Building Audiences Fund

Linden New Art, St Kilda $6,000

To partner with international research agency Morris Hargreaves McIntyre (MHM) to apply MHM’s Culture Segments TagTool to Linden New Art’s database, website and social media channels. Once the TagTool is applied, Linden will be able to develop tailored communications for each audience segment. The project seeks to deepen audience engagement to retain audience members and attract new ones.

Lumi Interactive, South Melbourne $25,000

To collaborate with diverse Victorian artists to create four augmented reality 'selfie filters' for social media platforms Instagram and TikTok, to promote Lumi Interactive’s new body positivity game. The filters and game will be available worldwide on Apple and Android devices, through which the project has the potential to reach millions of people.

Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio Ltd, North Melbourne $10,500

To partner with Google to feature MESS collections and activities on the Google Arts and Culture website. The partnership will open-up new audiences around the world, positioning MESS alongside other leading institutions featured in the Cultural Institutions section of the site, plus other opportunities to be featured in curated collections sorted by theme.

Memo Review, $2,000

To grow interest from youth audience members and launch a subscription-based revenue stream via Patreon (a website that processes payments to creative practitioners from fans). The project will also include a re-invigoration of the Memo Review brand and partnerships with Monash University and University of Melbourne to showcase 2020 graduate art exhibitions.

Emma Ramsay – 10Tickles, $20,000

To partner with tourism and education institutions to create ‘True Crime’ online mini-games that can be played by visitors within their premises, helping to draw new audiences and revenue streams. Players will explore heritage sites where criminal events have taken place, along the way collecting clues and questioning witnesses to solve the crime. Development of the games can take place during coronavirus restrictions, readying the technology for release when venue restrictions are lifted.

Sandpit Media Pty Ltd, Southbank $29,910

To develop a new tool that will convey complex data through engaging, easy-to-understand imagery that can be distributed via digital and other communications channels. Over time, this data visualisation tool will be used across all of Sandpit’s exhibition projects, nationally and globally, helping to position them as a leader in the field.

Women’s Art Register, Richmond $4,425

To create an online, interactive map of historic sites of women’s art practice in Melbourne. The tool will act as a register, capturing crowd sourced information to complete the historical ‘picture’. The map will be complemented by a social media campaign highlighting significant stories and encouraging interaction with the map.

Jolt Sonic Arts – $20,000
Let’s Get Strange

For a partnership with SBS which will create and promote a series of sound art videos featuring Strange James and other Jolt Sonic Arts artists. Combined with social media, radio and billboard advertising, Jolt's aim is to set the pace for sound art promotion across the music sector.

Kaiela Arts – $20,000
Yuri Wala Kaiela – Fresh Water River

For a unique launch event to introduce Kaiela Arts' new screen-printed Design Roots linen fabric range. The Yuri Wala Kaiela (Fresh Water River) event will combine physical theatre with multimedia for an an outdoor theatre event at a secret location on the banks of the Goulburn River. The audience will also be treated to contemporary Aboriginal cuisine as they view an exhibition of the fabrics and products that will be available for purchase and commission.

Melbourne Fringe Festival – $15,571
Fringr – Swipe. Match. Buy.

To create 'Fringr' a game designed to encourage Melbourne Fringe Festival customers to book tickets to events being performed by emerging artists. ‘Fringr’ takes the form of an online dating game and makes recommendations for shows based on the user’s personal tastes and preferences. The Festival will own the intellectual property of the game and will have the potential to on-sell the software to other festivals nationally and internationally.

Melbourne Youth Music (MYO) – $16,800
Visualising Classical Music and Building Young Audiences

To commission Melbourne creatives to create a set of visual listening guides for younger audiences that aim to enhance their enjoyment of four well-known symphonies. The guides will feature original illustrations and graphics outlining key musical markers and allow the listener to follow the symphonies in real-time. The guides will be housed on the MYO website, available for download prior to performances, and available at performance venues. MYO will also develop social media assets and work closely with partners to promote and launch the project.

The Nonsense Maker – $7629
The Nonsense Post

To stage a creative installation that will build awareness of The Nonsense Maker brand through a novelty post box. Illustrated by Emily May of The Nonsense Maker, The Nonsense Post will pop up three times annually at venues, events, or public spaces closely aligned with the brand's target audience. People will have the opportunity to write a message on a Nonsense Maker greeting card and ‘post’ it for free through The Nonsense Post. Email addresses will be collected to engage these new audience members on an ongoing basis.

Tin Man Games - $20,000
Table of Tales – Interactive Arbitrix Installation

To create an interactive digital installation to accompany the release of the upcoming Sony Playstation Virtual Reality (VR) game, Table of Tales: The Crooked Crown. The installation will focus on the game's major character, Arbitrix, a talking mechanical bird that will be controlled by an unseen operator and the viewer using digital puppeteering via VR technology. The installation will be used at future game exhibitions and conventions to magnify marketing activities.

Centre for Contemporary Photography, FITZROY: $10,000

To establish a national competition to find Australia’s best in travel photography. The competition will support the Centre for Contemporary Photography (CCP) to raise its profile by providing tips to budding photographers and promoting CCP’s photography courses. CCP will also bring together leading photographers to judge the competition winners.

Outer Urban Projects, COBURG NORTH: $15,000

Outer Urban Projects makes work with young and emerging, culturally diverse artists from Melbourne’s northern suburbs. This project is a marketing campaign to ensure that the diversity of the company is reflected in the audience for its upcoming dance/theatre work Vessel when it is presented in Melbourne’s CBD. In addition to traditional marketing, the company will undertake promotional activities in its target communities including school visits, visiting neighbourhood houses and attending local forums. The company will also develop marketing materials and media in languages other than English.

Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS), NORTH MELBOURNE: $10,500

To create a series of marketing films called MESS RECIPES that will showcase the range of technologies and programs available at MESS’ electronic music studio. The project aims to increase awareness of the organisation and to encourage membership and increase bookings in MESS’ public access studio.

Next Wave Festival, NORTH MELBOURNE: $19,500

For a project that will create online content ranging from videos to podcasts and live online broadcasts that will allow creative practitioners based anywhere in the world to access Next Wave’s professional development programs.

The Listies, SOUTHBANK: $15,000

To create a series of short films which will be “written” by children and performed by The Listies. The films will be launched on social media and YouTube as part of a marketing strategy to promote the national tour of The Listies' live children’s theatre show Ickypedia. The campaign will also promote the corresponding book, Ickypedia: A dictionary of Disgusting New Words, published by Penguin.

Katharine Oliver, EAST GEELONG: $5,700

This project will support glass designer and maker Katharine Oliver to develop new markets for her work. Katharine will diversify her production methods, build the online presence of her business and strengthen her marketing to boost not only her local, but her national and international client base.

Auspicious Arts Projects on behalf of Sarah Ward, FOOTSCRAY: $6,300

To create an online campaign to promote Sarah Ward’s acclaimed cabaret character Yana Alana and her upcoming shows. The campaign, which will involve producing digital content which will give Yana a ‘life’ off the stage and invite fans to follow Yana’s activities and engage with her outside of the usual performance environment.

Melbourne Writers Festival, MELBOURNE: $18,000

In 2017 as part of Asia TOPA, the festival presented a pop up program of events from the Jaipur Literary Festival (JLF Melbourne). This attracted a new, culturally diverse audience. To build on this success, the festival will develop a Community Engagement Toolkit that will guide future activities and ensure that the festival’s marketing efforts continue to capture and engage new and diverse audiences.

Case Studies 2017

Outer Urban Projects

This project was an integrated marketing campaign in support of Outer Urban Project's new dance work ‘Vessel’. It targeted disengaged community audiences in Melbourne's outer northern suburbs, spanning across a 1100 km area. The marketing strategy included a plan for multilingual materials.

What Outer Urban Projects said about the Fund:

This Marketing Initiative grant allowed us to undertake work that exceeded our expectations across; community engagement, trialling new collateral, developing new and existing audiences, company profile and box office targets.

Melbourne Writers Festival

Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) presented a pop-up experience of the Jaipur Literary Festival (JLF Melbourne), as part of Asia TOPA, specifically targeting a new audience for the festival. Based on the learnings from this event MWF developed a Community Engagement Toolkit to provide alternative marketing pathways for people to attend the festival with a focus on specific segments.

What Melbourne Writers Festival said about the Fund:

This project has been invaluable to learn about real and perceived barriers to festival attendance and develop our skills create relevant communications for diverse audiences.

Fringe Festival

Fringr utilises individualised data - collected from ticket buyers during purchase and digital activity - to gamify the difficult Melbourne Fringe Festival event selection process. It takes the form of a dating profile and exists both online and in person. Fringr is designed to match Fringe Festival events with targeted purchasers based on the participant’s personal tastes and preferences. The purpose of the game is to encourage purchases to unknown emerging artists which is one of Melbourne Fringe’s key goals.

What Fringe Festival said about the Fund:

The Innovation in Marketing Fund is incredibly important in providing arts organisations with the space to take risks and find creative solutions to marketing challenges.