Charting a Course for PR: The New Bedford Whaling Museum

Written By Kristen Elworthy
New Bedford Whaling Museum

“The Museum felt that if we invested in a comprehensive marketing and communication effort that the proverbial ‘rising tide will lift all ships.’ We wanted a partner who would develop an opportunistic approach to pitch the Museum’s story proactively as well as position us to be top of mind when a story was being written.  In Seven Hills, and with Kristen and her team, we found that partner and our results have surpassed expectations.”

- Amanda McMullen, President & CEO, New Bedford Whaling Museum

In the summer of 2022, the New Bedford Whaling Museum went on the hunt for a PR agency. The region’s largest cultural institution, the Museum came out of the pandemic building on its stellar reputation for the exhibitions, programs and publications. To expand this effort, museum leadership went in search of earned media to support marketing efforts.

The Museum wanted to go beyond a traditional exhibit-focused PR strategy and integrate organizational storytelling to elevate the brand.  NBWM was poised to begin showcasing its pandemic recovery and charting a path for its future. Earned media is integral to the Museum’s strategy around attracting visitors, raising its profile within the art, science and culture world, and gaining currency with board members.

Since engagement, SHC’s PR efforts have garnered consistent, on-message press with everything from hyperlocal newspapers to regional NPR stations to national Tier 1 outlets – and everything in between. It’s been a rewarding undertaking for our small, focused team, which has created a complex web of consistent outreach around events, working the Museum’s narrative into larger trends, and attracting high profile art critics to cover major exhibitions.

Our Approach:

  • Strategic storytelling: Developed compelling narratives highlighting the Museum's historical significance, cultural relevance, and educational impact.

  • Media outreach: Secured placements in hyperlocal, regional, and national media outlets, straddling the lines of both Boston and Providence media.

  • Proactive and creative pitches: Developed offshoots of pitch topics to continue to keep exhibitions relevant and in the news after opening.

Results:

Come behind the scenes as we share some of our favorite moments from our ongoing engagement with New Bedford Whaling Museum.

The Moby Dick Marathon

Each January, NBWM hosts The Moby Dick Marathon, a 25-hour reading of the famous American novel, steeped in Melville history. It’s a fun event for attendees and media alike. Promoting the marathon in 2023  – it’s first in-person event since COVID – we focused on creating wide appeal and raising awareness regionally. We further promoted the event in 2024, building on that 2023 success.

The result? According to NBWM in 2023:

  • Attendee Growth: Grew audience 34% 

  • Highest Revenue Year Ever: Event revenue grew by 79% (2018 to 2023).  

  • Increased Livestream Views: YouTube livestream views increased from 1,308 in 2019 to over 4,800 in 2022 with average view duration was 34:07 (more than double 2020)

“Our media coverage was outstanding, helping us welcome new crowds and lots (tons!!!) of families and a much younger audience,” said NBWM President & CEO Amanda McMullen after the event.

Select 2023 Moby Dick Marathon Coverage:

Select 2024 Moby Dick Marathon Coverage:

2023 Major Exhibition: The Cultures of Seaweed

A major exhibition in 2023 focused on the culture of seaweed, tracing its fascinating history and translating it for a modern audience through discussions of aquaculture and more. Leveraging a wider fascination with seaweed not only in the art world, but also around environmentalism and science, we were able to extend coverage in new and innovative ways.

The result?

  • This major exhibition garnered regional and national press.

  • After previews and reviews, we leveraged a timely topic to secure “outside the box” earned press incorporating NBWM in discussions around seaweed and climate.

Select Seaweed Coverage:

Organizational Storytelling

Tasked with telling the story of NBWM’s value – to the region, to the arts and culture scene, and to the economic health of New Bedford – we took a 360-degree view of talking about the Museum in the press, finding ways to fit it into both Arts and Business press.

The result?

  • Sharing the story of NBWM, a leading museum on the SouthCoast of Massachusetts focussed inspiring learning in art, history and science.

  • Aligning NBWM with larger Museums in the area, including the MFA

  • Providing opportunities for Museum personalities to be showcased in profiles and podcasts

Select Coverage:

Kristen Elworthy
Next

How to Prepare Your Brand for a Major Media Hit