Ashley, interesting read on growth strategy in regards to the Museum of Fine Arts.
As mentioned in the post, people are spending their money on baseball games and concerts instead of museum passes. Part of the reason for this is because people feel loyal to teams or to bands, and are willing to spend a premium on these tickets.
The Museum of Fine Arts needs to increase its loyal customer base, in addition to the short-time visitor base that Ben mentioned. One way to do this is to decrease the initial ticket price, perhaps even by half if financially feasible. As it stands, people are only going to spend $25 -- the cost of admission -- on a museum ticket if they are going for a significant chunk of their day. If reduced by enough, Bostonians will feel that they can stop by the museum for a few hours and browse if they are in the area, or have only the morning free. Making art into something casual that people can enjoy will increase the loyalty that Bostonians feel towards the museum.
Additionally, I think the Museum could stand to strengthen its membership program. Right now, the program is very differentiated based on how much you pay, and at the lowest level, barely seems worth the cost. If they add more events, both academic and fun, people will be incentivized to join. They could also add other perks, like a members-only lounge or access to other museums throughout Boston. This perks should be given in even the most basic membership program.
If these two policies are implemented, the Museum will see an increase in casually loyal customers -- Bostonians who go more often, if for less time, and intensely loyal customers, i.e., members. Members will talk up the museum and make even more people go in a way that no social media campaign is capable of doing.
