Marketing and Communications In-Depth

Marketing and Communications Intern Chloe Akazawa details her work during her spring 20222 paid internship. 

As the Marketing and Communications intern at The Phillips Collection, I gained experience in social media management, community engagement, and survey evaluation. I drafted social copy for the museum’s social media platforms, where I learned how to research, edit, and create engaging content in concise ways. I created posts for upcoming events such as the weekly virtual meditations and music concerts. For posts about artists’ birthdays and special holidays, I searched the collection for works that related to these themes. My favorite posts I created were for Joan Mitchell’s birthday and Earth Day. 

 I also compiled a database of local businesses and organizations for future community engagement. The Phillips offers many programs related to music, health, education, and nature; thus, I researched related organizations and compiled the contact information of 175 embassies, wellness centers, educational programs, music organizations, and environmental organizations located near the Phillips. This document can be used to promote upcoming exhibitions and events and to build long-lasting relationships between the museum and the surrounding community. Another long-term project was the evaluation of The Phillips Collection’s “Pay What You Wish” ticket (offered and the top of every hour). I analyzed visitor survey responses to better understand the current state of the special promotion. This ticket offering was launched in March 2021 to celebrate the centennial. I worked with colleagues in Marketing and Communications, Admissions, Operations, and Visitor Services to understand the full scope of the promotion from different departments. In the beginning of my research, I focused on the initial goals of the ticket: if these goals are being fulfilled, and how we can make the promotion better. I scoped out peer institutions with similar promotions and compared how the Phillips marketed and described their ticket to the public. Karina Gaytan (one of our Sherman Fairchild Fellows) provided me with visitor experience survey responses from February through March 2022. These surveys are sent to visitors after their visit and reveal information about how they heard about the Pay-What-You-Wish ticket as well as other demographics such as age, ethnicity, region, and gender. I compiled this information and created graph visualizations of what I found, presenting this to the Marketing and Communications team. My evaluation helped the department brainstorm strategies to raise awareness to more audiences. With the help of the Web Manager, we made changes to the museum’s website to make the ticket offering more visible online. 

 Overall, my internship at The Phillips Collection showed me many facets of Marketing and Communications, and I learned valuable skills that I will use in my future museum career.