±±¾©Èü³µpk10

The Tate Gallery is to begin a bullish branding campaign following

the appointment of BST-BDDP after a final shoot-out against Mustoe

Merriman Herring Levy.

By 2000, a new Tate Gallery will open at Bankside in a decommissioned

power station on the Thames. The existing Tate Gallery will be

redeveloped in 2001 as the Tate Gallery of British Art.

BST’s brief is three-fold: to double the number of visitors visiting the

gallery at Millbank (standing at two million a year); to help

communicate that, by 2000, there will be two Tate galleries in London;

and, finally, to develop the Tate brand.

Damien Whitmore, head of communications at the Tate, said: ’At the

moment we do what I would call ’standard art gallery advertising’ which

is based on our corporate identity designed by Pentagram. We now want to

use interesting new media and a fresh creative strategy.’

Media buying for the Tate will continue to be handled by Total

Media.

The gallery spends between pounds 300,000 and pounds 500,000 a year, as

well as running occasional joint branding campaigns in conjunction with

other companies such as last year’s ’Cezannewich’ with Pret a Manger.

Whitmore commented: ’We are not a rich client but we spend our money in

interesting ways.’

John Allen, a partner at BST, said: ’There are many people who think

they ought to go to art galleries but are put off because they feel

galleries are too elitist or only for art buffs. The Tate is different:

it positively encourages people to react to what’s on display, whether

they love it, are confused by it, or even hate it.’

The Tate is the third most visited museum in the country after the

National Gallery and the British Museum. Paul Bainsfair, the joint

chairman of BST, commented: ’There may be bigger accounts, but few are

so prestigious.’