By Sarah Becker ©2018 Hemp’s Hectic History “History doesn’t drive economies anymore…,” George Mason University economist Stephen Fuller told the Washingtonian in May. He may be right. The Alexandria Convention and Visitors Bureau’s slogan, Still Making History gave way to the ACVA’s Funside of the Potomac years ago. How does Alexandria describe today’s customer groups, its external publics; then develop a marketing plan? Management guru Peter Drucker defines marketing as the “whole firm taken from the customer’s point of view.” How do you see through the customer’s eyes? It involves “massive surveys.” Marketing is needed “to reach customers and compel them to purchase, use and repurchase your product [or service].” A marketing strategy is the selection of a target market, the choice of a competitive position, and the development of an effective marketing mix to reach and serve the chosen customers. The market pick is preceded by market segmentation. Segmentation variables include age, sex, income, occupation, attitude preference and more. The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum may be the only Alexandria museum able to develop offerings with broad appeal: to historic and business travelers, women and minorities, the religious and scientifically inclined. I know because I inherited the Apothecary Museum with only 8,000 visitors and six months financial life remaining. Yet within a few years I increased the annual visitor count to 34,500; established the Mortar & Pestle Society; raised general operating and capital improvement funds, and an endowment. Buildings restoration over, the Museum, then owned by the Landmarks Society was ribbon wrapped and given to the city. By comparison…“2016 marks ten years of ownership and operation by the city of Alexandria,” the Office of Historic Alexandria reported on November 29, 2016. “The Apothecary Museum welcomes more than 15,000 visitors annually.” “The city doesn’t offer the attributes the new economy…