Rodrigue

 

The Case

Louisiana artist George Rodrigue was selected by the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) for a career retrospective highlighting not only his commercially successful Blue Dog paintings but also his portraits of Cajun people and his representations of Louisiana landscapes.  The exhibition featured rarely seen artwork, and the pieces had never been seen together before and would not be seen together again following the close of the exhibition.

The museum hired Deveney Communication to execute a public relations campaign to promote the exhibition, working in coordination with the George Rodrigue marketing team.

Our Strategy

During the small window of time available to coordinate a full-fledged media and community relations plan, Deveney Communication worked to define strategic objectives to guide all activity.

Due to the tight time-frame, Deveney Communication focused on securing strong local media support for the opening of the exhibition, followed by strategic communication with regional media focusing on placing George Rodrigue on local television in top drive markets for the exhibition (as identified by both NOMA preferences and official Louisiana Office of Tourism research.)

On February 29, Deveney Communication coordinated an opening media event and luncheon. Following the opening, Deveney Communication sent George Rodrigue to promote the exhibition through broadcast, print and online interviews throughout the region. This strategy hit top drive markets throughout the region crucial to the exhibition’s success. In addition, Deveney Communication worked with George Rodrigue’s national book publicist to incorporate NOMA messaging into all media outreach, which resulted in quality placements on both southernliving.com and CBS Sunday Morning.

The Results

Deveney Communication placed George Rodrigue on-air in markets around the region. All media coverage resulted in 102,000,000 impressions and $5,459,466.3 in publicity value, representing a 103 to 1 return on investment.

A total of 6,127 visitors streamed through the fronts doors of the New Orleans Museum of Art on Saturday and Sunday, the closing weekend of the blockbuster exhibition, Rodrigue’s Louisiana: Cajuns, Blue Dogs, and Beyond Katrina. Total attendance for Rodrigue’s Louisiana: Cajuns, Blue Dogs, and Beyond Katrina, was 52,813 visitors, a record for an exhibition of work by a living artist at the New Orleans Museum of Art.  Additionally, jumps in attendance numbers matched jumps in press coverage achieved by Deveney Communication. This correlation showcases the value of press coverage in persuading behavior and increasing attendance.