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Florida Prize in Contemporary Art

The "Florida Prize in Contemporary Art" is an initiative by the Orlando Museum of Art that features 10 of the most progressive and exciting artists working in the State today. Additionally, one of these outstanding artists is selected to receive a significant monetary award. The award and invitational exhibition recognizes the achievement and potential of these artists and encourages their continued innovation and creation of new work. With this initiative, the Orlando Museum of Art underscores its commitment to support talented emerging and mid-career artists, while celebrating the vibrant cultural life of Florida. This page features the marketing campaign that I executed in 2018 but was largely implemented since the exhibition's inception in 2014.

Roles

Marketing Director

Graphic Designer
Creative Director

Employer

Orlando Museum of Art

Year

2018

Cover Image

Re-Collections, Fuchsia by Carlos Betancourt

Marketing Plan Summary

This important exhibition had the challenge of communicating a complex opening reception format, as well as highlighting all 10 Florida artists in an equal fashion. With these challenges, I developed a successful multifaceted marketing strategy for both the opening reception and the run of the exhibition that resulted in increased attendance and memberships for the museum.

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Target Audiences

1. Target Audiences

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Carlos Betancourt, Installation view from Florida Prize in Contemporary Art, 2018. © Carlos Betancourt. Image courtesy of the Orlando Museum of Art.

EXHIBITION

AGE: ages 13 and up


ETHNICITY: all ethnicities but historically performed best with Caucasians, Black/African Americans, Latinx and Asians


LOCATIONS: Orange County residents, Tampa, Miami, Gainesville, and Jacksonville. Out of state: Atlanta, GA; New York City, NY; select locations in Brazil and the United Kingdom


INTERESTS: contemporary art

EDUCATION PROGRAMS

AGE: ages 3-5, 6-15, 18-65 – varied per program

 

ETHNICITY: all ethnicities


LOCATIONS: Orange County residents

 

INTERESTS: art and art-related events

EXHIBITION OPENING

AGE: ages 21 and up


ETHNICITY: all ethnicities but historically performed best with Caucasians, Black/African Americans, Latinx and Asians


LOCATIONS: Orange County residents, Tampa and Miami


INTERESTS: contemporary art, food, social events

COLLABORATIVE EVENTS

AGE: ages 18 and up


ETHNICITY: all ethnicities


LOCATIONS: Orange County residents


INTERESTS: contemporary art, food, social events

Unique Selling Proposition

2. Unique Selling Proposition

The "Florida Prize in Contemporary Art" exhibition is unlike any other exhibition in Florida. It features 10 of the most progressive and exciting artists working in the State today, with one artist selected to win a $20,000 prize that supports the creation of new work. This exhibit demonstrates the museumʼs commitment to supporting talented emerging and mid-career artists while celebrating the vibrant cultural life of Florida.

- Artist Grid - 5x2.jpg

TOP: Carlos Betancourt, Brooks Dierdorff, Rafael Domenech, Gonzalo Fuenmayor and Ya Levy LaʼFord.

BOTTOM: Jason Lazarus, Glexis Novoa, Kerry Phillips, Kenya (Robinson) and Jack Stenner.

Positioning

3. Positioning

For those seeking to experience contemporary art by some of Floridaʼs premiere artists, the Florida Prize exhibition spotlights an array of talented artists whose work is provocative, personal and thought-provoking. The Florida Prize inspires creativity, passion and intellectual curiosity by connecting people with art and new ideas.

Mr. Kenya (Robinson), Modern Times, 1936 -, 2017-18, inflatable, plastic, figures, chicken wire, foam, artificial turf, steel dressmaker pins, dimensions variable. © Mr. Kenya (Robinson). Image courtesy of the Orlando Museum of Art.

The artists in the exhibition demonstrate the wealth of talent in the rising generation of contemporary art. Without exception, every artist in the show grapples successfully with the essential role of the artist as a communicator of both personal and collective visions of the world.

ALEX RICH, FLORIDA PRIZE JUROR
Kenya Robinson, Modern Times, 1936.jpg
Press Plan

4. Press Plan

The press campaign started 2 months prior to the opening day on June 1, 2018, and continued through the end of the exhibitionʼs run on August 19. I generated publicity locally in the Greater Orlando area, as well as the cities that the artistʼs were from including Gainesville, Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami, and Sarasota. I also worked with a handful of national publications like Art Daily and Hyperallergic.

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EARNED MEDIA FROM
THE FOLLOWING PUBLICATIONS
  • Art Daily

  • Art News

  • Art Districts Magazine

  • Asia Trend

  • Bungalower

  • Cuban Art News

  • Florida Today

  • Flamingo Magazine

  • Hyperallergic

  • Miami New Times

  • ONYX Magazine

  • Orange Appeal

  • Orlando Date Night Guide

  • Orlando Magazine

  • Orlando Sentinel

  • Orlando Signature

  • Orlando Weekly

  • Orlando Arts

  • Passport to Winter Park

  • Revista Orlando (Brazilian Magazine)

  • Watermark

  • Where Orlando

  • WMFE (NPR) Spotlight

  • WUCF FM and TV

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Marketing Materials

5. Marketing Materials

A large number of marketing materials were produced but the selection below features key items we created for the exhibit. Below, you will find the invitation design, the outdoor banner, the website landing page, a poster, coasters (given to participating restaurant partners), email designs and social media graphics.

Marketing Strategy

6. Marketing Strategy

ARTIST ANNOUNCEMENT

Press release distributed on April 24, 2018

SAVE THE DATE

Sent via email on April 24, 2018

INVITATIONS

VIP Member invitations landed between April 18-19 and the General Admission invitations landed between April 22-28, 2018

MARKETING MATERIALS

All materials completed between April 24 - May 5, 2018

EMAILS

Newsletters and email announcements sent between April 24 - June 1, 2018

PAID ADS

Digital and print ads completed and executed from April 30 - May 28, 2018

ARTIST TAKEOVERS

Florida Prize Artists took over our social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) from May 18 - 21, 2018

PRESS TOUR WITH MASCOT

From May 18 - 21, 2018, we took the Florida Prize mascot “Farrah the Flamingo” on a press tour to generate publicity for the opening reception and to show off the restaurant and bar sponsors partnering with us on the opening.

RESTAURANTS

Arthurʼs Catering

Black Rooster

Dubsdread Catering

Jillycakes

K Restaurant

Kobe Steakhouse

Reyez Mezcaleria

BAR
Ten10 Brewing
EVENT PARTNERS

Orlando Weekly

Porch Therapy

TESLA

CROSS PROMOTIONS WITH PARTNERS

Executed from May 18 - June 1, 2018. In addition to promoting our sponsors, our event and exhibition sponsors also promoted the opening and the exhibit on their social media channels and email newsletters reaching well over 600,000 people.

MEDIA PREVIEW

On June 1, 2018, the morning of the opening reception, I invited over a dozen of Orange Countyʼs top media outlets for an exclusive first look of the exhibition before it opened to the public that evening.

OPENING PARTY

June 1, 2018. Our goal was to have 800 guests attend and raise at least $17,000 for the exhibit. We exceeded the attendance goal by 37.5% (1,100 guests) and surpassed our fundraising goal by 12% with roughly $20,000 raised!

FLORIDA PRIZE WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

On June 1, 2018, the Florida Prize recipient was selected at the Florida Prize Party (opening reception) by 3 guest jurors naming Kenya (Robinson) the winner of the Prize. Local media had the first scoop while all other media received the notice the following day.

RELATED SPECIAL EVENTS

Special events related to the exhibit were held from June 2 - August 1, 2018 including a panel discussion, exclusive tours, artist workshops, special lectures and more which all led to more marketing opportunities.

INTERVIEW WITH KENYA (ROBINSON) ON WMFEʼS ʻSPOTLIGHTʼ

On June 15, 2018, I coordinated an interview with our local NPR radio affiliate station WMFE and the Florida Prize recipient Kenya Robinson to discuss the exhibit and more of her practice.

INTERVIEW WITH KENYA (ROBINSON) ON WMFEʼS ʻSPOTLIGHTʼ

On June 15, 2018, I coordinated an interview with our local NPR radio affiliate station WMFE and the Florida Prize recipient Kenya Robinson to discuss the exhibit and more of her practice.

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Invitation 1.jpg
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CARLOS BETANCOURT

BROOKS DIERDORFF

RAFAEL DOMENECH

GONZALO FUENMAYOR

YA LEVY LA'FORD

KERRY PHILLIPS

KENYA (ROBINSON)

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CULINARY SPONSORS

BEVERAGE SPONSORS

EVENT SPONSORS

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Membership Strategy

7. Membership Strategy

A big part of an exhibitionʼs run is retaining museum members and obtaining new ones. We implemented a series of membership offers including upgrades on existing memberships, applying ticket sales to the cost of a membership, limited-time discounts on memberships, exclusive member-only events, early VIP access to exhibition openings and reciprocal museum membership offers. These resulted in stellar membership growth numbers that year with a 12% increase from 2017.

Partnerships

8. Partnerships

During the course of the exhibition and throughout the fiscal year, my Development Department colleagues and I formed strategic partnerships with local media, restaurants, caterers, bar/liquor companies and other community businesses to support our exhibition, education programs and marketing initiatives to raise funds for the museum and support its growth. This led to many cross-promotional opportunities and exciting events that grew our member base and overall profile within the community.

EXHIBITION SPONSORS
  • Rita + Jeffrey Adler Foundation

  • Anonymous

  • Mr. R. J. Santomassino

  • Dr. + Mrs. H.E. Gross

  • Jim + Terry Mahaffey

  • Daisy + Jan Staniszkis

  • Denise Autorino + Terry Snow

  • Bloomingdaleʼs

  • Sam Flax

  • Tesla

  • Hunter Vision

  • Lilly Pulitzer

MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS
  • Asia Trend

  • Caribbean Passport

  • Bungalower

  • Orlando Date Night Guide

  • ONYX Magazine

  • Orlando Weekly

  • Watermark

CULINARY SPONSORS
  • 1921 by Norman Van Aken

  • Arthurʼs Catering

  • Artisanʼs Table

  • Black Rooster Taqueria

  • Dubsdread Catering

  • Jillycakes

  • K Restaurant

  • Kobe Steakhouse

  • Orlan-dough

  • Reyes Mezcaleria

BEVERAGE SPONSORS
  • ABC Fine Wine & Spirits

  • Central 28 Beer Company

  • J. Dubs Brewing

  • M.I.A. Beer Company

  • Cavalier Distributing

  • Cooperʼs Hawk Winery

  • Shakers Bar Catering

  • Ten10 Brewing

  • Tequila Herradura

  • Titoʼs Vodka

EVENT  SPONSORS
  • Bloomingdaleʼs

  • Hunter Vision

  • Porch Therapy

  • Orlando Wedding Party & Rentals

  • One Way Valet

  • Sam Flax

  • Tesla

Visitor Retention

9. Visitor Retention

Throughout the course of the exhibition, we implemented a number of strategies to encourage repeat visits and keep guests engaged. We ran special promotions, ticket giveaways on social media, conducted gallery talks and highlights tours, all to great success. Below, you can browse through photos of the exhibition.