Ashley’s Advice on Art and the City #4: Creative Marketing - Advertising Week New York Recap and Marketing for Artists

In October, I had the honor of being recognized on a list of 25 small businesses, along with my Co-Founder Zalika Zeni, for founding The Culture Candy by Amazon Ads and Ad Week. Not only did they recognize our hard work as a small business in the art industry, I accepted one of five awards for the Most Influential Small Business Marketers of 2024 for my disruptive marketing style and work in branding. While it’s been a balancing act, I’ve been fortunate enough to apply what I learned for branding and creative marketing from my professional career to my artistic career and aim to share my journey and advice on marketing yourself as an artist with our community.

In concept, The Culture Candy was an idea discussed amongst Zalika and I a year before the pandemic as two young artists of color seeking opportunities to professionally show the world we are.. artists! We would dream by our cubicles, idealistic and hopeful of making a creative career change which at the time seemed like a competitive challenge to find something outside of education and graphic design. Although I didn’t mind graphic design, at the time it was oversaturated, and creative marketing wasn’t a necessity for all businesses the way it became a necessity after the pandemic. When the pandemic hit, there was a new balance to life with hybrid and remote work and we were able to launch The Culture Candy. Prior to launch, I spent many months teaching myself marketing, branding and social media management online. In addition to being determined to make a career change to creative marketing once the need was established during the pandemic, I was determined to create a brand that would disrupt the art scene as we knew it.

As an artist in today’s social landscape, it’s important to know how to get yourself and your work “out there” in more ways than group show submissions. Learning how to market yourself is an essential skill for modern artists who wish to grow their audience and gain visibility online. My first piece of advice is becoming a student of “YouTube university” and not only learning from artists, influencers and brands, but evaluating where you can apply successful marketing strategies to yourself and your product. Everything I’ve taught myself was through knowledge I sought out through research, observations of what was working for other companies and influencers and applying it to my personal brand and mission, and making a plan, and you can too.

At Ad Week New York, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the latest marketing strategies and innovations. I was also fortunate enough to be invited to cool brand events like Google Privacy Sandbox’s takeover of Marquee with Mya performing, previewing the Netflix Squid Game Experience in Manhattan Mall, and attending the Amazon Ads honoree luncheon at Serra by Birreria in Flatiron. But the most valuable part of Ad Week was networking with and learning from leading professionals in the industry. I met a wide range of professionals, from brand marketers to creatives, expanding my network and gaining new perspectives. Reflecting on my journey, networking was a great way to spread my mission and make connections with creatives that support my mission and journey. Building connections with other industry players can lead to collaborations, mentorship, and growth opportunities that can help artists break new ground. I always advise you to put yourself out there and network at events, gallery openings, hot spots for creatives, etc. in order to expand your network and learn from other creatives.

Creative marketing is the use of innovative, imaginative, and unconventional strategies to promote products, services, or brands. It involves thinking outside the traditional marketing box to engage audiences in memorable and meaningful ways, often through storytelling, unique content, experiential campaigns, or artistic approaches. The goal of creative marketing is to capture attention, evoke emotions, and foster a connection with the audience, making the message more impactful and compelling. If you’re an artist that struggles with research or understanding where to start, here are some tips that can help you start your creative marketing plan.

As an artist your brand is yourself and your mission (think of your artist statement), your service is your skill (painting, muraling, writing, producing, etc.), and your product is your existing artwork (paintings, photography, etc.). The easiest way to market yourself as an individual is to create content. In a world where everything is content, you are tasked with doubling your creative hat as an artist AND a content creator. Ways to tackle content creation to promote your work and yourself as an artist can range from sharing photos from exhibitions, recording your process in creating a new piece, collaborating with other creatives, running social media giveaways, telling your story behind your art, sharing mood boards to your story, etc. You can also search your for you page for inspiration and leverage trending templates, audios and scripts to re-create content that grows your audience. Stuck on content ideas? Use AI to generate a list of ideas, or share the inspiration, struggles, or backstory behind each piece. Adding context makes the artwork more meaningful and can help viewers connect on a deeper level.

Creative marketing isn’t limited to content creation for social media. Other ways you can expand your marketing efforts are understanding copywriting and applying it to your newsletter, social media captions, and website. Copywriting is the art and science of writing persuasive and compelling text, known as “copy,” with the goal of promoting a product, service, idea, or brand. It involves crafting messages that motivate the reader to take a specific action, such as making a purchase, subscribing to a newsletter, or clicking on a link. Copywriting is used in various forms of marketing and advertising, including websites, social media, email campaigns, print ads, and product descriptions. The focus is on using language strategically to capture attention, communicate value, and persuade the audience to engage with the desired outcome. Develop your newsletter, start a blog about your artistic journey, connect with artists on LinkedIn, and write compelling captions and submission applications that grab people’s attention and get them invested in your story.

Are you more of a people person and less technology savvy? Take your creative marketing efforts to the streets! My friend Zalika always called this approach “boots to the ground” because it requires more in-person interaction and local coverage as opposed to online marketing. Create postcards, business cards and flyers and leave them in public spaces, go to openings and events to network, create free marketing merchandise such as stickers and post them up in public spaces, host an art workshop, live paint, turn your artwork into product merch, like prints, apparel, or accessories, Reach out to local art clubs, schools, or organizations to discuss collaboration opportunities or give workshops.

By taking the time to teach yourself creative marketing and embracing innovative approaches such as storytelling, collaborations, interactive content, and experiential campaigns, artists can elevate their visibility and grow a loyal following. It’s about more than just promoting artwork—it’s about creating an engaging experience that resonates and leaves a lasting impression. Learning to adapt marketing techniques in ways that align with one’s unique style and artistic vision enables artists to thrive in a competitive market and achieve long-term success.