🟨 V & A: They Scanned It… and Everything Changed
Your audience is closer than you think
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Welcome to Yellow Chili Campaigns where I highlight cool stuff in marketing campaigns to help you get fresh ideas and actionable insights to sell more and grow your business.
The V&A in London is the world’s biggest museum for applied arts, decorative arts, and design, boasting 2.8 million objects. But despite everything it has to offer, not many people, especially those aged 18 to 34 were familiar with it.
The V&A team discovered that a lot of people just didn’t think that the museum had anything that would be relevant to their interests. This led to an exciting opportunity for V & A to connect with people from all walks of life. They chose 73 items from the huge collection, each one with a surprising twist.
Each object was designed with specific interest groups in mind, whether it’s for the mainstream audience or a super niche community. Selected objects were placed in unknown locations across the UK waiting to be discovered by relevant enthusiasts. Each object had a QR code that linked directly to related treasures in the V&A collection, creating a connection between the real world and museum history.
Some niche object activations include a silverware stunt, where a 100-year-old silver tankard with a special engraving was buried at a popular metal-detecting location in Oxfordshire. Also limited-edition embroidered pocket squares were given away at a specialist tailor. And an handmade two-meter-long battle flag was displayed by an armored participant in a battle reenactment group.
V & A also partnered with content creators to push the campaign online and reach younger audiences. More people started creating new objects related to their interests. While some people focused on bookbinding, others worked on pottery, and even knitting.
ICYMI
’If you’re into it, it’s in the V&A’ is an example of an Experiential Marketing Campaign.
The campaign went viral online and gained a lot of national media coverage, reaching 37 million impressions. Most of the press coverage (98%) was positive. During the campaign, searches for the V&A increased by 23%, and interest in the featured collection items grew by 12,000%. On social media, the campaign’s content received over 300,000 interactions.
The campaign successfully changed how people see the museum. Now, 47% more people feel the V&A is a place for them, and 51% think it’s relevant to their interests.
🍉 Action Points
Identify the problem clearly - They realized that their target audience (18-34-year-olds) didn’t see the museum as relevant to them. Instead of forcing their current messaging, they pivoted to meet their audience where they were. Research why your target audience isn’t engaging with your brand. Is it a lack of awareness, relevance, or accessibility?
Take advantage of niche communities - Rather than trying to appeal to everyone at once, V&A curated specific objects for different interest groups. They placed these objects in places that mattered to these groups like a metal detecting hotspot or a tailor’s shop. Instead of broad messaging, target specific subcultures or communities with your brand activations.
Create a physical + digital connection - Don’t wait for audiences to come to you. By placing objects in real-world locations and linking them to the museum via QR codes, they made the museum more accessible and interactive. Find ways to integrate into their existing hobbies, routines, or spaces.
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