New York, New York…  Only months ago I was wandering the leafy streets of Brooklyn on a beautiful early Summer afternoon.  But even with the clockwork-like rigidity of my biennial visits to The Capital of The World, I still never manage to fit everything in, and last year both the Brooklyn Museum and Barneys fell prey to this lamentable sightseeing scheduling mishap.

I need not worry, as thanks to a glorious iPhone app released in 2009 I can now browse the Brooklyn Museum from the comfort of my East London home, or on the bus, or in the bath, or at the supermarket, or… well you get the picture.  The Brooklyn Museum Mobile Collection was developed by Adam Shackelford using Brooklyn Museum’s API (that’s Applications Programming Interface) – a function which allows outside programmers or even tech-savvy consumers to create their own digital applications using the museums data.  If this wasn’t wonderfully democratic enough for you, Shackelford’s app is also an open source community project, welcoming collaboration and contribution from anyone who wishes to be a part of the product’s development, mirrored through the Brooklyn Museum’s own website which welcomed feedback and comment on the app, aiding its development through the earlier version releases.

This move signals a much bigger shift in the ways in which cultural institutions engage with the consumer.  Cultural audiences are increasingly keen on this form of engagement with institutions.  Via this co-creation of product with the consumer, the Brooklyn Museum benefits from both meaningful product development whilst building invaluable product and brand loyalty – it’s precisely this brand loyalty which so appeals to commercial business brands.

According to CoolBrands, iPhone is officially the coolest brand around today, with its creator Apple coming in at number three.  Apple – a true ‘cultural brand’ – is a brand wholly aligned with culture, creativity and innovation.  The development of other creative apps through the Apple brand (such as the much talked about ‘Brushes’ app and the subsequent rise of ‘iPhone art’) has encouraged cultural institutions like Brooklyn Museum to explore the new forms of engagement on offer through Apple technology. Product development based on co-creation delivers huge benefits to the cultural organisation, demonstrating a dynamic and fresh approach to audience engagement.

Meanwhile, much closer to home the Museum of London is set to launch their collection as an iPhone app this Spring, via technology developed by e-commerce gurus CultureLabel, to coincide with the launch of their new Galleries of Modern London.

If only there were a Barneys app.  Oh well… I guess I’ll just have to go back again.

To read more about inspirational digital / cultural partnerships visit the Arts & Business Research pages.

Rose Enright