ShareHarry Sandler, photographer Allusions of Reality
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Client: New York City-based Harry Sandler opened his first-ever exhibition of his photographs at the Renaissance Fine Art & Design Gallery in Carmel, Ind. The show, which ran Nov. 18 through Dec. 31, 2010, also featured the work of Miami photographer Barbara Ventura.
Challenge: This was the first iPhone photography event ever held in Indiana, and Bohlsen Group was charged with finding angles to entice the general public and the media to attend and cover the artists and their photographs, as well as the opening reception.
Solution: At Bohlsen Group, we pride ourselves on finding new and interesting ways to spread the word about an event. For Allusions of Reality, we focused on street promotion as well as traditional media. We provided fliers and information to hotel concierges and stores within walking distance of the gallery: bookstores, music stores, novelty shops, other galleries, etc.
For traditional publicity, we made use of Sandler’s time while in town to pitch in-person interviews, and distributed pitches and press releases internationally. We also honed in on the uniqueness of an art gallery filled with iPhone photographs and the unexpectedness of an inaugural show being in a relatively small town in Indiana.
Naturally, with an iPhone exhibit, we couldn’t forget social media. We steered an electronic campaign that included promotional giveaways featuring Sandler’s book of iPhone images.
Results: Sandler appeared on FOX59 am (TV), WTHR-TV’s noon news, a special four-part series by Dick Wolfsie on WISH-TV’s morning show that ran before CBS Sunday Morning the week prior to the opening, and WFYI-FM’s The Art of the Matter. Bohlsen Group secured print stories that included a full-page entertainment feature in The Indianapolis Star and a feature in MetroMix, as well as a preview and review in NUVO Newsweekly. Outside the state, print coverage ranged from MacLife and the Anchorage Daily News to the Royal Photographic Society’s Journal-UK and more. The opening reception also exceeded attendance expectations.