The Henry Ford announced that the name of Henry Ford Museum will be changed to Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, starting Jan. 23. The name of the overall destination remains The Henry Ford, but the organization extends its name to better express the idea of innovation behind its key collection.
Part of the reason of this change lies in the result of a survey, which suggested that the purpose of the museum is unclear to many visitors.
Henry Ford Museum Of American Innovation
The museum was founded by auto pioneer and entrepreneur Henry Ford, and it is part of The Henry Ford, a popular destination located in Dearborn, Michigan.
"Henry Ford Museum has always been about ideas and innovations that changed the world. We believe adding the word innovation to the museum's name better serves our visitors as it clearly defines the museum's focus," noted Patricia Mooradian, president of The Henry Ford.
The Henry Ford will also strengthen its commitment to bringing the past forward, in the attempt to inspire future innovators today, through partnerships with national educational organizations. One of these partners is The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation, a successful television series, now in its third season. The series has gained the interest of more than 71.5 million viewers worldwide.
Approximately 35 percent of the 1.8 million annual visitors of the museum come either from outside the state or from abroad the country's borders. According to Mooradian, most of the visitors believed that the museum was either about Henry Ford the man or about the automobiles he built, so the representatives decided that a change was needed.
"The Henry Ford provides unique educational experiences based on authentic objects, stories, and lives from America's traditions of ingenuity, resourcefulness and innovation. Our purpose is to inspire people to learn from these traditions to help shape a better future," notes the organization's mission statement.
This renaming idea is the second rebranding program that the 88-year-old institution went through in recent history. Back in 2003, all the integrating parts of the Dearborn campus were placed together under the portmanteau of The Henry Ford. The three attractions are the Greenfield Village, the museum and the Ford Rouge Factory Tour.
Museum Rebranding, Part Of The Innovation Process
As part of the museum collection, some of the most popular exhibits showcase the American history, ideas, and innovation, including the auto, railroad, aviation, and agriculture industries. Another very popular item is the limousine in which President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
Additionally, this type of rebranding also goes very well with the name of the TV series, which according to Mooradian, brought massive awareness about the museum, given that the annual attendance increased by 200,000 people in the 2014 to 2016 time frame.
The organization itself is pretty popular on social media as well, with more than 326,000 fans on Facebook.
"The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, is an internationally recognized cultural destination that brings the past forward by immersing visitors in the stories of ingenuity, resourcefulness and innovation that helped shape America. [...] A continually expanding array of content available online provides anytime, anywhere access to The Henry Ford Archive of American Innovation," the organization describes itself.
