muSEAum: branding e comunicação dos museus de mar de Portugal

Portugal holds a diverse maritime cultural heritage, from cod fishing to the canning industry, from shipbuilding to whale hunting, among others. The maritime heritage has been collected in several museums and other organizations that hold maritime-related collections. The research project “muSEAum – Portuguese Sea Museums” (2018-2021) surveyed these organizations which are labelled, in a comprehensive way, as “sea museums”. The research project aims to aggregate and group these maritime heritage organizations, under a collective brand, the “muSEAum” brand. This brand’s goal is to foster effective communication of a maritime identity. This can become the pillar of a strategic positioning, in a world where museums compete with other cultural and creative organizations in the “economy of attention”, both online and on-site. To understand “sea museums” in Portugal, the project conducted in 2019 an online survey to the coordinators or representatives of these museums. The “sea museums” are an example of how museums need branding and communication strategies capable of retaining audiences and attracting newcomers. COVID-19 showed that the museums’ inclusive digital transition is an urgent need.