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Marketing/Advertising
It is the Gallery’s intention to promote the Expo
to the right audience through the right media so as
to draw the largest crowd possible. Just because one
develops or builds an event does not mean the public
will come. Some of the world’s most interesting events
go unnoticed simply because people aren’t aware
of them.
Early and continual advertising helps maintain the
Expo’s attendance level. However, the cost to advertise is
dear. Te OG team begins its marketing concentration
as early as mid-January and continues through mid-
November.
Tere are two marketing strategies OG implements
to promote the Expo and its sponsors and exhibiting
artists. Te two strategies are: a media campaign and
October Gallery’s hand-to-hand combat. Both automatically lead to a
word-of-mouth campaign.
Marketing System Placing a major emphasis on advertising in newspa-
pers and national magazines and on the Internet has
proved very efective. Tis wide-sweeping approach
emerged from our work in the 1980s and 90s. As a
means of encouraging the growing interest in African-
American art, OG took the message and the art to over
32 U.S. cities yearly. Our present use of national me-
dia plus the Internet provides efective communication
tools to cement earlier relationships and to undergird
the depth and scope of our vision.
Trough advertisements we aim to pique our
customers’ interest. Te content and visuals of our
Web site facilitate the messages so that customers
miles away can feel as close to the Expo as our fellow
Philadelphians.
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600,000 hits per month on our Web sites (octobergallery. fiers help us attract more attendees. Tis ofer adds
OG is pleased to announce that we receive up to
value to the fiers. When they are handed out fve to
com and paintmagazine.net). Te hits increase seven months prior to the event, ofering a free print
dramatically as we near Expo, totaling up to 1,000,000. upon redemption, it makes it more likely that potential
Te Web site is constantly updated with information clients will hold on to them. Tese fiers also reveal
on current contests, art giveaways, news, education and that admission is free, and highlight artists, national
opportunities. More trafc means increased interest in organizations, sponsors and community groups that
the Expo. are associated with Expo, helping them gain greater
exposure and helping us portray the depth and scope
Paint Magazine, our national quarterly resource of the event. Attendees can get a number of other free
magazine for popular African-American art, has become items, simply by registering online prior to the Expo.
a strong vehicle for promoting cultural events and issues
as well as other topics of interests. By 2002, two years
after the magazine premiered, Paint had found its target
audience. Subscriptions increased signifcantly.We
decided to entrust Paint with delivering the details of
the Expo that year. We adjusted the advertising budget
accordingly so as to increase Paint’s area of distribution.
Our logic was: Shouldn’t we put some trust in an
advertising medium under our
own management? Why not invest
in our own advertising medium?
Why not put a stake in a future of our
own design?
Call us crazy! Perhaps our reasoning
was indeed irrational. We took 40%
of the advertising budget designated
for established newspaper ads and
re-allocated those funds for Paint
Magazine and its distribution.
Fortunately, two things happened.
First, Paint surpassed our marketing
expectations. Second, Paint proved
to be a viable advertising medium and
demonstrated its efectiveness as a tool
of communication.
Te fiers promote the Expo and
our sponsors and exhibiting artists.
And by ofering a free mini print the
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