The Challenge
Post-pandemic, 95% of people aged 55+ were aware of the V&A. But the awareness figure was only 42% amongst 18–35 year-olds. This lack of brand closeness translated into a lack of visits: by 2022, the average V&A visitor was significantly older than the general population. As a publicly-funded institution, the V&A had a moral and regulatory responsibility to bring the power of creativity to everyone – not just older folks.
The Solution
We needed to make the V&A feel personally relevant. We did it by connecting objects in the collection to the things young people care about. With over 2.8 million objects, covering every niche - from Harry Styles to medieval armour – the V&A had something for everyone. Our idea was simple: If you’re into it, it’s in the V&A. It was a brand promise we could prove – again and again and again. In each execution, ‘it’ changed, always representing a relevant object from the collection. We brought our idea to life in three ways. Personalisation at scale: In mass reach channels (OOH and PR), we tapped into our audience’s most popular passions – from Star Wars to Taylor Swift – highlighting the things most young people are into. Contextual personalisation: In contextual channels (press ads in special interest publications, location-specific OOH and influencer content), we took hyper-relevant messages to the places and spaces people pursue their specific passions. True personalisation: We topped it off with 100+ grass-roots activations – from a physical artefact buried for mud-larkers to an in-game Easter egg for GTA fans – personalised on a 1:1 level. Each execution was lovingly crafted. We went to great lengths in materials, production and colour matching because we knew fans would notice and appreciate these details. By doubling down on craft, we increased the likelihood of executions being shared and talked about, sparking the conversations we sought.
