Branding and Marketing Museums in a Global and Digital Age: The Struggle to Compete

Despite the nobility of a museum's mission as an educational institution, they are in an inherently competitive environment. Today, museums' potential markets and audiences are growing rapidly due to both globalization and the implementation of digital media. They must adapt or risk becoming marginalized. Marketing must be the function that drives this process which includes branding or in many cases rebranding of these institutions. Digital offerings, as a key part of this branding process, help museums package a cohesive image that clearly represents both their functional and purposeful missions. This thesis looks at two Manhattan museums, the Brooklyn Museum and The Museum of Modern Art as representations of how institutions should or should not digitally market and rebrand themselves. Moreover, it seeks to make concrete marketing suggestions for museums struggling to adapt to this globally and digitally evolving landscape.