In this article
Crab Museum is Europe’s first museum dedicated to the world of the decapod. Created and managed by a trio of crab enthusiasts – Bertie, Chase and Ned – the museum aims to roll science, humour and philosophy into a unique and satisfyingly baffling (and free) day out.
Crab Museum won the Being Social category in the 2023 Digital Culture Awards, for their radical and unhinged social strategy.
Crab Museums’ social presence uses humour and memes about crabs to address complex issues such as environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Their tongue-in-cheek approach has increased engagement and offered opportunities for honest discussion on the state of the planet, whilst creating a rare, personal relationship between online followers and the physical museum.
As a new museum (opened in 2019), their unique strategy has been crucial for developing their audience, reaching the global crab enthusiast community, and bringing visitors to the physical museum. They saw over 26,000 visitors in 2022, are now the highest rating tourist attraction in Margate, and their international renown has seen them invited as keynote speakers to Crabcon 2023. They’ve taken advantage of collaboration opportunities to widen their audience and explored different frameworks for engagement including a successful crowdfunding campaign.
They leveraged their community and influencers within the space to amplify their message to great success.
Haydn Corrodus, Being Social Judge
By recognising the opportunities available to them and carving out a radical and distinctive social media presence, Crab Museum has quickly developed an impressively broad but relevant audience and laid the foundation for their continued existence and success as a space for scientific and interdisciplinary learning. They are an exemplar of how to find your niche and leverage it to build a positive and lasting brand.
Being Social celebrates innovative use of social media platforms to reach, grow and engage with new and existing audiences. Crab Museum was the winner, decided by public vote, in this category in the 2023 Digital Culture Awards for their entry Creating a Radical and Unhinged Social Media Strategy for a Very Real Museum.
Meet and be inspired by more of the brilliant Winners in the 2023 Digital Culture Awards. The nine categories celebrate innovation in areas including digital content creation and distribution, online audience engagement, digital income development strategies, data-led decision-making and overall commitment to digital skills development and capacity building.
The Digital Culture Network can help! Our digital experts can provide free 1-2-1 support to all creative and cultural individuals and organisations who are in receipt of, or eligible for, Arts Council England funding. If you need help with a specific issue or would just like to chat about your digital ambitions, please get in touch.
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