marketingmag.com.au52 CAREER PROFILE
MARKETING 2019only see it at the MCA; you rarely see it overseas where it’s
likely to be more traditional dot paintings,” Conrié says.
Conrié explains how the MCA has shifted a lot of its
marketing to digital to go deeper in understanding its
audiences. “We’ve changed our customer research away
from demographical to why people are coming to the
gallery. What do they expect to get out of their gallery
experience? Are they coming to socialise or do they want to
be by themselves and have a more intellectual experience?
An 18-year-old could be coming to the gallery for the
same reasons as a 45-year-old. That’s really driven our
approach to digital.” She says there are three main streams
of communication based on the core motivations for people
coming to the gallery: intellectual, holistic and social. In
everything the MCA does, it refl ect these interests.
Last year Ogilvy Sydney won a Bronze Lion at Cannes
for the campaign #whatsyourMCA. The digital-to-physical
activation gave creative power back to the people by
inviting them to reinterpret the MCA acronym to what the
museum meant to them. Chosen entries were then projected
onto the impressive façade. “We’re doing more work to
understand the audience and making sure they come first,
and in everything we do there’s something for everyone –
from new refugees to mums with young kids or 55-year-old
contemporary art specialists.”
Pipilotti Rist’s 2017 summer exhibition Sip my Ocean
is the MCA’s best performing exhibition to date. A pioneer
of experimental video art and multimedia installations,
Rist transformed the entire third fl oor of the museum into
an immersive wonderland of projections and installations.
The exhibition went viral on Instagram. Some people came
in prepared to shoot, but then other visitors complained
that the high usage of smartphones was aff ecting their
experience. How did she manage the situation? ‘Unplugged’
sessions were introduced where smartphones weren’t
allowed. For International Women’s Day, the museum
hosted a nudist tour for anyone who identifi ed as female.
Conrié’s top fi ve reads
on creative thinking
- The Power of Moments, by Chip and Dan Heath
- When, by Daniel Pink
- A Curious Mind, by Brian Grazer
- Originals, by Adam Grant
- Imagine in Forward, by Beth Comstock
Hopefully they can walk
away with an interesting
experience and a diff erent
understanding of the
Australian identity.
Conrié talks about working with LGBTIQA+ organisations
to prepare for the event and manage it properly, in the
process discovering a true example of how people can
interact with art in diff erent ways.
When she started in the role, she shifted the focus
of the marketing. “It was very short term and it was all
about the exhibitions... It meant that we were only talking
about what the artists wanted to talk about, not about
what we stand for as an organisation or a brand.” So she
found a balance. “Yes, it’s great we have amazing artists
and exhibitions, but it’s not the only thing – we believe in
something as an organisation and we stand for something.
“What can we do to bring that to the fore?”
It’s Conrié’s ability to see the full experience and focus
on each detail that connects on another level with the
audience. At the same time as taking in the exhibition and
the artist, they are also able to understand what makes an
MCA exhibition unique to the MCA. As PR manager at
Opera Australia she already had experience working for
a purpose-driven organisation. With up to six operas in
development at any one time, she relished the opportunity
to work with artists.
For Conrié it’s extremely important for who you are
at work to be in line with you are as a person – bringing
your whole self to work. “It’s about being articulate about
your own values and purpose in life and hopefully fi nding
something where that aligns at work.” Her advice for those
looking to work in the arts is to think about how your
skills can be transferable. She encourages us to be creative
and stresses that creativity starts with being truly open,
whether it’s to other perspectives, cultures or ways of
working.