Developing a sound marketing strategy isn’t something that happens statically. Strategy is meant to evolve, breathe, be agile, and transformative. This is thinking, planning, and executing in the ways that matter to your audiences.
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Project Goals
1
Promotional activity to ensure attendance
What if no one shows up?! The ultimate fear of all event planners. We needed to put promotional plans in place to get the word out and encourage attendance.
2
Making a splash on campus
Campus is visually noisy. ArtsUP needed signage, promo materials, and digital assets that could stand out, all while following the university’s strict signage and advertising guidelines.
3
A great inaugural event for attendees
Ultimately, the goal was a transformative art experience for undergrads. The entire event was created to support and drive home the importance (and joy) of arts experiences. It had to be fun.
100%
According to the College of Arts and Architecture, 100% of people are creative and have the potential to impact the world in powerful ways. Our job was to make sure non-arts students realized that opportunities existed for them.
Discovery
For this project, we had a clear audience: undergrads, particularly those who weren’t already participating in the arts. And we had a clear goal: offer transformative arts experiences. What we didn’t have (yet!) was a sense of the best way to reach those students and pull them into an event. Our discovery process involved a deep dive into the university world as we learned how to promote to undergrads. What stories would resonate with them? Where could we reach them? And what would compel them to attend this event?
Strategy
Our discovery work laid the foundation for a strategy we’re still proud of today. Of course we used conventional forms of campus advertising–everything from social media to bulletin boards. But we also thought outside the box about what students see and interact with every day, and where our brand might stand out. This led to creative (and, frankly, fun) exploration of advertising opportunities ranging from cookies in the dining commons, to bathroom stall posters, to screen savers in computer labs. At the same time, we solved a similar set of problems for the signage and other assets we envisioned for the event itself. Operational rules prohibit signs staked into the grass? let’s experiment with sandbags until we find something that works!
Design
Finally, our favorite part of this project was the outstanding design work we got to develop and then implement across so many places. We leveraged an existing logo created by Emily Burns at Penn State and built it out with a true artistic flair. Ultimately, we designed a visual campaign and assets that managed to stay on-brand, while standing out from the noisy visual space of the campus. And, ultimately, showcasing the arts in a spectacular way.
When It All Comes Together
…it all comes together. And it can be powerful. The design is, was, and will forever be recognizable. It’s a point of pride to know that our team pulled off such a recognizable concept. Who knew vibrant dots would keep conversations alive for years? Well, we did.
Awards and Recognition
2016 CP2 Bracket Award
Category: Poster Series
Award: Best in Show
Any event needs to have engaging visuals, however, an art-centric celebration has heightened importance on visuals. Creating a design that did no feel over-designed while still staying appealing was a challenge our designers were up for. The result was a series of posters that were a hit not only with the client but also within the Central Pennsylvania Creative Professionals organization, winning best in show.
2016 CP2 Bracket Award
Category: Experiential Event
Some university campuses are bigger than others, and University Park at Penn State is certainly up there. On a campus so large it is difficult to stand out, especially while adhering to brand guidelines, brainstorming engaging signage, that adhered to brand guidelines is no small feat. Couple that with only certain designated areas for signage, you have a tough situation. Through some creativity and pushing a boundary or two, our team was able to make this art event pop that other events had not been able to do.
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