Strategic Communications Support

The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities (CAH) engaged Bayne LLC to provide marketing, public relations, and outreach support to communicate CAH’s vision, achievements, goals, and impacts to local stakeholders and the public. Bayne conducted this through the following:

Comprehensive Strategic Marketing and Communications Plan

Designed, developed, and executed a comprehensive, multi-month, multi-channel marketing and communications plan to:

• Elevate the local, regional, and national visibility of current CAH grantees and their grant-funded projects with an emphasis on the projects’ positive impacts and community benefits.
• Increase the number and percentage of applicants from underrepresented communities and organizations.
• Increase awareness of and participation in CAH’s non-grant activities.
• Highlight ongoing CAH activities and how they relate to recommendations from CAH’s Task Force on Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
• Build a stronger and more robust social media presence through a content calendar schedule and testimonials.
• Strengthen interagency relationships with the Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment and other District Government agencies.

Artists’ Table Campaign

Developed the “Artists’ Table, a multi-media campaign featuring artworks by the selected artists; a mini-docuseries featuring the selected artists’ lives, studios, and artistic passions; a panel discussion on creating, sustaining spaces and belonging for historically excluded artists; and the unveiling of commissioned portraits of each selected artist and their medium, along with a group portrait.

• Featured lesser-known artists, disciplines, and projects funded by CAH.
• Intentionally focused on the diversity of women, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and LGBTQ artists
• Featured portraits were used in a social media outreach campaign promoting the grants process and increasing CAH’s profile.
• Created a gallery exhibition featuring the artists’ portraits, telling their stories using visual images; hosted the opening reception.
• Created a visually dynamic campaign combining original photography, graphic and print designs, informational videos, and a mini docuseries telling the story of CAH’s inward reflection and emergence throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and amidst racial protests.
• Created a three-part mini docuseries comprised of 3–5-minute videos featuring three of the selected artists from the Artists’ Table, including perspectives and behind-the-scenes insights from CAH. The videos were further edited into 1:00 -1:30 sharable social media videos.

Social Media Campaign

Developed and produced content for the social media campaign featuring:

• Grantee spotlights, highlighting their mission and accolades, and how the CAH grant was valuable to their story.
• Arts and humanities advocacy, highlighting arts and humanities programs in the district, and recognizing the diversity of CAH-funded artists whose work falls outside of the traditional view of art.
• Grant opportunities, spotlighting specific grants as their deadlines approached.
• Created visual storytelling pieces designed for use as Facebook and Instagram ads, Instagram Reels and IGTV spots and Carousel Spotlights.

Media Relations

Utilized CAH’s qualitative and quantitative data to inform the creation of CAH messaging and to be sure targeted audiences were reached.

• Developed and created one-pagers and FAQs about the Commission’s work and its results.
• Developed and implemented a Media Advisory strategy for alerting the full press list of CAH events and webinars, and for following up with reporters.
• Designed and implemented a digital repository of approved stories for use in newsletters, social media, and other marketing materials and initiatives, allowing CAH to remain in the media spotlight.

Paid Media

Designed and strategically purchased ads across a diverse range of platforms:

• Facebook and Instagram ads promoting grant applications, CAH events, and highlighting important achievements.
• Utilized monthly boosted posts to promote and spotlight grantees.
• Boosted videos on YouTube and Instagram to promote grantees.
• Created pre-roll ads on YouTube featuring clips of grantee interviews.
• Boosted interviews on Facebook and Instagram to feature select grantees.
• Placed ads in community newspapers highlighting CAH’s work.
• Developed a media buy schedule to feature agreed-upon components of CAH’s work (including the Marion Barry Project, the Recovery Fund, the Public Art Grant, the Artist’s Table, and highlighted grantees).

Community Engagement

To strengthen CAH’s relationships in the community, Bayne created a targeted community engagement plan.

• Identified opportunities for CAH surrogates to speak at community meetings (g., ANC meetings), participated in local events to increase visibility and to reach populations that are not reached through traditional marketing methods.

Results

The marketing and communications plan developed by Bayne:

• Increased the total number of eligible applicants for CAH’s annual grant by 10 percent.
• Increased the diversity of eligible applicants.
• Raised the local, regional, and national visibility of CAH grantees and their grant-funded projects, and the projects’ community impacts.
• Increased awareness of and participating in CAH non-grant activities (professional development programs, gallery exhibits, Labor Day free concert series, and special programming associated with events such as Black History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and LGBTQ Pride Month.