THE CHALLENGE

Although it has a long-standing presence in Toronto, Artist Project has low brand awareness compared to its behemoth competitors.

Artist Project is a long running consumer artist show. For over 20 years, at this show, art and culture seekers have been able to discover high quality art and meet the artists behind the works. The goal, to create an environment that ignites enriching conversation, for a more personal experience with art. Artist Project is the place that connects art lovers with art makers.

As more online art communities, like Etsy, popped up and with the pandemic devastating the base attendees and supporters, we had to create a campaign that could break through in a localized way and differentiated Artist Project by establishing the tangible experience of the weekend event.

TARGET

These folks are at the forefront of culture - the tastemakers and trendsetters that are always in the know.

Always searching for the best places to explore arts and culture, they’re looking for the things they surround themselves with to be a reflection of their experiences…and a bit brag-worthy. Unafraid of provocation or controversy, they’re yearning for their personal space to inspire them in the same way the city can.

While there can be a tendency toward snobbery and gatekeeping in the arts world, these folks are not only interested in famous names or pieces. They love the rush of discovering something or someone new. They expect the unexpected. And they love to take the ownership of sharing it out to their community.

They know Toronto is the cultural heart of Canada, and they want their personal spaces to be a reflection of that.

INSIGHT

Art is an intimate emotive experience that we love to share.

Creative seekers are proud of their knowledge of ‘everything arts’ in Toronto.  They love and live the vibe and pride themselves on knowing what to wear and the coolest events to attend. 

But even tastemakers get their knowledge from somewhere…In the world of art, it’s the artists who are the true experts on what is cutting edge and what part of the scene must be seen.  Artists have been stunted by the pandemic as well and have a pent-up desire for their work to be experienced.

It’s time for creative seekers and artists alike to unleash their desires at Artist Project.

STRATEGY

Peak curiosity with a highly artful design campaign with talk and share value.

With media budgets that only allowed for still assets, we needed to create a unique campaign that could entice ticket buyers and was also artful in its execution. We decided on using digital language to craft the campaign, reflecting its breakthrough as a key tool for engaging in two-way conversations with an audience, a natural messaging accent rather than an added distraction.

CREATIVE

A hand-crafted design-led campaign showcasing, the world’s first QR code composed entirely of opinions.

We created the world’s first QR code composed entirely of words. Standing as unique art pieces, the QR codes reflect the varied reactions expressed by people when evaluating art. The codes then redirect the audience to specific artists, ticket purchases, or various support initiatives.

Functionality was a critical element in allowing art and technology to come together on this project. With QR codes typically being auto generated, the teams had to carefully handcraft each one until it struck the balance between readability by people and scanners.

With over 500 executions in print, OOH and digital this world’s first took over the city and

resulted in a sold out 4-day event.

RESULTS

We overachieved our ticket sales target by 44% and the YOY increase was 73%.

2023 was the best attended show in the history of the show.  Out of the attendees, 33% more new attendees this year compared to previous years. Website traffic from the ads performed 115% stronger than in previous campaign years. And the growth on social, was significant, with a 350% increase in followers compared to the previous event year and organic engagement with the campaign on social performed 102% better than the previous campaign.

Finally, the Campaign received over 75M earned impressions through 56 pieces of PR coverage.