• 40% of total attendees had learned about the exhibit via social media efforts and promotional initiatives
• Significantly exceeded attendance expectations, increased expected revenue, increased first-time visitors, and widened the pool of return visitors
• Experienced membership growth

NEW WEBSITE

Just because the grounds of Old Westbury Gardens are historic, doesn’t mean its website should resemble an ancient artifact. After reviewing Old Westbury Gardens’ previous website, ZECC determined that a major overhaul was in order. But we needed to tread carefully—the trick was in finding the balance between a modern website that offers all the quality of life and user-friendly amenities that people have come to expect with the refined and elegant aesthetic that distinguishes Old Westbury Gardens brand.

To accomplish this, ZECC designed the new website for Old Westbury Gardens to fully lean in on what makes the ground so special: the opulent and magnificent gardens and architecture. All the functions that visitors of the Old Westbury Gardens’ website need—event listing, guest information, pricing, parking, and more—are easy to find and use, they’re just happen to sit side-by-side with high-quality, stark images of beautiful gardens, manors and sculptures. This gives the site a sophisticated visual appeal while still being a useful tool for potential guests of the gardens.

SEWARD JOHNSON

If you could believe it, Old Westbury Gardens, was about to get even more beautiful. In the summer of 2017, over 30 handpicked sculptures from the world renowned contemporary sculpture artist Seward Johnson came to Old Westbury Gardens and were scattered among the grounds of the resplendent mansion, the meticulous English gardens and the tree-lined walking paths. It was a once-in-a-generation event for Old Westbury Gardens, and they needed a public relations firm to help them spread this message to people from Long Island and beyond. That’s when they placed a call to ZECC.

A combination as impressive as Old Westbury Gardens and Seward Johnson requires a marketing and public relations campaign that can match up, that can sufficiently reflect the magnitude of the client. ZECC was up to the task. ZECC executed an ambitious, multifaceted public relations campaign aimed at raising awareness across the region, facilitating the launch of this experimental exhibit, and bringing in new visitors. Well before the Seward Johnson exhibit was open to the public, ZECC promoted it in newsletters, emails, television, radio, regional and local print newspapers, social media and more, always highlighting the one-of-a-kind nature of this exhibit. ZECC worked with Old Westbury Gardens to analyze visitor data to identify target areas and communities and then submitted information to activity calendars throughout Long Island, Queens and Westchester to ensure information about the exhibit was delivered to those who would be interested in attending.

To visually introduce the Seward Johnson exhibit to the public—and to build excitement ahead of the event—ZECC created a media-only walkthrough during the sculpture installation. The event was covered by several regional and metropolitan broadcast outlets and print publications. ZECC also worked with Newsday during the weeks leading up to the opening of the event to have an article run in Explore LI. The article received the cover of the section and included pictures of the sculptures and the installation day. Throughout the summer-long exhibit, ZECC secured coverage in several broadcast, radio and print media outlets to maintain excitement throughout the exhibit and distributed a stream of press releases to announce milestones reached throughout the exhibit.

To visually introduce the Seward Johnson exhibit to the public—and to build excitement ahead of the event—ZECC created a media-only walkthrough during the sculpture installation. The event was covered by several regional and metropolitan broadcast outlets and print publications. ZECC also worked with Newsday during the weeks leading up to the opening of the event to have an article run in Explore LI. The article received the cover of the section and included pictures of the sculptures and the installation day. Throughout the summer-long exhibit, ZECC secured coverage in several broadcast, radio and print media outlets to maintain excitement throughout the exhibit and distributed a stream of press releases to announce milestones reached throughout the exhibit.

To engage potential and previous visitors, ZECC and its team of videographers produced original content and multiple multimedia videos to promote the Seward Johnson exhibit, and distributed the videos on all relevant digital platforms. When the Seward Johnson sculpture exhibit was extended for one month, due to popular demand, ZECC sparked “Fear-of-Missing-Out” energy among target audiences, building additional interest in traditional media, social media, and through electronic communications. ZECC production and graphic design teams also created a monthly e-newsletter with more accessible and engaging content. ZECC utilized Old Westbury Gardens’ existing contact lists to distribute e-newsletters and worked with visitors to expand the list of recipients, populating the newsletters with information about the exhibit—including special deals, new programs and exciting ways to experience the Seward Johnson exhibit. The newsletters also included pictures of visitors interacting with the sculptures to, again, position the exhibit as one that must be attended.

ZECC also facilitated direct connections with local community groups, including several on-site events with the Girl Scouts of Nassau County. As part of its community-focused campaign strategy, ZECC ensured ongoing two-way communication with visitors during the exhibit, including following up on visitor engagement and visitor reactions. The dialogue between Old Westbury Gardens and guests was amplified by securing print, radio and online news coverage documenting the visitor experience and sharing visitor stories. Visitors were also encouraged to engage directly with Old Westbury Gardens on social media by posting pictures of themselves interacting with sculptures and using hashtags to focus interest. Key posts were also boosted to target audiences, drawing on specific audiences’ interests and locations to develop interest in the Seward Johnson exhibit. To further the conversation and evolve with Old Westbury Gardens’ audiences, ZECC also conducted a season-long in-person poll to collect accurate feedback. Results from the poll helped ZECC refine strategy and messaging on all platforms to ensure the exhibit and overarching message remained fresh and interesting in attendees’ minds.

As a result of ZECC integrated communications campaign, Old Westbury Gardens significantly exceeded attendance expectations for 2017, increased expected revenue by a large margin, increased first-time visitors, and widened the pool of return visitors. The gardens additionally saw significant membership growth, representing visitors’ hopes for— and expectations of—engaging and interactive new exhibits. Furthermore, ZECC and Old Westbury Gardens conducted a comprehensive visitor survey, which found that 35 percent of attendees had discovered the exhibit directly from media coverage secured by ZECC and 40 percent of total attendees had learned about the exhibit from word-of-mouth via ZECC social media efforts and promotional initiatives.