Peer Education Project

Single Object Centric Marketing

By Tiya ChatterjiM.A. (Museology)

IIIrd Sem

INTRODUCTION.

Aim is to highlight the Marketing Strategy for a single ‘Highlight Object ‘ of any museum.

Case study of three different museums are taken into consideration.

An attempt to analyze their Marketing Strategies.

About the objects..

1. Veiled Rebecca of the Salarjung Museum, Hyderabad.

2. Rosetta Stone of the British Museum, London.

3. Chauri bearer or the Didarganj Yakshi of the Patna Museum, Patna.

Veiled Rebecca &

The Salarjung Museum

Brief Description.The Salar Jung Museum of Hyderabad is a repository of the artistic achievements

of diverse European, Asian and Far Eastern countries of the world. The major portion of this collection was acquired by Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan popularly known as Salar Jung III.

With a view to perpetuate the name of Salar Jung as a world renowned art connoisseur, the Salar Jung Museum was brought in to existence and was opened to the public by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India on 16th December, 1951.

The present museum building was constructed on the southern bank of River Musi, which is in close proximity to the important monuments of old city of Hyderabad like the historic Charminar, Mecca Masjid etc. The collections of the Museum and the library were transferred from Dewan Deodi to the new building in the year 1968, and two more buildings were added in the year 2000.

• Veiled Rebecca of SalarJung Museum is a white marble statue, sculptured by Italian Neoclassical Sculptor Giovani Maria Benzoni (1809–1873) in the mid 19th century. It is placed at SalarJung Museum, Hyderabad ,India. Said to be A melody in marble, and considered as the most beautiful art object in the world and masterpiece of SalarJung Museum.

• It is a life size structure of Rebecca measuring to a height of 167.0 cm, the statue and the round pedestal is carved in single block of marble without any joint. The pedestal has an inscription near right foot which, gives the name of the sculptor, city and year.

Rosetta Stone in the British Museum.

• The British Museum is a museum dedicated to human history, art, and culture, located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection, numbering some 8 million works, is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence and originates from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present.

• The British Museum was established in 1753, largely based on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane. The museum first opened to the public on 15 January 1759.

• The Rosetta Stone is a granodiorite stele inscribed with a decree issued at Memphis, Egypt, in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V. The decree appears in three scripts: the upper text is Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the middle portion Demotic script, and the lowest Ancient Greek. Because it presents essentially the same text in all three scripts (with some minor differences among them), it provided the key to the modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

•  As the first Ancient Egyptian bilingual text recovered in modern times, the Rosetta Stone aroused widespread public interest with its potential to decipher.

• Since its rediscovery, the stone has been the focus of nationalist rivalries, including its transfer from French to British possession during the Napoleonic Wars. a long-running dispute over the relative value of Young and Champollion's contributions to the decipherment, and since 2003, demands for the stone's return to Egypt. This was previously an non-translated ancient language. 

Didarganj Yakshi in Patna Museum.

• Patna Museum is the state museum of the Indian state of Bihar. Built in 1917 during the British Times to house the historical artefacts found in the vicinity of Patna, it is in the style of Mughal and Rajput architecture and is known locally as the Jadu Ghar.

• The Museum was constructed by the British to conserve and display the historical artifacts found in the vicinity of the state capital. The concept of having a museum arose in 1912, after Bihar and Bengal were separated. Patna Museum started functioning in 1915 from the commissioner's bungalow, on the campus of A N Sinha Institute.

• The Didarganj Yakshi (or Didarganj Chauri Bearer) is one of the finest examples of Mauryan art.

• The sculpture is currently located in the Patna Museum in Bihar, India. It is 64" tall, carved out of a single piece of stone. This life-size standing image is tall, well-proportioned, free-standing sculpture is made of sandstone with well polished surface. The chauri is held in the right hand whereas the left hand is broken. The lower garment create a somewhat transparent effect. The Didarganj Yakshi is estimated to date from ca. 3rd century BCE. It was excavated from Didarganj, on the banks of the Ganges River, in 1917.

Marketing Strategy

Salarjang Museum

Brochure Website

British Museum

Search results of British museum website.

Patna museum strategy.

• The Patna museum has 4 kinds of brochures , each of them with the cover page depicting the Didarganj Yakshi.

• The museum souvenir shop has miniature figurines at reasonable prices to.

Further Analysis

The first search result as you enter a desired word.

The objects- Rosetta stone and the Veiled Rebecca on top Google Search and also the museum that houses them.

Same is not the case with the Didarganj Yakshi in the Patna museum.

It appears but is not explicit.

Google Position

Print Media

• Salarjung museum has brochures that has the object photo as the cover.

• British museum has a variety of brochures , and publications but not explicitly for the object.

• Patna museum also has the cover of their 4 different kinds of brochures depicting the object.

Social Media

British museum has a Twitter and Facebook page constantly updated.

Salarjung museum has a Facebook page and a Twitter account.

Patna museum does not have a Twitter account nor a Facebook page.

Website

• British museum has an informative website which is updated regularly.

• It has the facilities of E-catalogue, virtual tours and a variety of search options.

• Salarjung museum has a website which is not updated. It highlights the Veiled Rebecca statue .

• Patna museum does not have any website of its own.

Activities.

• Salarjung museum does workshops and seminars but currently nothing is being done .

• Patna museum conducts special lectures, workshops and walks .

• British museum conducts special exhibitions highlighting other objects as well. It currently has an activity of making the cuneiform tablets. It has a clear differentiation for kids and adults. It keeps reviving its activities.

Marketing Analysis.Sr. No. Marketing Strategy Salarjang

Museum British

Museum Patna

Museum 1 Google Search position Yes Yes No

2 Print Media Yes Yes Yes

3 Social Media No Yes No

4 Museum Website Yes Yes No

5 Activities yes Yes Yes

Marketing Analysis.

Google Search Po-

sition

Print Media Social media Museum Website

Activities0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Axis Title

Marketing Analysis.

Strategy

Didarganj Yakshini ( Patna Museum )

Rosetta Stone (British Museum )

Veiled Rebecca (Salarjang Museum)

Improvements.

• The museums must have a broader vision and enhance their target audience.

• Advertisement is a must. Without publicity people would have no clue about it.

• Some museums like Patna museum needs to step out of their comfort zone and consider the fact that new generation needs information.

Conclusion• The British museum has well devised the marketing

strategy well exemplified by its website, its brochures and activities.

• The Salarjung museum has devised all the strategies but now is unable to manage it. Although it does make use of its highlight object.

• The Patna museum is below average in its marketing strategies . It has very primitive approach but however can improve.

Thanks