Good afternoon, Social Rabbit here with your guide to the world of social media.
Last week I visited MONA – the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Tasmania (Tasmania for the non-Aussie’s reading this is an island off the mainland of Australia). I was really really impressed with the way they incorporated the digital world into a real life experience.
When we arrived at the museum we were given an iPod touch each and some headphones, as below – FYI it was FREE to go into the museum.
As I walked around the museum, rather than there being a description of the exhibit next to it, I just clicked on the iPod and got the information on the item, as below. I could also get ideas, which were odd facts or info, artwank – which was the more arty rationale behind the idea or about the artist and Gonzo which was silly facts, such as about a Damien Hirst painting that arrived with a blank canvas and tins of paint for the museum to paint the canvas themselves! With the headphones there was audio on some of the exhibits, which again deepened the experience. Plus I could LOVE or HATE the exhibit, and as I clicked on love or hate it would tell me either the total number of other people who also loved or hated it or the percentage of people.
The interactive nature of the museum visit made it much more enjoyable for me, far beyond the usual experience and it really engaged me.
When I had finished the tour I added in my email address and the next day I was emailed a link to my tour, which is as below, so I can see what I loved, what I saw, what I hated and some more information on the items.
What has this got to do with social media? I frequently tell people that social media is just a way to market and promote your offering through another avenue, bring the offline online. I thought that MONA did this exceptionally well, they have tapped into technology by using iPods, they are using terminology that people understand such as LOVE/HATE, and they are engaging them, not just during the experience but afterwards as well. They have created an experience that people tell others about (as I am here) and as a result their brand is spreading virally.
My only nit pick on the experience is that the LOVE/HATE should have an option to be linked to my personal social networks, so that I can show my friends easily what I loved at MONA. Even if I could see my tour later and then send certain parts to friends via Facebook etc that would be great.
What they have done here at MONA is not necessarily a cheap option, but it really engages people – they have thought outside of the box and rather than the usual museum experience you get much more than that. How can you improve the experience that people have with you so that they come away saying “that was so cool you have to go”, after all unless you standout and enchant people no one is going to talk about your product or service…
If you go and visit my pick is the Affectionate Couch – you sit on it and stroke it and it purrs and vibrates like a cat!
Hi, We are in the process of tightening out integration with social media platforms and soon you will be able to share your loved/hated works plus much more. Thanks for the write up, we are really pleased you found The O so engaging.