Barriers and Drivers: building

audience at the Immigration

Museum, Melbourne, Australia
by Barbara Horn

Barbara Horn has been the director of operations at Museum Victoria since February 2005.
A member of the executive management team of Museum Victoria, she is responsible for
implementation of Museum Victoria’s Strategic Plan through the provision of daily access
for various audiences to a range of innovative, high quality experiences and programmes at
Melbourne Museum, Science works, the Immigration Museum, IMAX Melbourne, and the
Royal Exhibition Building, as well as through the Discovery Programme across Victoria.

To begin this account of the journey undertaken

by Melbourne’s Immigration Museum as it has
developed its products and position in the leisure
marketplace, let me locate the Australian
experience and stories of immigration and give
you a sense of its significance to the culturally
diverse and multicultural society which is
Melbourne, capital of the State of Victoria,
Australia.

Immigration: a potent Australian story

There are a number of reasons why immigration is

a potent story for Australians. Australia is a young
country, a country peopled by immigrants since
the first Europeans settled in the Colony of New
South Wales in 1788. This is not to discount the
significance of the stories of dispossession, cultural
dilution, destruction and survival of Indigenous
Australians, who have occupied Australia for at
least 40,000 years – these stories are moving,
powerful and of great importance, but are for
another time and place.

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 Barriers and Drivers: building audience at the Immigration Museum, Melbourne, Australia
Australia has been an attractive destination
for numerous ‘waves’ of immigration over the last
220 years. Settlers have come in search of
economic security, social harmony and/or political
refuge – these drivers motivated waves of settlers
from the hundreds of thousands who came in
search of gold in the 1800s to those who sought
refuge from the war in Europe in the middle of the
twentieth century, and conflict in the Middle East
and Africa at the end of the last century and the
early years of this one.
Ever since seekers after gold thronged to
Australia, coming from every continent,
governments have sought to control entry into
Australia. In 1855, the Colony of Victoria passed
Australia’s first immigration act – the Act to
Regulate the Residence of the Chinese
Population in Victoria; one of the first laws passed
by the newly federated Australian Government in
1901 was the Immigration Restriction Act
(commonly known as the White Australia Policy).
Race is no longer a criterion for screening
prospective settlers; however, entry is strictly
controlled and its terms often the subject of public
debate.
Australia’s population is now approaching
21 million, of whom 5 million live in Victoria
and about 3.6 million in the conurbation that is
Melbourne. Some 20 per cent of Victorian
residents were born in countries in which
English is not the main language, although the
majority of immigrants arrive from English-
speaking countries. Victoria encompasses people
who have come from 140 nations and are of
diverse beliefs, skin colour, histories and social
structures.
Barbara Horn
So here we have a potent story –
widespread and part of the experience of each
generation since European settlement, politically
sensitive, often ambivalent and a central part of the
Australian identity and memory, collective and
individual.
Melbourne’s Immigration Museum
The Immigration Museum’s mission is ‘to record
and interpret the immigration experience of people
to Victoria and Australia, and to promote and
celebrate our cultural diversity and resulting
Australian identity’. The Immigration Museum
aims to take visitors on a journey to discover the
many dimensions of the migration experience from
the 1800s through to the present day. The
museum, which opened in 1998 in the Old
Customs House on the Yarra River, is unique to
Victoria in both its subject-matter and through the
emotional, personal responses it evokes from
visitors. Visitors are offered an opportunity to gain
an understanding of their own traditions as well as
Australia’s rich and diverse cultural heritage. The
Immigration Museum is strongly engaged with
Victoria’s culturally and linguistically diverse
population and approaches content,
interpretation and development in a range of ways.
These include community exhibitions and
festivals, programmes and activities for families
and schools, events such as ship reunions, the
sharing and documenting of stories and forums for
exploration of the issues of a multicultural society.
As for museums and other cultural
agencies operating in relatively small populations,
being well-known to and well-loved by one’s local
audience is a critical success factor. The use of
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TAKING A STANCE

sophisticated and frequent research as the

foundation for marketing and for product
development responds to this need.

Audience research and gallery development –

‘Getting In’

In 2000, two years after its opening, a summative

evaluation of the Immigration Museum was
conducted to ensure that visitor satisfaction was
maintained or increased. Using a focus group
methodology it was established that one gallery

ª Image courtesy of Museum Victoria

was not contributing to visitor satisfaction. The
exhibition left no impact, those visitors who
could recall it did not understand the overall
concept. A decision was made to redevelop this
gallery. Prior to commencement of the
redevelopment in 2001, a front-end evaluation was
conducted, again using a focus group
methodology. Content, design and interpretive
approach were considered in the research. The
research identified a need to represent
contemporary as well as historical issues in the
museum. Participants wanted to understand more
about how immigrants were granted permission to
come into the country – or how the decision to
deny permission was made. The research
supported the concept of a gallery about ‘getting in’
to Australia. Visitors also objected to being told
what to think about immigration. They wanted an
even-handed presentation of issues, different from
the approach they encountered in the media.
Participants expressed a strong desire for what they
referred to as a ‘factual’ approach: they wanted to
hear from both prospective migrants and asylum
seekers, as well as from government
representatives. Both personal and official
perspectives were needed.
14
14. The Immigration Museum in Melbourne is located in the Old
Customs House, originally built in 1867.
Getting In is the Immigration Museum’s
latest permanent exhibition, which documents the
immigration policies that have shaped Victoria and
Australia since the 1800s and how these policies
have been a significant factor in forming a national
identity. The Getting In interactive was designed
to involve visitors in the interview process for
prospective migrants at different periods in
Australia’s history. While the vignettes are
fictitious, they are based on curatorial research and
designed to be realistic.
Potential immigrants come from a range
of different countries and have varied levels of
wealth and employment skills. In the Getting In
interactive, visitors make a decision based on

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 Barriers and Drivers: building audience at the Immigration Museum, Melbourne, Australia
information given to them in ‘official’ documents
and, after witnessing the interview, give their
opinion on whether interviewees should be
granted permission to come to Australia. They are
then able to hear the official decision.
During development, two formative
evaluations were conducted to assist in meeting the
aim of producing an interactive that was intuitive
to use and would allow visitors to feel as if they
were involved in the interview - not struggling
with technology. Findings of the research were
‘workshopped’ with the curator, producer,
designer and others involved in development. The
visitor was at the centre of this discussion of ideas
for improvements. The resulting interactive allows
for individual or group use; it also invites people
to use their own preferences for the way they
approach the content: to start at the beginning
(historical), to see what happens now
(contemporary), or to make a choice based on
their own family immigration history (either by
period or nationality). Visitors also have a choice
how much government policy they read.
Even as it was being tested, Getting In
engaged participants who became involved in the
lives of those applying for residence in Australia.
They were able to empathize with applicants;
wanted them to have a chance; and felt sad when
they were rejected. This project was an outstanding
example of how research can be integrated
throughout exhibition development (not just at the
beginning), and how, through collaboration,
excellence can be achieved.
Getting In has been a great success with
visitors to the Immigration Museum. It also
Barbara Horn
received industry recognition in 2003: a Museum
Industry Recognition Award (Museums Australia,
Vic.); an Arts Victoria Portfolio Leadership Award;
an American Association of Museums Media and
Technology Committee Silver Muse Award
(Education/Interpretive – History and Culture);
and an Australian Writers’ Guild Award for the
script.
Motivational segmentation: barriers and drivers
Museum Victoria, the parent organization of which
the Immigration Museum is a part, first explored
market segmentation in 1997 using demographic,
attitude and leisure-choice variables to understand
visitors. More recently there has been a transition
to a motivational segmentation model. This
approach explores motivations of consumers,
including some of which they may not be
conscious. In doing so, it bypasses a common
problem with surveying methodology: we like to
think of ourselves as rational and logical, and will
explain our behaviour and choices in such a way
if asked directly. Motivational segmentation goes
beyond such surface responses to uncover
underlying needs, physical and psychological, and
motivations.
A key principle of the motivational
segmentation model is that there will be a
consumer need providing an underlying
motivation for the selection of a particular product
type on any given occasion. The model is able to
relate motivations to usage occasions, and thus
provides a powerful tool for developing marketing
strategy, new products, and managing and
positioning a brand portfolio. It has been used
effectively by Museum Victoria for these purposes.
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TAKING A STANCE
The approach assists in thinking more
clearly about our market overall, understanding
the needs of visitors and potential visitors,
identifying target groups, designing products,
services, brands and communications which will
meet the needs of specific segments. It provides a
visual map, which is a powerful tool for strategic
thinking. There are four segments: a manageable
number with each of meaningful size in the total
population and clearly differentiated in terms of
motivational needs.
The segmentation model was developed in
late 2002 and has been effectively used for the
three campuses of Museum Victoria. The model
must, of course, be regularly updated so that it
stays in line with market changes – subsequent
research has validated the original model and
proved its continuing applicability. It is also
critical that staff understand the model and its
application, and are able to use the segmentation
correctly.
It was in 2004 that the model was first
reviewed against the Immigration Museum. This
boutique museum was found to cater for the needs
of a market segment described as ‘duty bound’. The
research established that needs of this segment
include a desire to share experiences with others
and to receive an emotional benefit from their
experiences.
Barriers and drivers: how the Immigration
Museum meets the needs of the ‘duty bound’
The research found that the Immigration Museum
can deliver an emotional journey incorporating
self-discovery and the creation of memories that
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‘duty bound’ visitors seek from a museum visit.
Their need for an experience that incorporated full
engagement with content, and opportunities to
reminisce and feel a sense of belonging was met.
The experience is absorbing and meets an
orientation ‘for others’ as the visitor empathizes
and feels connected to the people whose stories are
represented. Visitors identified the greatest
strengths of the Immigration Museum as: an
interpretive style that explored immigration
experiences through personal stories; an
emotional, empathic connection; and the
presentation of trustworthy factual information.
This information was vitally important
when the Immigration Museum found itself
needing to build its local audience, in response to
declining numbers after the initial successful years:
45,000 visitors in 1999/2000, 30,000 in 2000/01,
26,000 in 2001/02, and less than 20,000 in 2002/03.
By understanding the motivational needs
of a key target market of the Immigration Museum,
marketing strategies could be developed,
highlighting the personal stories and emotional
journeys that it features. The research also found
that the Immigration Museum lacked a clearly
articulated brand identity and that this formed a
barrier to visitors’ understanding of what the
museum was trying to convey. Further, the
museum’s name, while not seen as inappropriate,
was not appealing, and did not help visitors to
identify the offer. This was all information that
could assist in working to attract visitors from
metropolitan Melbourne to the museum.
Alternative names were tested, but none
preferred – it was established that changing the
 Barriers and Drivers: building audience at the Immigration Museum, Melbourne, Australia
name would not attract more visitors from
metropolitan Melbourne. However, development
of a tagline to indicate the personal stories and
emotional experience the museum delivers would
do so. As a result, the words ‘moving stories’ were
tagged to the name and used in a brand advertising
campaign. The campaign employed a mixture of
media presenting a suite of images showing the
human face of the immigration experience, and
emphasizing the ease of access of the museum at its
central city location. The tone was light, the theme
of journey and travel suiting the positioning of
advertisements in various locations where people
were in transit, as well as the content of the
museum.
The success of this approach can be
measured in recall and visitation impact. Results
from a Visitor Profile Survey in November 2004
indicated that the campaign had a significant
impact, with 13 per cent of visitors noting that they
had seen transit panels.
The initial brand campaign was followed
by two significant exhibition campaigns in October
2004 and October 2005. All worked to positively
impact on visitation that rose again, from 87,000 in
2002/03, to 101,600 in 2003/04 and 123,000 in
2004/05.
Industry awards have also recognized the
Immigration Museum’s achievements:
• Winner National Tourism Awards 2005,
2006 (Heritage and Cultural Tourism)
• Winner Victorian Tourism Awards 2003,
2004, 2005 (Best Cultural Attraction)
Barbara Horn
• Winner Drama Victoria’s Best Event 2004:
involving drama and theatre for students
• Winner Museum Industry Award – Best
Project 2005: ‘Station Pier: Gateway to a
New Life’
• Winner Cultural Diversity Week Volunteer
Award 2005.
The Immigration Museum experience now
And what do our visitors think now about their
visit to the Immigration Museum? Dedicated
research was conducted in January 2006 to find out
what project would have the greatest impact on the
Immigration Museum visitor experience. We
invited visitors – older, younger, families and
tourists – to the museum to take part in a series of
focus groups to tell us about their experience in the
museum. The research revealed a surprising gap
between expectation and experience.
The research establishes that visitors’ first
impression of the Immigration Museum is fairly
undifferentiated beyond the obvious delivery of an
immigration message. It can be considered ‘just
another museum’, with objects and perhaps some
new information to be learned. And it is relatively
unconnected to their lives. Furthermore, there is
little urgency to visit, especially for the local
audience. Their perception of museums as never
changing permits them to hold off visiting – ‘Can’t
go this weekend, maybe next weekend’. There is
no ‘call to action’ from a museum that is always
there and virtually always open. In sum, visitors
expect that their visit, driven by curiosity, interest
and duty, will result in an understanding of
immigration and migrants in Australia – this
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TAKING A STANCE
outcome is rational, expected and
undifferentiated.
However, once having visited the
Immigration Museum our visitors found that they
had experienced much more: the actual outcome is
unexpected and emotional. The Immigration
Museum engages and involves visitors beyond
their expectations providing an element of
surprise, an experience of being moved and a sense
of global connections. It is these emotional benefits
that are specific to the Immigration Museum.
At this time, then, the Immigration
Museum is in an extremely fortunate position.
Visitor numbers are adequate and sustainable, the
visitor experience delivers beyond the visitor’s
expectations (satisfaction levels are at 97 per cent)
and the communications about it reflect strongly
the nature of the museum. Awareness, defined as
knowledge of the location of the museum has
been the major barrier for the Immigration
Museum but it too has grown from 19 per cent of
the Victorian population in 2003 to 33 per cent
by 2005.
However, things cannot be allowed to
stand still! While the research revealed to us some
very reassuring things it also extended a challenge.
Part of the research brief was to identify any gaps
in the visitor experience – things they would like
to see as part of the offer, experiences that might
tap into our visitor needs and expectations. To
explore this we described proposed projects such
as a resource centre and extensions to our
exhibition programme. We also wanted to
entertain any ideas that were brought forward by
the research participants.
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The results gave us pause to reflect, and are
challenging us to make a choice that may well
change the nature of the museum experience. The
research strongly indicates that we can successfully
continue to deliver more of the same kinds of
experience through development of the resource
centre and of exhibitions dealing with new topics
and using improved methods of delivery. Both will
serve to deliver more of the same highly
satisfactory experiences currently on offer so they
can evolve and continue to answer the needs and
expectations of visitors.
However, neither will shift the ‘brand
expectations’ or alter the current ‘brand story’. And
we might expect that visitor levels will remain
fairly constant and repeat visitation would
continue to be low, perhaps even fall. If, however,
we wish to shift perceptions of the Immigration
Museum, we could consider introducing a new
dimension that was identified through our visitor
research: a performance space offering ever-
changing, highly interactive opportunities for
celebration, debate and events. The introduction of
this unexpected but very interesting experience
could revolutionalize the Immigration Museum
offer, significantly exceeding expectations of our
visitors and therefore shifting brand perceptions,
encouraging repeat visits and attracting new
audiences.
The question facing us now is: What choice
will we make as we continue on the Immigration
Museum journey? We can offer our visitors
familiar, albeit interesting and enjoyable, routes, or
provide opportunities to set out in new directions
which may surprise, delight and transform their
experience.