Strategic Alliances: The Good and the Bad from Art Basel Miami

What stood out above all was the frenzy of luxury brands trying to capitalize on the art craze. Besides the expected names in publishing ( e.g. Architectural Digest, Travel + Leisure), fashion and jewelry (e.g. Pucci, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels), and banks (e.g. UBS, HSBC), there was Chubb endorsing homeowners insurance, Parmigiano Reggiano promoting cheese making as a fine art, real estate developers, even a new anti-oxidant beverage called Purple, to name a few.

A great idea, but one that could have been much more developed and used as a PR tool, was Kohler’s bathroom trailer adjacent to the art show Scope. Though a big step up from the usual portable toilets in the quality and design of the fixtures, and spaciousness of the facility, there was nothing that showed off the design image that I imagine Kohler would like to project or that Art Basel visitors would relate to. Case in point – Charmin toilet paper is offering public restrooms over the holidays in New York’s Time Square. Within the space, consumers are encouraged to vote for the right Charmin for them, and the Flush-O-Meter communicates regional preferences towards Ultra Soft or Ultra Strong. Last year, the fully staffed and no-charge restrooms were accessed by more than 420,000 people, who visited New York during the holiday season. The reason for the offering? “Charmin’s gift to New Yorkers and tourists this holiday season,” said brand manager Dennis Legault.

Events at the fair included hot air balloon rides, private jets and a day at the beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands to view a new resort development and of course parties at all the hot places. The biggest “no no” were events or booths staffed by people who had no idea of why they were sponsors or even the benefits of the product they were promoting. When questioned, they said that the entrepreneur or director wasn’t there and they couldn’t answer my questions. Another “no no” was a renowned New York art gallery that gave a VIP cocktail party for a star artist in one of the toniest hotels in town, only to have no hosts on hand to introduce the artist or greet guests, no literature on the artist’s work, and only a single plasma TV with a poor quality video. Where the events were most successful was when it was obvious they were part of an entire marketing program that was not a “one shot” deal for Art Basel. In these cases, the events had style and substance, and the hosts were much in evidence and well informed. Kudos go to Campari with their display of winners in their annual art competition with accompanying brochure, a recreation of an entertainment lounge in the brand’s colors, and a circular bar with a column of back lit bright red Campari bottles. The gold standard was Cartier. Insights into the Cartier event will come later.