Since its opening in 1988 in Queens, NY, the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) has received international recognition and acclaim and is the only museum in the United States dedicated to exploring the art, history, and technology of the moving image. Each year, MoMI presents exhibitions, education programs, significant moving-image works, and interpretive programs while also collecting and preserving moving-image related artifacts.

The Challenge:

A New Look for Museum Membership

MoMI describes themselves as “a community” and as a place that “brings people together.” When their executive leadership reached out to us, they asked us to help grow that community by revamping their popular membership program.

Our task was to redesign the program to provide maximum value for each level of membership. Without losing the core features of the membership program, we had to create a new, more interactive membership program that would bring in additional revenue for the museum.

The Solution:

Insights From Key Audiences

MoMI presented us with a solid brand positioning. Their recently renovated facility is stunning, their branding is modern and engaging, and their programs and exhibitions are first-class and beloved across New York City. Our goal was to ensure their membership program reflected that popular and growing brand.

Our first task was to understand what current and potential members valued in the existing program. This would help us home in on the areas of added value for members while moving away from lower-value benefits. To do this, we interviewed members of MoMI’s board of directors, spoke with visitors and current members, and conducted digital surveys of both visitors and staff. We then used the results to inform a series of recommendations for MoMI’s leadership before moving forward.

Our first task was to understand what current and potential members valued in the existing program. This would help us home in on the areas of added value.

THE WORK:

The New Experience of Membership

We focused on creating the best possible member experience—from sign-up to benefits to swag—to ensure that MoMI both valued and retained its current and future members.

Membership Program

We worked with MoMI’s team to create an entirely new structure for their membership program. We added and reconfigured every tier for a total of nine separate membership levels, each with a specific price and unique benefits. New additions to the member levels helped current members feel like they were getting more for their value while boosting new member enrollment. Because the membership levels had changed, we also focused on making the sign-up process as simple as possible with a new membership section on the MoMi website. We aligned the design of this section with MoMI’s fun, colorful logo, bringing the logo colors into the new tiers of the program. As an added bonus, we designed new email templates and tote bags to help usher in the new look and feel.