Opening up Milton Keynes.
Opening up Milton Keynes.
MK Gallery is a charitable organisation and recognised as one of the UK’s leading visual art galleries. At the beginning of 2019 the Gallery completed a large renovation project designed to boast larger exhibition spaces, stunning views via its sky room, family workshop areas and a variety of hospitality options.
A creative partnership.
A creative partnership.
We were invited to take part in a tender process to be selected as MK Gallery’s primary agency and creative partner to support its relaunch and ongoing development going forward.
As part of this process we were successfully chosen to develop and create a campaign designed to raise the profile of MK Gallery’s Spring 2019 relaunch.
The objective was to alter people’s opinions and perceptions of the gallery, by informing, educating and enlightening them of the types of experiences, space available and facilities on offer at the new MK Gallery.
As part of this process we were successfully chosen to develop and create a campaign designed to raise the profile of MK Gallery’s Spring 2019 relaunch.
The objective was to alter people’s opinions and perceptions of the gallery, by informing, educating and enlightening them of the types of experiences, space available and facilities on offer at the new MK Gallery.
A new audience.
MK Gallery wanted their facilities and cultural programme to appeal to a broader more diverse audience, a space for everyone, not just the discerning art enthusiast. This objective was not just for the relaunch period; it would be the focus for ongoing communications and activations.
Accessibility and attracting a new audience were key to the relaunch.
Creatively lead, strategically delivered.
The development of a creatively lead campaign with a strategic marketing plan and activity role out was viewed as being key to their success. As part of this strategic approach we needed to really understand the public’s perception of the gallery and how to better position MK Gallery to achieve its goals. From our research into current visitors and further exploration into the existing customer journey a couple of common themes began to appear.
The Gallery wasn’t a priority or a primary destination for many visitors, it was often part of broader trip into the centre of Milton Keynes. People felt it lacked an emphasis on family and wasn’t seen as a destination for groups of all ages.
The Gallery wasn’t a priority or a primary destination for many visitors, it was often part of broader trip into the centre of Milton Keynes. People felt it lacked an emphasis on family and wasn’t seen as a destination for groups of all ages.
Open to all.
After extensive research we wanted to develop our creative approach around the theme ‘open’, to see how the word resonated with not just the MK Gallery and its relaunch, but also with how visitors felt when they engaged with the space. We wanted visitors to seek out and be open to wonderful new experiences.
MK Gallery brings world-class exhibitions and events to Milton Keynes.
Tactical messaging.
The vision was for the ‘open’ theme to become synonymous with the brand and be used in a flexible manner for the launch of our campaign to tactical messaging going forward. Open eyes. Open ears. Open hearts. Open minds. This messaging and an array of supportive messaging such as ‘Open to something new’ were key to the breadth and scale of the campaign and its creative applications. With accessibility a major USP for the Gallery, ‘open’ had an inclusive feel where everybody is welcome.
Let’s create a buzz.
The goal of our campaign was to create a buzz around the relaunch of the new MK Gallery, to spread the message of the accessibility of the gallery all whilst educating people around the experiences and facilities it is able to offer a wider audience. As part of the strategic rollout, a social media marketing campaign was created as well as DOOH, PR and printed publications. All of these were deployed as part of the build-up to the campaign and relaunch of the gallery on the 16th March 2019.