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Integrated Marketing Communications Plan

The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Overview
The Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH) first opened in 1914 as a way to display the works of one
particular artist. It is one of the first art galleries in all of Canada. Since its inauguration, it has
become a location to display many works of art from various artists. The gallery now holds over
10,000 pieces of work in its permanent collection, as well as holding traveling collections from
time to time. The art gallery also offers many other services such as community programming,
wedding services, and event services within the community.
Situational Analysis
The gallery is a landmark within the city of Hamilton, and has a lot of interesting and unique
pieces of art. Although the gallery does provide community programming for children, lately, it
has become apparent that the overall age group of attendees seems to be of a higher age
demographic. The Art Gallery of Hamilton is interested in pursuing a younger audience to help
encourage the love of arts to future generations.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
- AGH is an established institution within Hamilton and is very well known
- AGH has a very positive reputation
- Large donor base that helps keep the institution running smoothly
- Located in the downtown core of Hamilton which makes it very assessable from all areas
of the city
- Board of Directors ensures that activities at the AGH is moving in a positive direction
- Traveling shows that increase attendance rates; not just the permanent pieces
- Houses works from some very influential artists which creates a big draw to the gallery
Weaknesses
- Only one location that is not very big
- Not as wide of a selection of pieces of art than other art galleries
- The Board of Directors, may not be open to unorthodox communications tactics- may be
limiting
- Attendance to the museum is usually from an older crowd
- The programs that are available can not support a mass of children and therefore may be
forced to turn away interested youth
Opportunities
- Showing children the importance of art may help future generations of donations
- Increases in attendance also means increases in revenues
- More positive acknowledgements of the museum may also mean that more popular
traveling shows will want to set up at the AGH which will cause even higher attendance
- Can host programs outside of the actual gallery to help support the attendance of more
children

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Threats
- Competition from other art galleries such as the Art Gallery of Ontario may pull away
any potential youth that may attend
- May other childrens programs in the city that may be more appealing to young children
(e.g. sports programs)
Communications Objectives
1. To increase awareness of the services and programs offered by the Art Gallery of
Hamilton by obtaining at least 300 positive media impressions by March 1, 2015.
2. To increase attendance of a younger generation at the museum by at least 30% by July 30,
2015.
Audience
Primary
Parents of the youth- they are going to be encouraging their children whether or not to
attend the AGH and therefore should be made aware of all of the services and programs
that are available.
Media- will help spread our message about the services the AGH has to offer for children
School Boards and Teachers- will help spread the news about the educational value of
attending the AGH to the children and parents of each school board
Youth Workers in the Hamilton area that have contact with underprivileged children
Secondary
Youth up to the age of 18- they will be hearing about all of the programs and
opportunities available to them through their parents.
AGH board of directors- so they understand the initiatives that are going on at the AGH
Investors- important to keep in good communication about changes at the AGH because
their donations help keep the AGH open
Artists So they are aware of the audience that will be displaying their work
Strategies
1. Use news and ad media to reach the public about the services and opportunities available to
the children, or young artists at the AGH
2. Launch an information campaign to distribute to youth workers, media, school boards,
teachers and parents of children to show the benefits of incorporating arts into youth
development.
3. Launch a social media campaign to help promote the programs to the parents of the children
using the slogan come and discover the artist in you.
Key Messages

The Art Gallery of Hamilton promotes creativity in young children through exposure to
art on a regular basis.
The Art Gallery of Hamilton can provide an environment that is not only educational, but
also fun and interactive.

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Tactics
Strategy #1- Use news and ad media to reach the public
Tactic #1- Launch an event to showcase the young artists initiative at the AGH. At this
event, young children and their parents from areas all around Hamilton will attend. There will
also be media outlets from the surrounding area. Also, the board of directors and the investors of
the AGH will be present. At this event, the details of the initiative will be discussed as well as
provide a showcase of youth artwork from the Hamilton area.
Tactic #2- Use media tours to speak about the programs and opportunities for children at
the AGH. A particular spokesperson for the initiative will travel to media outlets around
Hamilton and the surrounding area to speak about all of the opportunities for children. They will
also explain the importance of the arts and creativity in child development. They will also
explain some of the events and traveling shows that are currently going on at the gallery, as well
as future shows and events to help increase traffic.
Strategy #2- Launch an information campaign
Tactic #1- Creation of brochures for distribution. These brochures will solely be about the
young artists and come and discover the artist in you initiatives. It will highlight the history
of the AGH, the programs and services provided for youth, and upcoming events worth
attending. It will also include a coupon for 10% of next admission, and a 10% yearly pass to the
AGH. These brochures will be distributed to local schools, homes in the neighborhood, youth
care centers, the YMCA and the YWCA in Hamilton.
Tactic #2- Put up posters around the city to promote children visiting the AGH. These
posters and billboards can display youth artwork around the city. The different posters can also
include the key messages about the fun world of creativity and being exposed to the arts at the
AGH.
Tactic #3- Offer school boards and individual schools the opportunity for field trips. These
field trips to the art gallery are a great opportunity to expose the children to art more and help
encourage them to participate in programs at the gallery. It also is a great educational tool for
teachers who are teaching their students about the arts. This tactic is also beneficial for students
from impoverished areas who may not have many opportunities to see art galleries.
Strategy #3- Launch a Social Media Campaign for parents of children
Tactic #1- Create a Facebook group to reach out to parents of children. On this page there
can be a description of the services available, the location, the benefit of including creative and
arts into a childs development, and testimonials from other parents who have used the services
provided.
Tactic #2- Launch a section of the AGH website that is directed at childrens achievements.
On this website a child can be highlighted each month with the achievements they have made in
the world of art (this can be either volunteering efforts, an essay, a painting, a sculpture, a drama
presentation). There can also be information available on up and coming events and also access

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to fun interactive games to inspire creativity. An events calendar can also be downloaded for
future reference. The slogan of come and discovery the artist in you can be displayed
throughout the website.
Evaluation
Evaluation for tactics from strategy #1- Use news and ad media to reach the public
Tactic #1- Launch an event to showcase the young artists initiative at the AGH.
- how many media outlets attended the event
- how many positive media impressions of the event were there in the media following the
event
- use of systematic tracking to determine the key points that were covered, the tone of the
articles and the type of publications. This will ensure that the gallery and the program
was positively represented and determine the extent of the coverage across media outlets
- how many youth and parents attended the event
Tactic #2- Use media tours to speak about the programs and opportunities for children at
the AGH.
- How many media outlets took the time to meet with the spokesperson
- How many times was the spokesperson accurately quoted
- how many positive media impressions were there about the AGH- can be determined
through content analysis to analyze press clippings and tv and news mentions.
- how many times was the youth initiative mentioned can be determined through content
analysis to analyze press clippings and tv and news mentions.
- Use benchmarking to compare the number of stories before and after the media tour to
determine if the media tour was successful
Evaluation for tactics from strategy #2- Launch an information campaign
Tactic #1- Creation of brochures for distribution.
- How many brochures were handed out
- How many people used the coupon for the 10% off admission or yearly pass
- Use surveys when people attend at the ticket kiosk to determine what made them want to
attend to see if it was from the brochure
Tactic #2- Put up posters around the city to promote children visiting the AGH.
- Determine the advertising equivalencies the billboards and posters received
- Use surveys when people attend at the ticket kiosk to determine what made them want to
attend to see if it was from the billboards and posters
- provide a 1-800 number for more questions which can be evaluated by the amount of
people who call it
- traffic counter to see the amount of people or cars who go back the posters or billboards
on a daily basis
Tactic #3- Offer school boards and individual schools the opportunity for field trips.
- how many schools and school boards decided to participate
- how many students were able to attend the field trip
- measure how many students returned again after the field trip was over using a name sign
in sheet

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Evaluation for tactics from strategy #3- Launch a Social Media Campaign for parents of
children
Tactic #1- Create a Facebook group to reach out to parents of children.
- How many Facebook users joined the AGH Facebook group
- How many likes or hits did the Facebook group receive from the time it was launched
until March 1st 2015.
- Use surveys when people attend at the ticket kiosk to determine what made them want to
attend to see if it was from the Facebook group
Tactic #2- Launch a section of the AGH website that is directed at childrens achievements.
- How many hits did the website get between the time it was launched and March 1st
2015.
- The amount of games that are played by children on the website
- Use surveys when people attend at the ticket kiosk to determine what made them want to
attend to see if it was from the website
- The amount of times the event calendar is downloaded