Vandejong amsterdam

a museum as brand

001

In a short time, Foam has won the minds and hearts of a large audience.

ClientStichting Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam

AssignmentDevelop a brand concept

SolutionA new form of cultural entrepreneurship: thinking in networks and connections

Brand conceptMore than a museum

From 40,000 visitors in 2001 to 200,000 in 2009

always something to experience

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Local activities...

keizersgracht amsterdam

from museum

...global ambitions

to network

...global ambitions

In 2001, the Stichting Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam received the green light from the city to move ahead with its plans for a museum on Keizersgracht. The new museum asked Vandejong to develop all its communi-cation and create recognition among a mass audience. Vandejong developed a ‘museum total concept’ devo-ted to strengthening the museum’s relevance to the city, the photography world, the audience, and other institutions. The concept is an integrated vision whose starting premise is a new form of cultural entrepre-neurship: thinking in networks and connections. Eve-rything is geared toward reaching as many people as possible, to connect specific groups to the museum and to each other. This concept turns the traditional image of a museum on its head. All communicati-ons media are viewed as extra exhibition space. The

a museumas brand

Create synergy

a'dam

magazinegallery

do-it-yourself

community

global

local

brand

homebase

Foam’s sub-brands strengthen each other

city is used as a gallery. We increased potential visitor numbers by producing a magazine instead of catalo-gues from the start. The magazine is also distributed internationally. A name arose naturally out of the con-cept: Foam. Light and accessible, it is derived from the name Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam but usable in an international context.

Foam is more than a museum

Foam seeks to help as many people as possible to enjoy photography, to share its knowledge with them, and to foster discussion. Foam therefore exhibits photography in all its forms: autonomous, documentary and applied, historic and contemporary. No hierarchical distincti-ons are made among famous names, up-and-coming talents and amateurs. This attitude serves as the basis for Vandejong’s communication concept. The desire to communicate with a wide audience calls for vigour and broad-mindedness on the parts of the client and the agency. A near-limitless collaboration has arisen between Foam and Vandejong, resulting in continually expanding services, product development and innova-tive communication.

A brand for everyone

Foam is open, enterprising and multifaceted and has

an eye for quality. The organisation is suited to a brand style that does not get in the way of its ambition and liveliness but rather supports and strengthens it. The design has therefore been partially determined by how the brand has grown. Today, Foam is a strong brand family with many extensions, including educational projects for schools, its own cultural investment fund, and the international Foam Magazine. The concept behind this strong brand family allows Foam to attract visitors from different strata of the population and a diverse age range.

Accessible to the world

Foam’s first exhibitions were recorded not in a cata-logue but in magazine form. This enabled more co-pies to be printed and more people reached. In 2003, Foam began using the magazine as an extra exhibition platform, independent of what was on view at the mu-seum. Unusually, Foam publishes its magazine as a joint venture with Vandejong. Foam Magazine soon firmly established itself in the art magazine segment. Internationally, it has received abundant praise and appreciation from renowned pho-tography institutes, top photographers, curators and gallery owners and collected many awards, some for its design. One of Foam Magazine’s main goals has thus been achieved: it has given Foam an international

voice and presence.

Outside the museum

Conscious of its role and significance in Amsterdam, Foam has always put great energy into reaching the city’s public. But not everyone is able or willing to visit the museum. So directly after its opening exhibition, Foam asked Vandejong to organise another one in the Vondelpark. Numerous professional and nonprofes-sional photographers sent in their best work. Out of a vast range of entries, the top 150 photos were selected and hung on lampposts in the park. We are all confronted every day with photographic images in public space. These images usually trans-mit commercial messages. As a counterweight, Foam seeks to more often emphatically present itself in pu-blic space. After its first show outside the museum, Foam therefore continued to exhibit outdoors: again in the Vondelpark with Foam Oase and all over the Ne-therlands in 2009 with Nieuwe Groeten Uit... (‘New Greetings from...’). Foam has also sought collaboration with other institutions. Foam exhibitions have taken place at museums including the Jeu de Paume in Paris and the Museum of the City of New York. Exhibiting outside its own walls enables Foam to reach a much larger audience than it could accommodate on Kei-zersgracht.

Do it yourself

Foam seeks to teach people to look at photography. To that end, it offers specific target groups custom-made ‘ways in’ that can help them to develop a critical awareness of contemporary visual culture. Vandejong developed the umbrella brand Foam For You for this purpose. Beside designing specific projects like Foam Safari (for toddlers), City and Language (for immi-grants) and Photos in Dutch sign-language (for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), Vandejong has provided content for Foam Lab (career coaching for the cultural sector) and What’s Your Story? (a cultural education project for upper primary and secondary schools).

Independence

To reduce Foam’s dependence on subsidies, Vandejong has come up with ways Foam can generate its own income. Several have been carried out: one is Foam Fund, an investment fund that lets companies and in-dividuals buy shares in Foam’s success. Foam uses the revenues to finance projects including its talent pro-grammes. The annual dividend paid to shareholders consists of a print by a talented photographer whose work has been exhibited at Foam – a direct return on investment.

Foam’s success

Foam has succeeded in attracting a broad public and in making photography accessible without compromi-sing quality. Since Foam opened in December 2001, it has grown enormously in every area. Alongside the continuous expansion of Foam’s diverse range of acti-vities and numerous presentations, visitor figures rose from just under 36,000 in the first year to more than 200,000 in 2009. Thanks to these figures and the pu-blic attention it attracts, Foam has positioned itself in the top echelon of Dutch museums. In 2009, there were 60 Foam Fund shareholders, 586 Club Foam members, and 802 Foam Fans. Since 2007, each year’s activities have been summarised in an annual Foam Album. The 2007 edition scooped the international Red Dot Award for communication design. In 2008, Foam won the SponsorRing ‘smart budget’ prize for Foam Lab. And for the innovative financing projects it set up for individual donors, the museum won the MecenaatsMuze prize at the Cul-tuurbal 2008. The jury called Foam an ‘exceptional and inspiring example for the cultural sector’. Foam Magazine has won international awards and is seen by opinion leaders in the international photography world as the top art photography magazine. Vandejong is currently working with Foam to help the museum realise its international ambitions. This will involve a key role for online communication and

the creation and maintenance of various communities around Foam’s programming.

Vandejong & culture

The artistic and cultural sector plays an important role in developing society’s brainpower, creativity and in-novation. Outside-the-box ideas and uncommon views of the future germinate at cultural institutions. They must therefore show leadership – in their communi-cation as elsewhere. Vandejong develops cultural brands centred around content, experience and innovation. Our approach is hallmarked by our participation in both the everyday world of the audience and the creative sphere. This allows us to assist institutions in thinking about pro-gramming, activities and communication that can help them to build bridges with the public.

Create synergy

a'dam

magazinegallery

do-it-yourself

community

global

local

brand

homebase

an international exhibition in a magazine

nieuwe groeten uit... (‘new greetings from...’): a road show around the country

Communication as exhibition

Foam makes photography the talk of the town.

about Vandejong

Vandejong is an enterprising, strategic, creative communications agency. We like to work with people who dare to forge new paths and believe in two-way inspiration. Vandejong stands for honest, sincere communication with a distinctive style. Our strategists and creatives work closely together on brands and campaigns. We bring in outside experts when necessary. We therefore contribute in a broad way, from brand concepts and creative strategies to concrete campaigns, materials, and even new services and products when necessary.

Foam

strategy, concept en productionVandejong

001 Foam A museum as brand002 neau World water for world citizens003 Foam magazine Exhibitions in a magazine004 anno We make history!005 university of twente We create futures006 Foam Fund Investment advice007 university of twente Start studying008 stichting Waterexpo 2010 A revolution in thinking about water009 un. gIFt Fight human trafficking010 Cineville There’s a new town in town011 dutch ministry of Foreign affairs Alliances for a better world012 Various Consortia Hello Zuidas013 the groene Hart The Randstad’s experimental garden014 City of amsterdam Housing department 150 years of Wibaut015 Castrum Peregrini Intellectual playground016 Foam / anP Historisch archief / museum of national History New greetings from...

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more informationIlse HuijgAgency managerilse@vandejong.nl

Contact ust: +31 20 462 2062e: info@vandejong.nl

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