Corporate Museum. Corporate museum as a communication tool

Groups of museums according to ownership: Classification by owner has not only legal but also important substantive significance, since different owners set different tasks for their museums, which accordingly determines the specifics of museum activities. School museums Corporate museums Church museums Private museums Corporate museums, according to the current classification of museums, are non-state departmental museums, structural subdivisions of non-state institutions and enterprises.1 In...

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Corporate museums found themselves in a "buffer" zone: they are little involved in the museum community and even less in the corporate community, where they are formally registered with trade unions, HR or PR departments. Meanwhile, both museum specialists and company representatives should take a closer look at them. The former may be surprised to see that in terms of funds and potential audience, corporate museums may well compete with “ordinary” ones. For the latter, there are at least seven reasons to ask yourself why we don't see the corporate museum as a public relations tool.

Heineken Experience Museum. Photo: © Heineken Experience.

1. The museum creates images and stories, not information

With a high degree of probability, those who are sincerely interested in the number of cars shipped by the company, millions of rubles in taxes paid to the budgets of all levels, are an elusive minority among your audience. To stay in the head and heart of the rest of the audience, it is necessary to tell a story or legend, with vivid images, the opportunity to see, touch and maybe even smell or taste. This is what the museum does much better than press releases and top management interviews.

2. The museum combines all ways of presenting

All traditional communication tools are based on one or two ways of conveying information. The museum allows you to combine all types - visual, sound, text and (!) Interactive. And this, as follows from psychology, almost guarantees memorization.

3. Museum = cultural center

In the museum space, you can hold a tour, an exhibition, a lecture, a briefing, an initiation of new employees, a scientific and practical conference, a meeting, a council of youth activists, rewarding the best in the profession, negotiations, a presentation, circles, school lessons, and even take pictures on the wedding day of employees. The museum will create a special atmosphere for all this.

Museum Complex "The Universe of Water" State Unitary Enterprise Vodokanal of St. Petersburg.
Photo: © Museum complex "The Universe of Water".

4. The museum can work with different audiences

A wide range of events allows us to offer interesting content for a variety of audiences: both internal (staff, veterans) and external - city residents (of any age), tourists, partners, students, journalists, etc.

5. The museum can be visited many times

Different formats allow you to regularly address different audiences. Probably, still less often than through the media, but more deeply and with the opportunity to get feedback.

6. The museum has a commercial "presumption of innocence"

It is much easier to “blame” the company’s events for commercial reasons, for the desire to benefit directly. Events and programs in the museum have more social significance in the eyes of almost any audience.

7. Museum - an application for leadership

By creating a museum, you show that your company a) has something to say b) seriously and for a long time. And this means that you consider yourself to be a leader. Most likely, within a city or region, your museum will be the only one associated with a particular industry. Thus, you put an equal sign between the company and the industry. “If metallurgy, then the Vasyukovsky Metallurgical Plant”, “If health, then the Clinic of Modern Medicine”.

The museum is certainly quite an expensive instrument. Creation and maintenance require significant funds. But if you look at the world leaders in your industry, you will most likely find that they have a corporate museum. It is unlikely that leaders become not knowing how to count money.

Petr Kravchenko, Perm
Being the head of the PR department of one of the industrial enterprises, I was faced with the task of inspiring life in a corporate museum. At the same time, I got inspired. Professional deformation, of course, cannot be avoided: the museum for me, first of all, is a means of communication. And of all the museums, I'm most interested in scientific, technical and corporate ones. Fortunately, the chance to participate in their creation or development is provided every now and then.

The culture of creating corporate museums in Russia appeared not so long ago. But if you call a spade a spade, then throughout the entire Soviet regime in every shop and enterprise, at every factory there was a small red corner in which labor shock workers placed memorabilia, diplomas presented by the party, and so on. Now it is no longer possible to surprise partners and clients with a small bedside table in the corner of the room with a couple of knick-knacks that only a person who is closely familiar with the company's activities can appreciate.

Corporate museums are not only for BMW, Ferrari, Rosneft, GAZ and Gazprom. For example, in Tyumen in the restaurant "Chum" a museum was created, which placed exhibits related to the culture of the peoples of the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug. The owner of the restaurant said in the press that the locals are pleased and the visitors are curious, which means that the image of the restaurant has improved and profits have increased.

For plants, factories and workshops, the corporate museum is almost included in the mandatory program. One can recall the museum of the history of the OJSC plant named after V. Ilyich, the museum of the history of the Zhemart plywood mill, and many others. In such museums, the first products, technologies of past years, diplomas and awards, as well as schemes and projects of new, innovative solutions are usually presented.

But in fact, a corporate museum can be created in any company. This is confirmed by the examples of the firms "Gardeks", which is engaged in sewing tulle, or "Redan", which designs small boats.

In Russia, there are already several organizations that are engaged in the creation of museums in the offices of companies. The average price for 1 sq. m - 15-20 thousand rubles. For this money, specialists will help develop a concept, assemble a collection, purchase equipment and decorate the room, provide special effects and create video and photo presentations.

But why is it worth getting involved in such an adventure? First of all, the corporate museum is a kind of visiting card of the company, it tells about the history of the enterprise, reveals the concept for today and explains plans for the future. This enables the client or partner to feel the spirit of the company, to feel that these are not just deals and profits.

If you involve staff in the creation of the museum, give free rein to the imagination of subordinates, this will help rally the team and make them more reverent about their work. In addition, the company can invite students of specialized educational institutions or potential employees to excursions. In addition, the museum may have a conference room or a room for educational programs, presentations and meetings of the team.

It is believed that the corporate museum is an excellent solution for companies whose annual turnover exceeds 5 million rubles. in year. But you need to understand that it is not enough to create a museum, you need to constantly expand and update the collection, modernize the area for the exposition, the museum must grow along with the organization it represents.