THE NATIONAL GALLERY
Challenge
When we were asked to raise awareness of one of the greatest collections of Western European paintings in the world, we jumped at the chance.
The National Gallery located in Trafalgar Square, in the heart of London, houses the nation’s collection of 13th to the 19th century paintings, with iconic works by artists including Picasso, Van Gogh, Degas, Monet, Seurat and Rembrandt.
Although The National Gallery attracts over 1.64 million visitors annually they were keen to raise awareness of the iconic nature of the paintings in the collection and signpost the new National Gallery website.
Idea
With such well known masterpieces in the National Gallery collection we knew that the iconic artworks had to be at the centre of our campaign. A new facility on The National Gallery website which allows users to zoom into minute details of a painting of their choosing, gave us the inspiration for a groundbreaking animated advertising campaign.
We selected hidden details within eight iconic paintings from the collection which the public may not be aware are on permanent display at The National Gallery and created animated adverts which zoomed out to reveal well known artworks.
These adverts were shown on digital displays on the London Underground and at mainline railway stations throughout the capital. This was the first time that the gallery had used this medium, which is believed to be five times more effective than static advertising.
These digital adverts were supported with adverts in tube carriages and with street teams who handed out National Gallery branded Oyster Card wallets featuring Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at underground stations.
The campaign also introduced the strapline ‘Find Yourself’ for the permanent collection. This highlights the opportunity to discover a wealth of art which is accessible to all, as well as the suggestion that exploring great works of art will enrich your life and help you learn more about yourself.
Response
The ‘Find yourself’ campaign launched in September 2009, and the response is currently being monitored.