Until recently, many museums professionals associated ‘museum’ with institutional integrity, and ‘brand’ with commercial exploitation. Today we are coming to recognize that branding - far more than a logo, font, and design palette - if properly understood and properly used, is vital to museums. More accurately expressed as the “brand purpose”, the museum’s brand is a succinct and guiding articulation of its role and relationships to audiences as a human-centered, participatory experience. Digital platforms offer some of the most powerful tools yet for creating participatory experiences both in the museum and with global audiences. Therefore it is imperative that museum technologists understand the dynamics and power of branding, and be able to use digital platforms to support the museum’s brand purpose, mission and expanding audiences. Using examples of recent museums’ rebranding efforts, we’ll discuss the impact that powerful brands wield, thereby exploring how a sharp focus on stewarding the brand can lead museums to become more human-centered, and the role that museum technologists can play to shape their visitors’ overall brand experience. Speakers Session Leader : Eric Longo, Executive Director, MCN Co-Presenter : Nancy Proctor, Executive Director, MuseWeb Co-Presenter : Luis Marcelo Mendes, Brand, Design & Communications Consultant, Independent MCN 2016 Presenting Sponsor: Piction New Orleans, LA