Washington State History Museum
When the Washington State History Museum moved into a new $40 million facility in 1996, it re-opened to a huge ovation of public support. But, in the few years that followed, the Museum began to see a steady decline in attendance, donations and general interest from the community.
During the past four years, Launch has worked side-by-side with the museum and its brand firm (Seattle-based Methodologie) to strategically re-position the museum as a fun and engaging destination for people of all ages throughout the state. As part of this effort, Launch has designed strategic PR plans for the museum and executed highly-successful publicity programs that have helped the museum to garner some of the best editorial coverage in its own history. Among the exhibits that Launch has helped promote include: "Beyond Lewis & Clark: The Army Explores the West", a national traveling exhibit that's part of the Lewis & Clark bicentennial celebration; the Smithsonian's "September 11: Bearing Witness to History" exhibit; and "Capture the Moment: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs." Each exhibit generated extensive local media coverage that, in turn, helped draw record crowds to the museum.
As a result of the combined PR and branding efforts, the museum has seen remarkable results that include: a steady increase in attendance (during fiscal 2004, the museum saw admissions rise 17.3 percent over projections); growth in donations (doubling from $61K in fiscal 2003 to more than $120,000 in fiscal 2004); and the milestone of welcoming it's one-millionth visitor to the museum several months ahead of schedule.
For more information on the museum please visit their website at www.wshs.org.
