The Lobby

Client Description

According to Willamette Week: “The Lobby is a semi-secret art museum in Southeast Portland’s Ellen Browning Building.” Located on the ground floor of the Ellen Browning Building on SE Division Street, the gallery space is free and open to the public, showcasing world-class works of art in themed exhibits that rotate every six months. Art pieces on display in the Lobby are curated by Sima Familant, private curator and art advisor, from the personal collection of Molly McCabe. 

Project Description

The Lobby at Ellen Browning Building engaged A.wordsmith to launch its presence in the Portland market, build brand awareness and legitimacy in the local arts and culture scene, and ultimately share the beauty of art with a wide audience. 

A.wordsmith took a multi-pronged approach in its strategic communications campaign for the Lobby, combining traditional media relations on a local and regional level with consistent social media presence and monthly email newsletter distributions. In tune with the opening of new exhibits, our media relations efforts focus on announcing new and upcoming art collections and drawing connections to the local arts community as well as the broader conversation happening in the art world. 

In addition to media relations pushes anchored to the new exhibit openings, A.wordsmith plans and executes consistent social media content on Instagram and Facebook, showcasing the featured artists and topics of note within both the local and broader art worlds. To grow and engage our target audience via email, we also develop monthly e-newsletters, surfacing background information on featured art/artists as well as expert commentary on trends spiking in the art world. 

Key Results

As a result of our efforts, A.wordsmith garnered 38 earned media placements with local/regional news outlets including broadcast, radio, print and digital, resulting in nearly 16 million impressions in the span of 1.5 years. We have also organically grown our following for monthly newsletters, Instagram and Facebook. 

Coverage Snapshot 

Instagram