Situation
This is a huge event. How
can we get the community involved?
​
Walt Whitman, America's "Poet of Democracy," was turning 200 years old, and the University of Pennsylvania Kislak Center received a Pew Grant to celebrate his legacy and contributions.
To celebrate this longtime resident of Camden, NJ and cultural-connoisseur of Philadelphia, the Whitman at 200 event would be big! This 3 month-long celebration would bring artists together to examine themes within Whitman’s work and life. Philadelphia-based artists, Carolyn Healy and John Phillips, would collaborate on a multimedia installation that would be viewed aboard a 110-foot-long industrial barge at Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River. The Bearded Ladies Cabaret would create an outdoor performance at Independence Seaport Museum. Homer Jackson, director of Philadelphia Jazz Project, would organize four walks in diverse neighborhoods, which would draw on civil rights protests and freedom songs, and feature Whitman poems set to music in new compositions by Guthrie Ramsey and Waverly Alston. New York-based artist Spencer Finch would create a participatory work for the RiverLink Ferry, which traces the same route Whitman traveled between Camden and Philadelphia. Even Patti Smith would perform Whitman poems at the Philadelphia Museum of Art as a personal tribute!
In addition, a multitude of exhibitions and programs would be presented at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as by partner organizations such as the Free Library of Philadelphia, Academy of Vocal Arts, City of Philadelphia, and William Way LGBT Community Center.
Whitman at 200 needed strategy, design and implementation that would make what’s old new again, with excitement and connectivity, across three different cities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. With many locations and many partners, this event had a large reach and many moving parts — and we were determined to bring it the awareness it deserved.
Strategy
This event, and Walt Whitman’s work, had the opportunity to bring people together — and what could be more necessary right now?
Especially at a time when the country is so polarized, we wanted to create unity, joy, and inspiration. That’s not all. With multiple events across the Philadelphia and Camden region, this initiative needed to be flexible, portable and powerful.
To maximize the grant money and create the most awareness and impact, we strategized each marketing effort carefully and intentionally. We chose to create their own zine publication and guerilla marketing over an overpriced center paper print ad in the local Sunday newspaper that would only run once, to ensure this event got the reach it deserved. We designed an identity, signage and banners that could travel easily, along with vibrant, energetic and educational t-shirts, bookmarks, buttons, stickers, documentation, and so much more.
Success
Collaboration, innovative strategy and problem-solving resulted in a celebratory, fun and budget-maximizing outcome.
At GDLOFT, we love when clients bring us in early, so that we can be involved in creating the big picture from the outset. This always results in more cohesive solutions and more effective spending, just as it did here.
