Communication Strategy of a Modern Museum: Features, Key Elements

The modern museum is very different from the one it was known to the previous generations. Its social functions have expanded. The museum has become an inclusive, open space. It does not impose meanings, but helps to discover and reveal them. Moreover, the visitor has become the central figure of museum communication, and the conversation with him has ceased to be unidirectional: the museum and the guest are in a constant dialogue. At the same time, the modern museum has remained faithful to its mission of preservation, study and exhibiting, which is carried out despite the new approaches in cultural retransmission. While the establishment of an economy of impressions, in which consumers choose to get experience and emotions, the museum has taken a position among other participants in the market of entertainment and leisure. On this field, the museum contests with strong rivals of the commercial market, who are used to the need to win the attention and time of clients. In these conditions, it is necessary to clearly understand what the museum is as a product - its advantages and disadvantages, to know the audience and its segments, as well as ways to stay in constant contact with them. In order to carry out these actions, it is necessary to build a communication strategy. However, are cultural institutions ready for this format, as their primary functions are far from advertising and marketing promotion methods? This study deals with the formation of museum communication, which originates in communication models developed by mathematicians. The transition from linear models to those that put the visitor at the head of the corner is described. It tells how museums from exclusive spaces have become democratic and visitor-oriented. The key elements of communication strategy and approaches to their formation are also described. The empirical part deals with the answers of Moscow museums' staff about how they build a promotion, and a case from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York is taken to examine a successful example of building a communication strategy. On the basis of the data obtained, recommendations for developing a communications strategy for the museum promotion are made.