Division of the Arts
Marketing Strategy
Situation
As the central hub for the arts at UW–Madison, the Division of the Arts sought to be the go-to resource for students and the community to discover arts programming across campus. While we had some awareness, audience growth had stalled, and analytics revealed users were not finding the information they needed. In addition, our Artists in Residence programs, though valuable, generated limited engagement. Even participating students often lacked awareness of the Division itself, highlighting a broader issue with brand visibility and connection.
Task
Our goal was to reposition the Division of the Arts as a visible, accessible, and essential part of campus life. We aimed to clarify our identity, unify messaging and branding across platforms, and implement a communications strategy that would boost awareness, engagement, and participation, with a particular focus on reaching and resonating with UW–Madison students.
Action
To bring clarity and structure to our efforts, I established SMART goals tied to key metrics, with a year-long timeline and quarterly benchmarks to assess progress. I then mapped the student experience through an AIDA marketing funnel, prioritizing Awareness and Interest as entry points.
We implemented a multi-pronged approach to reach and engage our audience:
Launched targeted social media ads to promote events
Developed a branded, omni-channel campaign focused on content quality over quantity
Produced student-centered video content to showcase authentic experiences
Strengthened partnerships with campus communicators to amplify our reach
Activated our Artists in Residence through public-facing events and coordinated media outreach
Social Media Strategy
Social media served as a core pillar of our marketing strategy and the primary channel for reaching student audiences. We leaned into the visual impact of video to create high-quality, attention-grabbing content that sparked interest in arts events and arts on campus. To expand our reach, we also shared this content with campus partners, enabling them to repost across their own channels and amplify our efforts through coordinated promotion.
We leveraged our Artists in Residence, Sri Vamsi Matta and Marlon Hall, and their public arts events to earn media coverage in The Wisconsin State Journal, The Isthmus, Capital City Hues, Madison Magazine, and WORT radio — significantly increasing visibility of these talented, worldly artists as well as the Division’s work in Wisconsin.
We also incorporated traditional media by running monthly event listings in The Isthmus, styled to match the familiar format of local venue ads — positioning UW arts events alongside the city’s top cultural offerings and making them part of the community’s regular weekend planning.
Result
Our integrated marketing strategy produced significant gains in reach and engagement. On Instagram, impressions more than doubled (up 109%), followers grew by 38%, and engagement increased by 19.3%. Facebook saw even greater growth, with impressions up 477%, engagement up 365%, and a follower increase of 11%. One of our student spotlight videos featuring Abby Sunde drew over 100,000 views — our highest-performing content to date. Event attendance also increased by an estimated 27%, reflecting a stronger connection between our messaging and participation.
