The Other Art Fair needed to create buzz, without spending big bucks. We set out to convert years of paid partnerships into fresh and free publicity.
Deliverables
PR Strategy
Brief
Art, reimagined. The Sydney edition of ‘The Other Art Fair’ was on a mission to reframe how art is experienced through an international event that’s inclusive, interactive and unlike any other. Their vision required one crucial element: an influx of artists, audiences, and buyers walking through the doors.
In previous years, the fair had relied on paid partnerships to attract attention, but in 2023, the client sought a shift towards earned media. That’s where our PR team stepped in. We set to work earning coverage that would cement The Other Art Fair’s place on a local and international stage.
We didn’t just send a media release to the Guardian; we invited a Guardian writer to strip off for a nude portrait and write about their experience.
The Other Art Fair does things differently – what if our PR team could too? We knew getting earned media after years of paid partnerships would be a challenge. The solution called for an approach that could flip the script on a traditional PR strategy. We called it creative pitching – it meant shaking up the event itself to give journalists an experience they simply had to write about.
We didn’t just send a media release to the Guardian; we invited a Guardian writer to strip off for a nude portrait and write about their experience. We didn’t settle for Time Out’s Art and Culture editor tacking the fair onto a list of things to do in Melbourne, we got them on board to get a hand-poked tattoo from a featured artist at the event.
Our interactive pitches were backed by an integrated PR approach that leveraged earned media, artists, stakeholders, and ambassadors to target key audience segments and drive ticket sales. By leveraging personal networks and enhancing the experiences on offer, we secured organic coverage from a host of influential figures including well-known artists, writers, and actors.
Outcome
Our innovative approach delivered remarkable results, including:
- Record-breaking ticket sales: Fuelled by the PR campaign’s impact, The Other Art Fair achieved its highest sales day ever on Saturday, May 13th.
- Amplified reach: Over 60 pieces of media coverage, generating a total reach of 50 million. Broadsheet and Time Out surpassed previous paid campaigns in terms of earned coverage, solidifying The Other Art Fair’s presence.
- Multi-platform domination: Extensive coverage across online, print, television, radio, podcast, and social media. Penetrated target industry verticals, including lifestyle, events, art and design, major metro, and parenting.
- Unique coverage: Time Out captured their daring tattoo experience on a popular Instagram reel, Studio 10 featured a nude artist on a live morning television segment and Forbes Australia commissioned a magazine article spotlighting how “smart young people are shaking up the Australian art market”.
- Organic endorsements: Esteemed figures in the art world, including renowned actor Remy High from Crazy Rich Asians and Archibald Prize Winner Kathrin Longhurst, shared their experiences with the fair on social media, generating organic buzz.
