Finnish National Gallery & Finnish metagallery. How Finland’s first metaverse gallery was marketed to the general public.
In October 2022, the Finnish National Gallery opened Finnish Metagallery – the first Finnish virtual exhibition space in the metaverse, implemented in cooperation with Sitra and the virtual world Decentraland. Dagmar was invited as a partner to use marketing to increase awareness of the virtual pavilion and inspire visitors to the exhibition. The measures built on the basis of this information tripled the number of visitors to the exhibition.
The Finnish National Gallery is a pioneer in the use of web3 technology in Finland. In spring 2022, the Finnish National Gallery established a three-year Digital National Gallery programme with the aim of creating a functional foundation for new digital and experiential services online.
As part of this programme, the Finnish National Gallery boldly set out to create a new way of experiencing art. In collaboration with Sitra and Decentraland, a virtual exhibition space, Finnish Metagallery, was built in the metaverse.
Dagmar’s experts were invited to join us in attracting an audience to the virtual pavilion. The main focus of marketing was the pavilion’s 2023 exhibition, which showcased peace-themed works by Finnish and Ukrainian artists.
As a new innovation, Decentraland’s virtual world was a platform completely unknown to most target groups. The first task of marketing was to break down prejudices – and pave the way for visitors by introducing them to the web3 and metaverse world.
DAGMAR’S OPENLY ENTHUSIASTIC APPROACH TO A CHALLENGING AND DIFFERENT MARKETING APPROACH WAS THE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF THE CAMPAIGN. MANY THINGS HAD TO BE THOUGHT OF DIFFERENTLY THAN USUAL IN CAMPAIGN PLANNING.
Johanna Eiramo, DIRECTOR OF THE DIGITAL NATIONAL GALLERY PROGRAMMETHE COURAGE TO TRY NEW THINGS YIELDED ENCOURAGING RESULTS
Our goal was to double the number of visitors to Metagallery during the campaign. The amount was not doubled – it was tripled.
“Cooperation with Dagmar/Radly went great. We discussed openly the challenges related to marketing the new platform. We were able to get more information with light research on what things should be focused on in marketing. We learned a lot about what we can do better in the future, for example, to avoid the limitations of deskari-optimized marketing. Finally, we received a comprehensive report on the case, which will help us internally to develop future projects built on top of blockchain technology.“, says Oona Nakai, Digital Communications and Marketing Specialist at the Finnish National Gallery.
THE SAME LAWS APPLY TO DIRECTING TO THE METAVERSE AS TO MARKETING ANY SERVICE: SUCCESS REQUIRES GOAL-ORIENTED THINKING, AN EMOTIONAL APPROACH THAT UNDERSTANDS TARGET GROUPS, AND RECOGNIZES CHANNEL BEHAVIOUR.
BOLDLY JUST MOVE FORWARD, EVEN IF THE VIRTUAL WORLD IS NOT YET READY. ONLY BY EXPERIMENTING AND ANALYSING CAN WE LEARN WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T.
WHY DID WE SUCCEED?
Interesting service: The Finnish National Gallery boldly set out to create a completely new way of experiencing art.
Openly conversational collaboration: we had an honest discussion about prejudices and prejudices related to the virtual world.
Data-driven background work and customer understanding: through research and interviews, we identified the differences between different target groups in the maturity of metaverse experiences and the right ways to address different groups.
Platform and media understanding: we knew the limitations of metaverse platforms and the marketing opportunities they offer – we focused our investments on desktop targeting and the most efficient digital channels.
Cooperation with Dagmar/Radly went well. We got a nice bit more information with light research. We learned a lot about what we can do better in the future, for example, to avoid the limitations of deskari-optimized marketing. Finally, we received a comprehensive report on the case.
Oona Nakai, EXPERT IN DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING, FINNISH NATIONAL GALLERYMore of our work
