The Brand Dilemma: Visitor Attraction or Alienation?

We live in an age where brands permeate every aspect of our lives. Brand loyalty and values are deeply embedded in our choices—often subconsciously. Brand development is now a finely honed art, and museums and heritage sites are not exempt. In fact, even rejecting the concept of branding conveys something about who you are and who you’re for. In this piece from Heritage Thinking Differently, we explore the relationship between audience and brand—and why this is crucial to effective marketing.

Let’s begin with the term visitor attraction. If we aim to attract visitors, then we must understand how to embed ourselves into their lives. Are we presenting an identity that draws in our intended audience, or one that repels them? It’s important to clarify that your brand is not simply your logo or colour palette. While these elements aid recognition, no one is choosing your site because of a clever font.

Brand Identity

Think about the brands you associate with: where you shop, the supermarket you frequent, your news source, music choices, clothing, hairstyle—even the soft drink you reach for. Now think about the brands you avoid. Every day, you make brand choices. These decisions say something about you, but they also reflect the values and messaging of the brands you align with.

Price is often cited as the main driver of choice, and that’s valid. But even at the budget end of the spectrum, brand messaging persists. Cheap doesn’t mean value-neutral. It could imply fast fashion, repurposing, or vintage chic. Even not caring can be a brand identity. As more people consciously make ethical, environmental, or political choices, brand loyalty becomes a more complex and expressive act.

Museums and heritage sites express their brands through values, messaging, pricing, social media presence, imagery, and the visitor offer. Is your café affordable, child-friendly, or high-end? These details shape perceptions. A potential visitor might decide a site is "not for them"—and that isn’t always accidental. A well-developed brand intentionally speaks to a particular audience. Why should your audience align with you? Visitors are increasingly looking for brands which promote their values.

What's in a name?

Logos, fonts, colours, and names are tools to help the public identify with a brand and its values. Some names are descriptive; others suggest heritage or quality. Consider the Science Museum or the V&A: one is explicit in respect of its subject matter, while the other relies on prestige. But language evolves. Some terms date quickly or accrue negative connotations.

Around the year 2000, various Millennium projects—many of them regional museums—opted for modern, forward-facing names like ThinkTank, the National Space Centre, The National Centre for Popular Music, Ceramica, and Magna. The word "museum" had fallen out of public favour, perceived by some as dusty or outdated. Instead, we saw a rise in terms like Visitor Centres, Heritage Centres, and Science Centres. For a time, everything was a centre. But did visitors know what to expect from a centre? Was there a collection? Did it include a café or shop? And did people confuse Visitor Centres with Tourist Information Centres? Over time, as branding strategies became more sophisticated, many institutions quietly moved away from this ambiguous terminology and back to the tried and trusted model.

Brand Relationship

Social media has transformed branding and public engagement. Now, users follow brands and interact with them daily, deepening emotional connections. Museums and heritage organisations have excelled here, building trust, sharing values and stories with immediacy and warmth. But the digital age also rewards simplicity. In the days of printed leaflets, a café with a witty name was endearing. In the fast-paced world of social media, clarity trumps cleverness.

Too often, heritage sites manage separate social media pages for different parts of their offer—say, a standalone café page. While well-intentioned, this can lead to fragmented audiences. Loyal followers of your main page might never see the café’s excellent menu. This strategy overlooks the essence of brand loyalty and audience connection. After all, social media should bring people together, not silo them.

Brand Designs

What message does your site convey at first glance? Do you have kerb appeal? If you appear welcoming and vibrant, that’s the story you’re telling. If you look neglected, that’s a message too. Are you aspirational or unaspiring? If you are serving a community, do you look like you share their values? Do your visuals and tone align with your audience’s expectations? If you want to appeal to families, do you look fun? Matching your appearance to your goals makes outreach far more effective. Visual branding encompasses everything—from logo, colour and font to social media presence, signage, and promotional material.

If you’re keen to review your brand, this could be part of a wider commercial review. I’d be happy to help guide that journey—visit my website and let’s chat.

Paul Baker

Link:

Heritage Thinking Differently - Commercial Review