The encyclopedia · Marketing & Brand · Marketing decision · 2024
V&A said if you are into it, it is in here to reach 18-35s
adam&eveDDB's hyper-targeted V&A campaign hid 70 objects in niche places and on avatar clothing, proving there's a 2.8m-object match for any interest.
Victoria and Albert Museum
the move
The V&A, a museum of 2.8 million objects, was not landing with 18-35s who saw it as a dusty institution rather than a place for them.
adam&eveDDB built the idea as both positioning and media plan: for any interest there is an object in the collection, and the ad should appear wherever that interest lives.
So a century-old engraved tankard was buried at a popular metal-detecting site, a two-metre battle flag was carried by a reenactor, and messages were made into avatar clothing in Grand Theft Auto Online - each with a QR code linking back to the object.
The museum worked with curators to showcase 70 passions, and the campaign took two Yellow Pencils among six D&AD Pencils while driving a 23% rise in V&A searches.
why it works
- A hyper-targeted placement proves relevance inside the audience's own world.
- The collection is so broad that every niche has a genuine object.
- QR-linked objects turn discovery back into museum visits.
- Six D&AD Pencils, two of them Yellow, recognized the fit between idea and media.
what transfers
For a broad brand, the way to feel relevant is to segment to the obsession, not the demographic. Give each niche its own proof in its own place, and the something-for-everyone claim lands.
what came after
The campaign took two Yellow Pencils and four more D&AD Pencils and won One Show recognition. In the initial window it drove a 23% increase in V&A searches and a 12,000% jump in views of the featured items.
references
- Why 'If You're Into It, It's In The V&A' Has Proven Such a Success
- Victoria & Albert Museum | If you're into it, it's in the V&A
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