Marketing and press are key ways to communicate with audiences and develop interest in your project. Key to marketing and promoting artists’ moving image work is to open up the frame of reference and potential connections between your exhibition, other parallel events and wider political, social, aesthetic and historical issues. This area has a broad influence, and intersects with many other areas, so be sure to draw these out in your marketing and press activities. This page outlines some key strategies for promoting this area of work.

Creating a visual presence: the role of design

Effective design is a key way to present your project in an appealing way. Artists’ film and video is a visual art and your accompanying design and materials should express this. Having a distinct visual style that isn’t overburdened with text will help present the project to a broad audience. It’s important when developing your project to be clear on the role you want your materials to play and make sure not to confuse these different purposes. Be careful not to undermine the visual presence of your marketing materials with too many details or text on your event. It’s important to separate materials that are meant to be visually striking from those that are meant to be informative about the specifics of your project.

An effective design should be recognisable and unify the various materials you produce for your project. The design should relate to its context and express the exhibition's key characteristics through the choice of material, scale, image and fonts. For example if your event is about handmade tactile work or about sharp, angular and glossy work then you should explore ways to convey this in the design and material you use. Materials that reflect the aesthetics and language of the work you wish to show help generate a unifying presence and logic to the supporting materials you generate.

Think carefully about which materials will make an impression in the location where you plan to show your work and how they relate to materials currently available. When making a small flyer or postcard think about what will mark your cards out from similar materials? Also think about what material would be most effective in conveying your project to your intended audience and how you are going to get them to see your material.

Marketing and Accompanying Materials

Text and writing accompany projects in the wide variety of materials for promotion, contextualisation and documentation of an exhibition. The many outputs for writing about work should be carefully addressed, taking into consideration what role they play within your project. Often a good catalogue is one of the enduring aspects of many shows and allows you to bring people reproduced material (stills, notes, sketches, interviews) that they may not have access to through the exhibition. It also extends the exhibition, by presenting a record of the work, people who might not have been able to attend, can find out about what was shown.

Types of publication that accompany exhibitions and related issues include:

• Flyer - it’s important not to overburden a flyer with too much information, as its main purpose is to give clar information about where and when the work is shown and what it will be. Think about how you will use your flyers before designing them to make sure they are visible and enticing when they are produced.
• Handout / programme notes - this is a simple and effective way to give people attending the screening or exhibition extra information about the work. A simple sheet of A4 paper can contain information and notes on each work being exhibited as well as specific details about artists or the concept behind the screening.
• Website – an accessible and visible website is a cost-effective way to present information about your project to the broadest constituency. But you have to think carefully about how you will make the website accessible, for example making sure there are references and links from other websites.
• Poster - a bold and striking poster can be a great and highly visible way to make people aware of your event. With any marketing material visibility is key and posters, as long as they are displayed are one of the most visible marketing tools.
• Catalogue – catalogues are usually more substantial publications which inlude essays, images and biographical information on the artists featured in the show.

Writing can accompany and support projects through promotion, contextualisation and documentation for an exhibition. The many outlets for writing about work should be carefully addressed considering what role they play within your project. Often a good catalogue is one of the enduring aspects of many shows and allows you to bring people reproduced material (stills, notes, sketches, interviews) that they may not have access to through the exhibition. Also it extends the work to give people that might not have been able to see the show, an idea of the exhibition.

Press Relations

Having good relationships with press is an essential way to generate support and coverage for your event. Research is key to the effectiveness of press relations. Explore a range of publications (newspapers, magazines, websites, etc.) and media (television, radio, etc.) to figure out which are relevant to your projects. As well as looking at publications, also pay attention to particular writers who you could approach. Familiarise yourself with the media that you are interested in targeting, as awareness of their interests and past coverage of similar events will help you pitch relevant stories to them in the future. Similarly, familiarise yourself, where possible, with publication dates and lead-in time needed for stories, to avoid making pitches that will be too late for the publication.

Once you have decided on your key publications and media, write your press release with them in mind. The language that you use should be relevant to the type of publications and writers you are approaching. An effective press release should articulate the unique selling points of your project and the most probable stories that could be drawn from it. The copy for your press release should be distinct from your marketing copy as it is for a different audience.

Make sure your press release is clearly written and easily readable. Keep it short and to the point and include key facts on your project, such as dates, scale, the key people involved and relevant contact information. A press release should only give the key details of the project and should act as a prompt to get interested journalists to get in touch with you for further details. Make sure you are on hand to help with any enquiries and have relevant material easily accessible (such as still images and any other details on the project). As journalists will often be working on numerous stories and to tight deadlines a fast and prepared response can make the difference between an article being published or cancelled.

Listings & Networks

As generating press coverage for your event can be time-consuming be aware of the numerous listings, news bulletins and websites that will be able to list information about your event for free. Be sure to research the range of local and national listings that are available, can be easily approached and will be able to list key facts about your event. Many arts organisations have news services, listings or email reminders on events in the area – these can be an easy way to reach a specific audience and make sure they know about your event.

Explore the networks that currently exist and support areas relevant to your project. The internet allows for easy and cost-effective communication to a wide range of people who are often already collected together in a variety of networks or groups. With a limited budget, getting access to these networks and sending information out via email can be a highly cost-effective, and an efficient way to get your message to a wide range of people. Similar to using online networks and groups, some of the most effective marketing for you event can be done at similar events or through organisations with similar interests. Most organisations are understandably protective about their contact lists but should be approached early to see if there are any ways to cross-advertise your events or to share information together.

Here are a few key on-line listings sites and email services you can sign up to:

• Arts News
  www.artsjobs.org.uk
  Maintained by the Arts Council of England, the Arts News mailing list includes arts events, news and press releases for events and exhibitions throughout England.
• ArtRabbit
  www.artrabbit.com
  ArtRabbit is the online tool for people interested in the UK's vibrant contemporary art scene. The site lists events at hundreds of venues and allows the many visitors to post their opinions on each event.
• E-flux
  www.e-flux.com
  E-flux (electronic flux corporation) is a New York-based information bureau dedicated to world wide distribution of information for contemporary visual arts institutions via the Internet. E-flux has a focused and selective approach to the information they choose to distribute and charge a small fee for this service.
• Frameworks
  www.hi-beam.net/fw.html
  Frameworks is an international forum on experimental film covering all aspects, from film-making to criticism, allowing posts on production techniques, history and aesthetics of avant-garde film, critical discussions, festivals and announcements of world-wide events in film.
• LUX Newswire
  www.lux.org.uk
  LUX Newswire is a monthly e-newsletter giving information on International and UK shows and screening series, calls for work from festivals, open exhibitions, conferences and other events, opportunities for artists, new publications and LUX activities.
• Secret Cinema
  www.secretcinema.co.uk 
  Secret Cinema is a well maintained email mailing list that exhaustively covers London screenings of artists moving image work.
• Vertigo Magazine Mailing List
  www.vertigomagazine.co.uk
  Vetigo Magazine maintains a monthly newsletter with information on the magazines activities and events as well as upcoming film festivals and screenings across the UK, Europe and rest of the world.