The Brief
Teaming up with the iconic satirists Modern Toss, we were tasked with launching the Sheffield exhibition after supporting its pop-up appearance in Liverpool earlier in the year.
Taking place at Sheffield Moor from 24 October to 9 November, the exhibition which was part of Modern Toss’ 21st Anniversary tour, was a full-scale retrospective of Jon Link and Mike Bunnage’s iconic work. Our brief included promoting the exhibition across the city, inviting influencers and press to the launch event, and delivering ongoing press support both ahead of the opening and throughout its two-week residency in Sheffield.
Our Response
To build a buzz and drive awareness ahead of the exhibition opening to the public in Sheffield, we delivered an integrated PR and influencer campaign designed to generate excitement across the city. Our activity combined targeted media and influencer outreach, strategic media partnerships and a launch event to maximise visibility and engagement.
We drafted and issued a launch announcement press release to national, regional, What’s On and broadcast media honing in on ‘firsts’ for the touring exhibition which included the chance for local residents to be part of the UK’s first ever ‘swear map’, a piece of tongue in cheek artwork created by the team behind Modern Toss and a nod to one of their most recognisable pieces of work: The Periodic Table of Swearing. The map featured local swear words and sayings from Sheffield which provided an additional hook for the public and regional media. Following the initial announcement, we maintained momentum through continued pitching to What’s On press and listings opportunities, as well as promoting student offers once the exhibition had opened.
To tap into local audiences, we proactively identified and reached out to influencers, local businesses and press targets across Sheffield, inviting them to the launch exhibition in return for social coverage. This approach helped drive organic visibility and amplified the campaign’s reach across multiple media platforms.
We also worked with social first news outlet, The Sheff as part of a media partnership, to widen reach and generate authentic content. This activity included coordinating a first look Instagram Reel which achieved over 50k views and over 1.2k engagements. We also managed ongoing social support from the page as well as facilitating an on-site interview with Jon Link, one half of Modern Toss.
The Results
We achieved great results across this campaign, securing 22 pieces of press and social content with a combined reach of 76,643,270.
Press coverage included The Sheffield Star (Reach: 2,900,000), The Rotherham Advertiser (Reach: 159,400) and Welcome to Sheffield (Reach: 88,500).
Social coverage included hits such as The Sheff (Reach: 67,900), expmagsheff (Reach: 58,800) and numerous pieces of influencer content.
