After months of preparation, pioneer artist Scott Hove was set to debut his immersive fine arts showcase and new gallery,The Beauty War at Cakeland, in downtown Los Angeles in March 2020 – just as the global COVID-19 pandemic hit. On the scheduled launch week, Los Angeles enacted a county-wide shut down, and the future of the show lay uncertain. What started as a straightforward opening strategy for Pitchblend turned into a series of pivots and an adaptive communications rollout.
Exciting Los Angeles about an art exhibition during a worldwide lockdown was no easy task. We needed to cut through a tense and incredibly busy news cycle in order to propel awareness for the show, while simultaneously elevating Scott’s profile as an artist persevering through an incredibly challenging time.
By remaining agile, we authentically linked The Beauty War’s intrinsic message of turbulence and growth with the broader pandemic-laden landscape to garner the public’s interest. While most venues were closed, Cakeland reimagined an experience to allow visitors to attend by appointment. We coordinated safe exhibition visits for editors and broadcast crews, providing for custom content generation and exclusive previews for the upcoming show.
The result was more than 40 feature stories across renowned digital, social and broadcast channels, establishing The Beauty War as a must-see LA art experience during a culturally-starved moment. Artist profiles, exhibition reviews, and even a national news spotlight flowed in from media outlets such as DoLA, ABC 7 News, Food Beast, LA Daily News, Hypebeast Art, KCET, LA Weekly, TimeOut, Uncover LA and more. Combined, the coverage yielded 64 million impressions, igniting public interest and driving sustained ticket sales for opening day and the weeks beyond.
I had a great time working with Pitchblend, with their pleasant demeanor and ferocious and detail focused approach. Under extreme and changing circumstances, many unfavorable, we were able to launch a profitable art venue, which would not have been possible with Pitchblend’s determination. If you need PR hire them at once!!
– Scott Hove, Cakeland