THE LUME Case Study
Influenced by Art: Newfields’ Immersive Van Gogh and Monet Experiences Garnered Digital Success
In July 2021, Newfields at The Indianapolis Museum of Art was set to open its largest continuous exhibition space in the museum’s 138-year history, THE LUME Indianapolis. It was critical to showcase what differentiated THE LUME Indianapolis from other immersive shows, leaning in to its grandeur, permanency and overall mission to allow visitors a new way to experience art.
Challenge
At THE LUME Indianapolis, guests would have the chance to immerse themselves in iconic art from Vincent van Gogh through a floor-to-ceiling multi-sensory experience that was designed to transform the museum’s entire fourth floor with nearly 30,000 square feet of immersive digital art.
From Newfields’ very first announcement of THE LUME, it was made clear that the content of the experience would rotate annually, but the technology and infrastructure for the digital galleries would remain permanent.
After huge success in its first year, Newfields announced the second year’s content in May 2022: THE LUME Indianapolis featuring Monet & Friends Alive. While Indianapolis was being introduced to immersive art experiences at this size and scale for the first time these past few years, it faced competition from other immersive art experiences occurring across the globe.
It was critical to showcase what differentiated THE LUME Indianapolis from other immersive shows, leaning in to its grandeur, permanency and overall mission to allow visitors a new way to experience art.
Solution
In 2020, Dittoe PR was hired to manage THE LUME Indianapolis’ influencer relations efforts for the grand openings of the Van Gogh and Monet exhibits.
Through an extensive influencer-focused strategy, Dittoe PR offered high-profile influencers from statewide Indiana, Cincinnati, Columbus, OH, Louisville, Chicago and St. Louis the opportunity to check out exclusive sneak peeks of THE LUME Indianapolis’s exhibits before the doors opened to the general public.
The general target audience of Dittoe PR’s outreach efforts were a diverse group of influencers who have a strong following based in the Midwest and are within driving distance of Newfields. They each fell within the main categories of:
- Lifestyle.
- Travel.
- Photography.
- Mom/parenting.
In both 2021 and 2022, Dittoe PR invited influencers from Newfields’ designated market areas to attend a two-hour “Influencer Night” VIP event where the influencer, and a +1, could experience a one-of-a-kind digital and immersive evening, complete with complimentary food and beverage from THE LUME’s cafe.
In exchange for attending the VIP event, influencers were asked to add photos and videos to their timelines and Stories, tagging @NewfieldsToday and using the hashtags #THELUMEIndy and #DiscoverNewfields. Suggested messaging for captions was provided by Dittoe PR so that their followers would be enticed to come check out THE LUME for themselves once it officially opened.
The goal was for the influencers to mingle, socialize and enjoy the experience, as well as share media coverage that would reach the influencers’ combined millions of followers.
To ensure successful events in both 2021 and 2022, Dittoe PR prepared a complete run of show document for Newfields that detailed the entire VIP influencer night. This included:
- A rundown of the times that Dittoe PR, Newfields staff and influencers would attend.
- Who could be contacted for questions about Monet while the event was in motion.
- How the social media tracking would occur post-event.
- What all was included in the influencer partnership exchange.
The Lume Results
The success of Dittoe PR’s influencer relations efforts for Newfields is measured by Instagram feed posts, Stories and total influencer impressions.
From the influencer VIP events in July 2021 and 2022, Dittoe PR achieved:
Due in part to the exposure on social media, during the first few opening weeks in 2021, the line to THE LUME Indianapolis stretched to the outside of the building all the way into the parking lot. What’s more, THE LUME Indianapolis also surpassed their goal in ticket sales and welcomed nearly 240,000 people in its first year.
Since the second LUME experience opened in the summer of 2022, nearly 75% of THE LUME’s Monet visitors are public guests, which opens up the museum to a new nonmember audience.
“Working with Dittoe PR for THE LUME Indianapolis has been a wonderful experience. The professionalism, knowledge, and passion that the team pours into their work is unparalleled! In particular, I loved working with them on our LUME Influencer Night, because they were true experts. Around every corner they provided terrific feedback and guidance for us to host nearly 200 influencers for an unforgettable evening in THE LUME.”
Mattie Wethington
NEWFIELDS
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