk, 1997; Kubaki et al., 2007; Lovelock & Wirtz, 2007):

• Gen Y considered fickle, hedonistic, seeking ‘next big thing’; receptive to night-time economy: opportunities for development of segment-specific, entertainment offerings;

• Preference of Gen Y to socialise with peers; child-free environments valued

• Empower staff with some degree of flexibility and discretion to enable them to respond to visitors and create personalised experiences for visitors

Strategies to Engage Gen Y

• Product development and modification strategies (Leask, Fyall, & Barron, 2011)

• update and repackage existing core product - preferably with a strong entertainment (fun, exciting, challenging) orientation

• continuous development of complementary new products and services that encourage co-creation i.e. where Gen Y create their own experiences

• Employ, develop and actively involve Gen Y in the planning and delivery of experiences

• Audience Development Strategy to offer necessary choice and involvement combined with appropriate levels of service and hospitality (and flexibility required) in Gen Y tailored packages, special events (e.g. out of hours) are popular

Museums and Galleries: Rationale for Engagement

• A significant element of the cultural tourism offering in many destinations

• Functions: collection, research, exhibition, education and recreation (Sheng & Chen, 2011)

• Increasing financial pressure and effectiveness measures: Including emphasis upon attendance numbers (Leask, 2010; Leask & Barron, 2012; Legget, 2009; Madan, 2011; Semmel & Bittner, 2009)

• Museums and Galleries are seeking to connect with new consumer markets and continue to provide evidence of value for existing markets who may not be fully engaged (Gilmore & Rentschler, 2002)

Museum and Galleries :‘Lates’ as events to engage Gen Y• Museum LATES features (Leask & Barron, 2012):

• Extended evening opening hours;• Themed and specifically targeted to Gen Y;

personalisation;• Child-free environment; • Music and entertainment;• Food and drinks (including alcohol);• Experience-driven interactions with existing

collections/exhibitions;• Use of social media pre-, during- and post-experience:

Twitter; Facebook; Flickr; Wi-fi; Smartphone Apps

National Museum of Scotland:RBS Museum Lates

• Re-opened July 2011 following £47.4 million refurbishment• RBS Museum Lates series launched to meet objectives:

• to re-engage with existing visitor markets;• to connect with potential new markets including Gen Y (NMS,

2011)

• RBS Museum Lates events including First Look Live, Nov. 2011; Night of the Mummy, Feb. 2012; A Night in Wonderland, May. 2012; Behind the Masque Oct 2012; Night of the Vikings Feb 2013 and Dino Night, May 2013

• The RBS Museum Lates series aims: “…to provide a quality and fun experience linked to the collections, and to animate the collections whilst including a light learning message” (NMS, 2011)

RBS Museum Lates: Night of the MummyThe event aimed:• “…to give visitors the opportunity to explore the

Museum’s galleries “after hours” and included a wide range of activities, live music and a silent disco as well as areas to buy food and drink” (NMS, 2011).

Night of the Mummy format:• Ancient Egypt theme - Fascinating Mummies

exhibition• Targeted at over 18s; • Ticketed event (tiered pricing);• Sold out in advance (2000 tickets);• Silent disco, live music, comedy, films, food and

drink, fashion show, small animal-handling (Meerkats), themed face-painting, adult games, (light) education events.

• Active social media presence: Twitter, Facebook, Flickr communities.

Images: (U) 'Courtesy of the Trustees of National Museums Scotland‘ (L) http://www.flickr.com/photos/devolve/6928842641/in/pool-1844410@N22/

Images: (Upper, left) 'Courtesy of the Trustees of National Museums Scotland' (Upper right and lower left, right) © Down at the Zoo, http://www.flickr.com/photos/devolve/with/6782722542/

RBS Museum Lates: Audience Surveys• Based on ScotInform (2012) research undertaken from

February 2012 to February 2013 (ie. four RBS Museum Lates events):– Age profile: a significant proportion respondents Gen Y,

although older (i.e. 24-44 yrs) sub-cohort – Event attracted larger younger audience (under 45 years)

than the regular NMS audience– Significant increase of visiting ‘in a group’ as opposed to

‘with one other– Having attended an RBS Museum Late, 77% are more

likely to visit the Museum and 80% more likely to visit an exhibition

• Likes: Silent Disco, Live Music, Atmosphere, Exhibition.• Dislikes: Queues, Heat, Elements of Food and Beverage

RBS Museum Lates : Operational Challenges• http://vimeo.com/68036491

• Museum culture (e.g. not the focus of the Museum)• Set-up - limited time between the museum closing and the

event opening• Security, e.g. irresponsible behaviour, alcohol• Protection of collection, e.g. potential impact on artefacts• Logistics. e.g. cloakrooms, food and beverage, retail,

facilities, crowds• Operational staffing/volunteers• Management commitment

RBS Museum Lates : Operational Challenges

• The operational challenges have been mitigated by opportunities to:– Work with and showcase young Scottish contemporary

talent from across the creative arts; – Work with local businesses (e.g. Red Door Gallery &

local artists, Princess Trust businesses);– Involve student volunteers from all of Edinburgh’s

Universities & Colleges through, for example, delivering public engagement activities to highlight research and enabling Events students to gain valuable practical experience.

Engaging Generation Y at Museums and Galleries - Summary• Research indicates :

– Clear reasons for potential engagement with Generation Y;

– Challenges exist in targeting this market but innovative management can overcome many of these;

– This engagement can be advantageous to both the host and the visitor via the extension of existing product and activities or the targeted specialised development of specific features aimed at Gen Y.

Engaging Generation Y at Museums and Galleries - discussion• Your Organisational Perspective:• What do you already do for this market? • How might you repackage your existing products to attract

this market?• What challenges might you face? For example:

– Funding, – Compromising the existing product, – Managing the visitor experience, – Culture of the organisation, – Human resources, etc.

• How might these challenges be overcome?• How might you involve Gen Y in the planning process?

References• Ashridge Business School (2008). Gen Y research - summary report [Online]. Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire:

Ashridge Business School. Available: http://www.ashridge.org.uk/Website/Content.nsf/wFAR/Generation+Y+Research?opendocument [Accessed 4 Apr 2012].

• Benckendorff, P. & Moscardo, G. (2010). Understanding Generation-Y Tourists: Managing the Risk and Change Associated with a New Emerging Market. In: Benckendorff, P., Moscardo, G. & Pendergast, D. (eds.) Tourism and Generation Y. Cambridge, MA: CAB International.

• Bound, K., Beunderman, J. & Mean, M. 2008. The Place Race: The role of place in attracting and retaining talent in Scottish cities. Edinburgh: Scottish Enterprise.

• Der Hovanesian, M. 1999. Spending It, Investing It --- Coming On Strong: The children of the baby boomers are affecting spending and investing as significantly as their parents did; The similarity ends there. Wall Street Journal.

• Gilmore, A. & Rentschler, R. (2002). Changes in museum management: a custodial or marketing emphasis. Journal of Management Development, 2, 10, 745-760.

• Grove, S. J. & Fisk, R. P. 1997. The impact of other customers on service experiences: A critical incident examination of "getting along". Journal of Retailing, 73, 63-85.

• Jennings, G., Cater, C., Lee, Y.-S., Ollenburg, C., Ayling, A. & Lunny, B. (2010). Generation Y: Perspectives of Quality in Youth Travel Experiences in an Australian Backpacker Context. In: Benckendorff, P., Moscardo, G. & Pendergast, D. (eds.) Tourism and Generation Y. Cambridge, MA: CAB International.

• Johnson Controls (2010) Generation Y and the workplace: Annual Report 2010 [Online]. Johnson Controls , Hawworth. Available: http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/content/dam/WWW/jci/be/global_workplace_innovation/oxygenz/Oxygenz_Report_-_2010.pdf [Accessed 15 April 2012]

• Kubaki, K., Skinner, H., Parfitt, S. & Moss, G. 2007. Comparing nightclub customers' preferences in existing and emerging markets. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 26, 957-973.

• Kupperschmidt, B. R. (2000). Multigeneration employees: Strategies for effective management. The Health Care Manager, 19, 65-76.

• Leask, A. (2010). Progress in Visitor Attraction Research – Towards More Effective Management. Tourism Management, 31, 2, 155-166

References continued• Leask, A., Fyall, A., & Barron, P. (2011). Gen Y: Market Opportunity or Marketing Challenge - Strategies to

Engage Gen Y in the UK Attractions Sector, Current Issues in Tourism. • Leask, A. and Barron, P (2012) Engaging Gen Y at Museums, in Smith, M. and Richards, G. (Eds). Routledge

Handbook of Cultural Tourism, 978-0-415-52351-6, Routledge, Oxford.• Legget, J. (2009) Measuring what we treasure or treasuring what we measure? Investigating where

community stakeholders locate the value in their museum. Museum Management and Curatorship 24, 3, 213-232

• Lovelock, C. H. & Wirtz, J. 2007. Services marketing : people, technology, strategy, Upper Saddle River, N.J., Pearson/Prentice Hall.

• Madan, R. (2011) Sustainable Museums: strategies for the 21st Century. Edinburgh, Museums.• Meredith, G. & Schewe, C. 1994. The power of cohorts. American Demographics, 16, 22.• National Museum of Scotland (2011) National Museum of Scotland Late Events Front-end consultation

August 2011, unpublished.• National Museum of Scotland (2012) National Museum of Scotland RBS Late Events Topline findings,

February 2012, [unpublished]• Neuborne, E. & Kerwin, K. (1999). Generation Y: Today's teens - the biggest bulge since the boomers - may

force marketers to toss their old tricks [Online]. Available at: http://www.businessweek.com/1999/99_07/b3616001.htm [Accessed 03/11/09].

• Pine, J. & Gilmore, J. H. (1999). The Experience Economy: Work is theatre & every business a stage. Harvard Business Press.

• Semmell, M. & Bittner, M. (2009) Demonstrating Museum Value: the role of the Institute of Museum and Library Servcies. Museum Management and Curatorship, 24, 3, 271-288.

• Sheng, C. & Chen, M. (2011) A study of experience expectations of museum visitors Tourism Management 33, 1, 53-60.

Dr. Anna Leask and Dr. Paul Barron,

School of Marketing, Tourism and Languages, Edinburgh Napier University.

Engagement with Generation Y: RBS Museum Lates