This Picture is Worth $100

A Wizard Invasion
Until September, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is home to Harry Potter: The Exhibition. It features thousands of props, costumes, and sets from the first six Harry Potter movies. Die-hard fans will appreciate the gift shop at the end of the exhibit that offers many Harry Potter collectibles that I’ve never seen before.

Some of the notable items available at the gift shop are:
  • A custom-made wizard chessboard for $400.
  • Replica Quiddich brooms starting at $300.
  • A replica Marauder’s Map for $50.
As you can see, there are some high-priced items available in the gift shop, but it lacks creative, personalized items.

All that was Missing was Me (and You)
The gift shop is missing a great opportunity to make a lot more money and to offer exhibition visitors the opportunity to go home with a truly unique souvenir.

The gift shop should offer families the chance to dress up as characters from the Harry Potter movies and pose for a photograph. But not just any photograph – a wizard photograph.

In the wizard world, the subjects of photographs aren’t stationary – they move around within the photos. Harry Potter: The Exhibition should charge families $100 for a moving photograph. The “photo” would be a short video taken with a digital camera. The family would be dressed as wizards and waving to the camera, which would be recording video. Then, the family would purchase the memory card from the camera and a digital photo frame on which to display their photo.

Families willing to spend $100 on a souvenir would walk away with a great one – they would get a fun video of themselves on a memory card and a digital photo frame that they could then use to show off other photos as well. It would be a great memory that they wouldn’t soon forget, and it would be useful for a long time.

Add This To Your To-Do List
At a certain point, the souvenir industry is all about creativity and personalization. A moving photo of your family dressed in wizard-wear is truly unique and something you can’t just get anywhere. What opportunities are you missing out on because you’re not willing to make things personal?

Instead of sending your customers a traditional greeting card for Christmas, why not send them an email with a link to a video of yourself wishing them a Merry Christmas on You Tube? Add a little personality to your gifts and they’ll be much more memorable.

There’s never a lack of ideas.

Comments

  1. KellyJune 28, 2009

    Great idea for a personalized souvenir! We used to love taking a photo in old fashioned clothing at Great America. I have to get over to the Field Museum to see the exhibit!

    ReplyDelete

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