The See Van Gogh campaign targets a new generation of museum-goers and invites all visitors to see and experience the life and work of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries from a personal perspective.
From looking to seeing
The brand campaign challenges a new generation of museum visitors and existing culture enthusiasts in and beyond the Netherlands to give Van Gogh and his paintings more than a passing glance – to truly see them. Do you know Van Gogh’s Sunflowers or Almond Blossom as pictures from a book, or have you really taken the time to assimilate the works?
What is it you see, and how do they speak to your world? Through online channels and outdoor advertising, the museum will be sharing the perspectives of museum-goers, Van Gogh experts and others who feel personally connected to Van Gogh’s work as a way to encourage everyone to experience his art for themselves. All of these vantage points will be visualized in a kaleidoscopic recording of the Van Gogh Museum’s masterpieces.
The individual experience
The brand campaign revolves around the man behind Van Gogh ‘the artist’ and the viewpoints of visitors themselves. The groundwork for the new campaign was laid in an extensive brand positioning project to stake out a new mission and core values more attuned to the character of the museum and our times. That is, an inclusive museum which strives to inspire people through the lives and work of Van Gogh and his contemporaries. The museum’s new brand positioning, with its focus on the individual experience, also lays the basis for its See Van Gogh Yourself campaign. Together, its new mission and core values plus this new brand positioning will set a course for the museum in the years to come.
Collaboration
Yvonne Nassar, appointed the Van Gogh Museum’s Head of Marketing en Communication as from January 2021, and Corinne Jongh, Brand Manager at the Van Gogh Museum, kicked off the brand campaign’s development in collaboration with strategic agency Café Society and cultural creative agency New Amsterdam. Following a round of rigorous pitches, these two partners were selected for their strong strategic and creative visions.
Yvonne Nassar: ’We are working with Café Society and New Amsterdam to offer a personal and contemporary perspective on Van Gogh’s work and life. Our aim is to connect and surprise people. This is an inspiring collaboration; we speak each other’s language. By zooming in on the individual experience, we hope to stir something in visitors to our museum.’
Bas Velthuis of Café Society adds: It’s amazing to know you’ll be working with the legacy of Vincent van Gogh, and that we can contribute to carrying work from the past into the present and to tapping into a new target audience.’
Discover the Van Gogh Museum’s new brand campaign at vangoghmuseum.com/see-van-gogh