When Botticelli’s works from the Uffizi Gallery traveled to Pennsylvania, Furia Rubel helped Bucks County’s James A. Michener Art Museum garner media attention and spread the word.
The James A. Michener Art Museum is an independent, nonprofit cultural institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Bucks County, Pennsylvania, region. The museum was selected as the only venue in the northeastern United States to exhibit Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces from the famed Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. The exhibit, Offering of the Angels: Treasures From the Uffizi, featured works from Botticelli, Titian, Tintoretto, and other masters, and was the first U.S. tour of an exhibit drawn entirely from the Uffizi collection. With a deep knowledge of the Philadelphia arts and Italian communities, the Michener engaged Furia Rubel for its Bucks County museum exhibit public relations.
Michener Museum Uffizi Exhibit Gala Committee
#1
Most attended special event to date
8 Million
Broadcast, print and online impressions
64
TV, radio, print and online feature media placements
36.6%
Return on investment
The Bucks County museum partnered with Furia Rubel to create awareness and generate publicity surrounding Offering of the Angels — specifically among Italian and Italian-American audiences — and to provide strategic counsel regarding media relations and a press conference announcing the exhibit. The museum also relied on Furia Rubel to help manage messaging regarding the exhibit, which was shown at the same time as a major construction project — the building of the museum’s new Edgar N. Putman Event Pavilion — was taking place.
To aid the museum in achieving its goals, Furia Rubel reached out to the Italian consul general in Philadelphia, ultimately coordinating a press conference at the consul general’s office. Furia Rubel leveraged the museum’s brand recognition to entice media interest while tailoring event messaging to key target audiences. Furia Rubel piqued the interest of numerous key Italian publications — in addition to that of traditional press outlets — including Italian America, The Italian Tribune, Fra Noi magazine, Ambassador magazine, and numerous others.
Offering of the Angels ultimately garnered more than 8 million media impressions in coverage valuing nearly $40,000 — a return on investment of nearly 37 percent. A portion of ticket sales and a group tour also were attributed to Furia Rubel’s efforts. Five television and radio outlets, along with 54 online sites, covered the exhibition, which also was the subject of five feature stories in long-lead publications. Among the media attending the press conference were CBS3, NBC10, Fox29, 6abc, WFMZ, and The Epoch Times. The exhibition received television and radio coverage on KYW Newsradio 1060, WFMZ, 6abc, and WOGL 98.1. Online results included CBSPhilly.com, CentralJersey.com, CiaoAmerica.net, DoylestownAlive.com, Doylestown Patch, FlorenceDailyNews.com, Newsworks.org, SimpleItaly.com, and many more. All told, the museum grossed $90,000 to support education efforts, programs, and exhibits.
Five television and radio outlets, along with 54 online sites, covered the exhibition, which also was the subject of five feature stories in long-lead publications.
