It was announced yesterday that Grey New York has been selected as the global agency of record for the Whitney Museum of American Art. The flagship office of the global creative advertising agency (which was named both ADWEEK's "Global Agency of the Year" and AD AGE's "Agency of the Year" in 2014) have been tasked with developing a comprehensive integrated campaign, that it thought to be the most intensive in the museum's 83 year history. All global creative brand strategies and advertising (TV, print, digital, out-of-home and more) will be handled by the agency, as will all social media content.
Grey was named ADWEEK's "Global Agency of the Year" and AD AGE's "Agency of the Year" in 2014
This week will see the launch of the 2014 Whitney Biennial, the museum's signature exhibition and Grey's first opportunity to show off their work for the brand. This year, the exhibition will showcase works from 103 participants, each selected by the museum's renowned curators. It's thought that this year's Biennial will offer the most diverse range of contemporary modern art ever seen in the museum and will be on display from now until the 25th of May. During the duration of the campaign, Grey will be recognised as the Whitney's "Exclusive Marketing Partner."
The 2014 Biennial will also be followed by the launch of a retrospective for the controversial and influential postwar artist Jeff Koons, the most comprehensive exhibition ever devoted to the great man. The marketing support will of course be handled by Grey and will be on display from the 27th of June this year until the 19th of October. Koons is a notorious American artist renowned for his work in bringing beauty and artistry to banal objects. His divisive, historically important work is a perfect fit for both the museum and Grey.
Grey will be developing a global campaign, which will strive to generate a buzz of enthusiasm and awareness for the historic American institution
The museum will be moving next year to the meatpacking district at the base of the High Line in lower Manhattan, to a bespoke building designed by award-winning architect Renzo Piano. This means 2014 will be the final Biennial to take place in the museum's Madison Avenue location, which has been its home since 1966. To coincide with the move, and to underline the museum's stature as the defining museum of contemporary and modern American art; Grey will be developing a global campaign, which will strive to generate a buzz of enthusiasm and awareness for the historic American institution. Helping them to achieve this goal will be the #AmericanArtIs hashtag, which will be used on all the museum's marketing materials for the foreseeable future.
Jeff Levine, the chief marketing and communication officer of the Whitney museum is “Delighted to partner with Grey,” and believes the partnership marks a “Transformational moment” in the museum's history. He believes that the “Creativity,” and the “ Strong, clear tone of voice” present in the agency's work and their “Integrated digital and social capabilities and global reach” make them the “Ideal choice.” CEO of Grey North American Michael Houston reciprocates the praise, listing the Whitney as one of the cities great cultural treasures. He also states that as fellow New York inhabitants for almost 100 years (Grey was first founded in 1917) and avid supporters of the arts, his agency are “Honoured to introduce the new Whitney to the world and bring the world to the new Whitney."
Official Whitney Museum of American Art Website
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance copywriter from Kidderminster in the UK who won't even begin to pretend to understand modern art. He did spend an afternoon in the Tate once though and had a wonderful sandwich!
