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Description
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Ed. note: This case study is a selection from the
2012 “Justified”
competition, in which an esteemed jury
identified submissions that demonstrate the value of design in a clear,
compelling and accessible way. It serves as an example of how to explain design
thinking to clients, students, peers and the public in general, based on
specific metrics.
“Meet Me at the Center of the Earth,” an exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum,
introduced the city to the fabulously bizarre costume art of Nick Cave, a
darling of the contemporary art scene. These costumes, known as
“Soundsuits,” effectively bridge cultures: they might be described as a cross
between Carnival, Liberace, Shonibare, Cockney, haute couture and
African ceremony. Cave manages to make sculptures that combine high
fashion, surface design, recycling, dance and sound. His resourcefulness transforms the viewer’s perception of secondhand and
vintage materials while heightening the tension between the ordinary and
the imaginary.
Budget
$175,000
Research
This integrated promotional campaign, including an interactive website,
advertising and invasions, drew 75,520 visitors, almost doubling the
anticipated attendance projection of 40,000. A pre-promotional survey
helped established the direction of the campaign to engage and capture
the imagination of the public, which included identifying the most
compelling images, the use of the call to action as the title of the
show and invasions.
Challenges
Despite being a show featuring a contemporary artist, “Meet Me
at the Center of the Earth” held two promotion-related challenges. The first was that the
exhibition showcased costumes, and the second was that promotional material
needed to replicate the movement and energy of Cave’s Soundsuits,
allowing them to come alive despite being confined within an
advertisement or banner. The departure from a more typical art
exhibition required a new and dynamic approach to engage and captivate
the imagination of the community.
Strategy
The campaign for “Meet Me at the Center of the Earth” centered on a strong
call to action and the energy and color of Nick Cave’s unique set
of suits. The call to action on the press ads and wheat-paste campaign
screamed “MEET ME,” encouraging everyone who saw them to come to the
Seattle Art Museum to meet the Soundsuits and encounter the work of this
incredibly unique artist. The implemented promotions were designed to
demand attention, on the streets or in newspapers and magazines,
through the irresistible juxtaposition of imagery and text. The
layering of texture, color and type reimagines the movement and sound
provided by the Soundsuits, when in motion.
Effectiveness
The promotional campaign for “Meet Me at the Center of the Earth”
succeeded in capturing the imagination of the public. The exhibition
sought to attract a wide and diverse audience. On-site surveying showed
the exhibition engaged new demographics, attracting a more diverse
crowd by age and ethnicity. The promotional strategy effectively
attracted schools (one teacher related how a student exclaimed
“gleefully” that the exhibit “sure beat school”) and families with children,
along with those interested in cross-cultural arts and performance.
Furthermore, the campaign helped to ensure a strong exhibition turnout
following the immensely popular and nearly impossible-to-follow special
exhibition on Picasso. The unique elements of Nick Cave’s art and the
excessive energy drew nearly double the projected attendance.
Additional information
View our Nick Cave commerical here. You can also catch a glimpse of how “Meet Me at the Center of the Earth”
captured the attention, interest and imagination of many in this video.
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