Public Relations: Print, Online, and Social Media

Fitz and Co. continued to place stories in high-profile media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Boston Globe, Apollo Magazine. Arguably the most exciting PR opportunity in the past year was the Hood's segment on WGBH Boston's "Open Studio with Jared Bowen," which originally aired on March 29, 2019. The piece focused on the museum's expansion and featured John R. Stomberg, the Virginia Rice Kelsey 1961s Director, and Deputy Director Juliette Bianco. On May 27, 2019, PBS News Hour nationally syndicated the segment.

The reopening's advertising plan was extensive. Print ads were placed in Art New England, Artscope, Here in Hanover, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, Art in America, Valley News, Vermont Standard, The Dartmouth, Seven Days, Concord Monitor, Union Leader, Portland Herald, and the Burlington Free Press. We also implemented far-reaching digital ad campaigns for the first time. We ran digital advertisements on the following websites: Hyperallergic, New Hampshire Public Radio, The Arts Fuse, ArtNews, Portland Herald, Concord Monitor, Union Leader, and Art New England. Our digital advertising strategy extended to our social media channels. We ran two different ad sets on Facebook and boosted well-performing posts and the event listing. Our digital marketing strategy also encompassed email marketing. The event was listed in the two contiguous Artscope email blasts sent prior to the reopening and was promoted through the Hood Museum's bulk email lists as well. The museum underwrote radio spots on New Hampshire Public Radio, Vermont Public Radio, and Maine Public Radio. Radio spots on The Point FM, sponsored by the White River Junction Frame Shop, advertising the celebration. These aired continuously during the three months leading up to the reopening.  

The team has also been strategically developing print and digital content to support and encourage campus engagement with objects, exhibitions, and programs, and to cultivate existing and new student, faculty, and staff engagement. This content included:

• An article in the fall 2018 Quarterly outlining the history of Dartmouth's collections
• An article in the winter 2019 Quarterly introducing the opening installation
• Reorganizing the "College Students" section of the website
• Developing a one-page "Ways to Get Involved" handout for students
• Creating print and digital ads for The Dartmouth
• Designing flyers and event posters to be posted around campus

In June, Campus Engagement Coordinator Isadora Italia moderated and presented on a panel titled "Becoming a Part of Campus Conversations: Reaching Out to Bring Students In" at the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries annual conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with colleagues from the Harvard Art Museums and the Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University.

A main focus of the Hood Museum's social media strategy in fiscal year 2018–19 was to reach student audiences more consistently. Having secured a seat for the Hood Museum on Dartmouth's social media management software system, Sprout Social, the staff was able to aggregate all social media accounts into one easy-to-use dashboard, simplifying and improving the museum's social media efforts. The new tool enabled effective collaboration on social media posts across the Hood's various channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn), leading to more consistent content creation and publishing. Additional highlights included the launch of the Hood Museum's LinkedIn page, participation in the international social media campaign #5womenartists, the increased recording and sharing of time-lapse footage featuring gallery installations, and the increased use of Instagram stories.

As a result of these efforts, the Hood Museum's followers on Facebook and Instagram have increased significantly:

                     08/01/18       07/01/19

Facebook       2,590             3,655

Twitter           4,008             4,014

Instagram       1,727             2,789

LinkedIn             60                106

Use of the Hood Museum of Art website, newly branded and relaunched in fall 2018, increased dramatically this year as well. The total number of page views increased by 45 percent, with new website users increasing by 39 percent.