Gallery owner orchestrates an animated affair: staying aware of community events created an alliance marketing opportunity for a Virginia animation gallery

Art Business News, Jan, 2004 by Erika Rasmusson Janes

The artists whose work is on display at the ArtInsights Animation Gallery in Reston, Va., aren't the only ones there with a flair for creativity. Gallery owner Leslie Combemale proved her own talent for innovation last August by creating a picture-perfect marketing event.

Always on the lookout for opportunities to get involved with nonprofits, charities and charity events in the community, Combemale was scouring the newspaper for animation-related events and discovered that the nearby Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts would be hosting two performances of the show "Bugs on Broadway." "Bugs" is a multi-media extravaganza that synchronizes the live performance of music from Warner Bros. cartoons with big-screen presentations of the corresponding animation; the event has been touring the world for the past 12 years. Combemale recognized it as a perfect opportunity to generate publicity for her gallery.

"Obviously the audience is a perfect demographic for the artwork sold at ArtInsights. These people are true cartoon lovers," she said. "Since we had just been made a Chuck Jones Authorized Signature Gallery, one of only five independent galleries in the country who have that privilege, and the Warner Bros. stores had closed, it seemed a perfect time to let people know we were the only gallery in the Washington area representing Chuck Jones and Warner Bros." Chuck Jones, of course, is the legendary Warner Bros. director and creator of Bugs Bunny.

With the idea in her head that ArtInsights should somehow partner with the production, Combemale starting calling on behalf of the gallery and asking to be involved in any way possible. "At first they said no," she said. "But I just kept calling, and finally my perseverance paid off."

Wolf Trap allowed ArtInsights to have a show in its VIP area. Not satisfied, Combemale then contacted Linda Jones Enterprises for additional help. The company, which publishes and distributes the work of Chuck Jones, already had a longstanding relationship with "Bugs on Broadway" creator and conductor George Daugherty. Together, they crafted an agreement where two 40- by 60-inch giclees of "Bugs at the Piano," valued at $4,800, would be presented onstage and donated on behalf of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. One giclee went to the Kennedy Center's National Symphony Orchestra; the other went to the Wolf Trap Foundation for file Performing Arts. ArtInsights was part of the presentation onstage, and Daugherty mentioned the gallery's name each night to the audiences of about 7,000 people.

"We thought it was a fabulous idea, and that's why we wanted to [help] take it as far Ks we could" said Robert Patrick, gallery relations and wholesale sales rep for Linda Jones Enterprises. He credits Leslie Combemale for "paying attention to what's going on in the community."

ArtInsights did its part, of course, to promote its participation in the event and drive interest. Gallery customers were sent mailings alerting them to the event, and ArtInsights bought a block of tickets and invited its best Warner Bros. clients to a picnic on the lawn at the show. After the event, the owners put pictures of the presentation on its Web site, and followed up with the new and potential clients they met at the event by sending them images and mailers about the gallery.

Thanks to ArtInsights' participation in and promotion of the event, it has seen an increase in both interest in and sales at the gallery. Combemale made a number of sales to members and donors in the VIP area at the performances, and said that sales at the gallery "were very positively affected" by people who heard of ArtInsights for the first time when Daugherty introduced the gallery onstage. In fact, she said the gallery's sales increased 20 percent in the month after the performances.

While ArtInsights' involvement in the "Bugs on Broadway" event was an almost too-good-to-be-true example of a cross-marketing opportunity, any art retailer can benefit from riding on the coattails of a well-attended community event.

"The concept of alliance marketing is extremely powerful" said Candace Corlett, a partner at WSL Strategic Retail, a New York-based marketing and retail consulting company. "When you've exhausted your audience and said everything, how wonderful [is it] to be able to tap into some one else who's delivering the same message. That is what this 'Bugs on Broadway' alliance was all about." According to Corlett, alliance marketing--borrowing on the equity of another strong event--is such a successful concept that it has infiltrated almost all forms of retailing. "The challenge is finding opportunities and making them happen."

For ArtInsights, finding those opportunities has been the key to its survival and success. "No matter what the economy [is doing], there are always people looking for art," said Combemale. "My suggestion to other galleries is to be in the loop for charity events and shows going on that you could tie into, whether by donating a piece or having a show as part of their event. Many events can benefit from a special show by a gallery that donates part of its sales to the organization."