4Ps - Price, Promotion, Product, Place
Price
General admission to the majority of the museum is free. There are guided tours available, with a price range of $6-11 for children and $12-18 for adults (16+ years) depending on which tour is chosen. There are non-permanent and touring exhibitions that often charge for entry; the recent Bug Lab charged $5 for children, $15 for adults, and $10 concession charge for students, SuperGold Cardholders, etc.
Te Papa also offers a membership program called “Friends of Te Papa” (7) which has a range of prices from $20/yr for a student living outside of Wellington, through to $65/yr for a family of four. The “Friends of Te Papa” benefits includes discounts in many areas of the museum, including in the Te Papa stores, the cafés, and discounted entry to the paid exhibitions, as well as invitations to exclusive events and private exhibition viewings, and parking privileges (8).
Promotion
Te Papa promotions are largely for the non-permanent and touring exhibitions. The current ‘Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War’ exhibit was initially advertised through billboards and posters around the Wellington area, but the promotion was fundamentally based on media coverage. Te Papa is also promoted through word-of-mouth of the users, and their reputation amongst the national and international community.
In an online resource from the Te Papa website (1) they recommend working closely with the media, saying “An ongoing relationship with the media based on respect and integrity will stand your museum in good stead and help raise your public profile”, and “media coverage can draw visitors to your museum - and prove to be cost effective as a marketing tool”. In another of their resources (2), Te Papa speaks on handling users complaints and how this can affect word-of-mouth: “Customers who feel their complaints were badly handled will tell an average of twelve to twenty other people. Customers who are pleased with the way their complaints were handled will tell an average of four to six other people” and that if the complaint is handled well “[you can] turn a complaining customer into an advocate for your museum or cultural organisation”.
Other examples of advertising used by Te Papa include a mail-out brochure, direct marketing presenting to the target audience, attendance at external events, a website page on a particular area, internal promotion - regular staff training; including a specific area within a generic Te Papa promotions; brochures and posters in Te Papa @ the info desk/in bathrooms/in discovery centres/etc, directional signage to area; PR - developing and maintaining relationships with relevant media outlets, providing them with information and images (3).
Product
Te Papa provides education and entertainment through a range of exhibits surrounding many topics. These exhibits are highly informative and have many areas where interactive learning is used to create a more effectual experience. There are five main topic areas currently - Art, History, Taonga Māori, Pacific Cultures, Natural History.
The main missions according to the 1992 act (4+5) is to create a place where:
New Zealand’s stories are told in an interdisciplinary way, using a range of media and art forms.
They facilitate, connect, and create a partnership between Tangata Whenua (Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand) and Tangata Tiriti (people in New Zealand by right of the Treaty of Waitangi).
New Zealand and international information/history is presented and preserved with authority and integrity.
New Zealand’s increasingly diverse society is represented.
Discussion, debate, involvement, and celebration is facilitated.
The past, present, and future is connected.
A Statement of Intent released in 2014 (6), also considers their strategic intentions for the following four years. These intentions (quoted) are:
Access all Areas: Te Papa will share its collections, skills and knowledge with the diverse communities across Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas.
Connecting with People: Te Papa will be a waharoa (entranceway) making learning a playful and entertaining experience. Te Papa will set the highest possible standards for an integrated experience.
Housing the Treasures: Taonga (treasures) within the guardianship of Te Papa will be at the heart of the Museum’s activities.
Sharing Authority | Mana Taonga: Te Papa will share decision-making with iwi (tribes), communities and individuals with respect to management and understanding of their taonga (treasures).
Being a Forum for the Future: As a cultural and intellectual leader Te Papa will signpost pathways to the future by initiating, hosting and engaging in debates that explore a wide range of contemporary issues.
Saving the Planet: Te Papa will engage and excite by conducting leading edge research and by modelling environmentally responsible practices that are smart, accessible, and inspiring.
Te Papa offers a lot of programs aimed at children and families, such as the Discovery Centres, School Holiday Programs, regular school tours and accessible resources for educators to organise those tours.
The two stores in Te Papa offer a more tangible product for users to purchase as souvenirs/symbolic reminders of their visit to Te Papa, and these stores offer a very wide range of items from Kiwiana-themed cushions, to biographies from Gallipoli, to Wellington branded tote-bags.
Place (In the market + physically)
Te Papa Tongarewa is the National Museum of New Zealand, so in terms of cultural institutions, this immediately places Te Papa as an incredibly important site. On tripadvisor, Te Papa ranks #1 ‘thing to do’ in Wellington, and in New Zealand, with almost 10,000 reviews and over 8,000 of those rating their experience there as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ (9).
In Te Papa’s 2015/16 Annual Report (10), the 16-24 year old age group made up 17% of the visitors, while 25-34 year olds made up 14%. This is fairly close to the New Zealand population statistics - 16-24yr olds are 16%, 25-34yr olds are 16%, but this year has also been noted as a year with record visitor numbers, thanks to the opening of the Gallipoli exhibit (11).
All of this places Te Papa as a highly prestigious, trusted, and powerful institution within New Zealand culture.
Other nearby cultural institutions (Te Papa’s ‘competition’) include: Zealandia, Space Place, Weta Cave, Wellington Museum, and Wellington Zoo. Other recreational activities that compete for people’s time include: trail walks up Mount Vic and around the town belt, Galleries such as { Suite }, Kura Gallery, Page Blackie Gallery or New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, tours of Parliament, etc. Te Papa has a point of difference from many of these other cultural institutions, because it is mostly free, and also the range of exhibits and information inside is larger, creating wider educational/entertainment possibilities, so it is therefore appealing to more users tastes and interests.
Te Papa is located on Cable St, right on the Wellington Waterfront, which is an ideal central location. This location allows for a great view of the Wellington Harbour from the roof, and relatively easy access from the ferry terminals and train station nearby. There are also plenty of buses around and walking to Te Papa is fairly simple and fast from much of the accommodation in central Wellington. Being easily accessible, especially through public transport, is essential for Te Papa as many of the visitors will be from outside of Wellington - 72% in 2015 (10) - and relying on these systems (or walking) to get around.
(1) https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/sites/default/files/1-working-with-the-media_0.pdf
(2) https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/sites/default/files/25-customer-service.pdf
(3) https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/sites/default/files/19-developing-a-marketing-plan_0.pdf
(4) http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1992/0019/latest/dlm260204.html
(5) https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/about/what-we-do/our-history
(6) https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/sites/default/files/statement_of_intent_2014-18.pdf
(7) https://www.friendsoftepapa.org.nz/
(8) https://www.friendsoftepapa.org.nz/join-friends/
(9) https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Attraction_Review-g255115-d257133-Reviews-Museum_of_New_Zealand_Te_Papa_Tongarewa-Wellington_Greater_Wellington_North_Island.html
(10) https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/sites/default/files/te_papa_annual_report_2015-16_web-full.pdf
(11) https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/about/press-and-media/press-releases/2016-news-and-media-releases/te-papa-marks-record-year-for