While many San Antonians refer to the San Antonio Museum of Art as “SAMA,” the Museum staff is concerned that people outside of San Antonio, especially tourists, draw no connection between the acronym and the Museum.
That is why on Wednesday, the marketing staff at the Museum of Art issued a request to local media to stop using the acronym when referring to the museum in published articles.
Director of Marketing Cary Marriott said the request is not a branding change, but more of a clarification.
“In terms of seeing it in a newspaper headline, some people don’t know what ‘SAMA’ is,” Marriott said. “We want to identify ourself as a museum of art.”
The Museum hopes to avoid confusion, she said, since the San Antonio Manufacturing Association claimed the acronym more than 100 years ago.
The Museum requests that on first reference, media should use the full name: “San Antonio Museum of Art.” Any subsequent references should use either “Museum” or “Museum of Art.” It says that if an acronym is necessary, it should read “SA Museum of Art.”
Whether the request will catch on outside the media circle is unsure, but the Museum of Art staff believes it will help strengthen their brand locally and beyond.
For the average San Antonian, however, the “SA Museum of Art” will always be “SAMA.”
*Top image: The San Antonio Museum of Art. Photo by Scott Ball.
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