are museums spending enough marketing new report 1234762683

A new report from Remuseum, an initiative of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art funded by collector David Booth and the Ford Foundation, reveals that American museums are struggling with post-pandemic visitation declines and rising costs, yet they invest less than three percent of their operating budgets on marketing—comparable to mining and construction industries. The report contrasts historical resistance to marketing, exemplified by former Met president William Luers, with the Getty's Harold Williams, who embraced it. Case studies from the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Peabody Essex Museum show how museums can use audience personas to boost attendance, but current spending remains far below the 13.9 to 18.7 percent of revenues that consultant Colleen Dilenschneider says is needed to reach full market potential.