First, Last, or Most: Let’s Celebrate Being Last

 

In “First, Last, or Most: Let’s Celebrate Being Last,” I challenge museums to reconsider their focus on being the first or the biggest, and instead discover the value and meaning in being the last.

Originally published on my LinkedIn.

When it comes to PR, “you’re either the first, the last, or the most.” I don’t know where I picked it up or its origins, but it’s a rule I often repeat and share. Mainly because it’s true. Think about sports: we celebrate the team with the most wins, we bemoan the team with the fewest, and we marvel at athletes with the most three-point shots, passes, assists, and so on. That’s another way to think about the first, last, and the most. The sports analogy only goes so far when considering museums and cultural organizations, as there are no worst museums of a season or a last-place finisher. The analogy also works for museums and cultural institutions, and helps think about inputs and outputs, resources and outcomes.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) exemplifies this rule since it’s the largest museum in the U.S., and arguably, it receives the most coverage as well. For the Met, being “first” means being the largest museum, a status that comes with advantages, like greater access to resources. More resources mean better collections, exhibitions, and projects. Think the Met Gala, and any one of the museum’s famed galleries.

Rare are the chances to be the “first,” and pursuing the “most” is often an elusive pursuit, as a recent New York Times article on Guinness World Records from August 13, 2025, confirms. While it’s not impossible, it’s almost sure that no other museum will grow in size and budget to rival the Met, so being the largest is unlikely for another institution.

There are, however, scores of museums that gain immediate attention for being the “first” of their kind. Arguably, the most famous is the Museum of Ice Cream, which opened its doors in 2016 in New York City. A more recent example, from this year, is the BBQ Museum in Kansas City. Being the “first” will get you all kinds of attention from the public and the media. The challenge for these organizations is to maintain momentum—especially in year two, when attendance and media interest typically decline as the sophomore slump sets in. It’s true that being “first” could apply to new programs or services, and not just to a new museum. While those efforts might get some attention, more often than not, they don’t become major news stories. Yes, there are always exceptions, too.

I’ll talk about “most” in another post, so for now, let’s also consider the benefits of being last. What if, instead of chasing being the “first” or the best of something, we consider what it might mean for a museum or cultural organization to be “last”?

Being the “last” offers two immediate advantages that shouldn’t be ignored: generating interest and intrigue from the public and the press. One of my favorite examples is the last Blockbuster Video store. In 2004, at the peak of Blockbuster’s success, the company had 9,000 stores worldwide. Today, only one store remains, located in Bend, Oregon. This store, which is the subject of a documentary, has a global fan base, with visitors coming daily to see it, take photos, and buy merchandise. It also garners almost weekly coverage from regional, national, and international media. How many stores can claim that?

Being the “last” certainly presents a variety of challenges and, interestingly, provides a unique way to identify overlooked and forgotten audiences. For example, households still relying on dial-up internet access—numbering 163,000 homes according to 2023 data from the U.S. Census Bureau—will soon lose internet service, as AOL is ending its dial-up service this month, according to a recent New York Times article.

Another example, reported in September 2023 by the New York Times, is Netflix’s discontinuation of its DVD Subscription Services. If you can recall, there was a time before streaming movies when you ordered a DVD, and it arrived by mail. When Netflix ended its DVD-by-mail service, it was still shipping out 50,000 DVDs each week.

The AOL and Netflix stories are about being the last. The last gets coverage. They also highlight an audience that’s now without the services they once relied on, creating an audience growth opportunity for another business.

Being the “last” means embracing the role of the underdog, rather than embracing something new or trying to be the first in something. Instead, you’re holding on to programs, services, amenities, and even technologies that might be outdated but still have an audience and following. Even if the following has dwindled in size, it might still be worth holding on to. For museums and cultural organizations, this involves finding those DVDs available through the mail and AOL dial-up programs and services. Programs and offerings that you may already have but could use a dusting off, or that are up for grabs elsewhere. Efforts that offer a potential win for your organization by aligning with the work you do and the audience’s needs.

New is exciting, especially when it’s also the “first,” but there is something equally worthwhile about being the “last.” The news stories about dial-up and DVDs are told from the company’s perspectives; however, there is another perspective that deserves our attention: that of the users. Those who relied on dial-up and DVDs by mail are now without them. Eliminating such services may be a story of progress. It’s also a story of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, offering a reminder not to lose audiences in the pursuit of the new or the chance to be “first.”

Special thanks to Keira Hamilton for reading support.

Read more on my website here.