Vienna is celebrating “Viennese Modernism 2018”. In order to promote the anniversary the Vienna Tourist Board challenged us to create a provocative campaign that hits a nerve in today’s society. As a result we ignited a discussion by turning a ban on Egon Schiele’s nudes by different marketers in the United Kingdom and Germany as well as online into a debate about the freedom of art. The campaign led to a lot of attention, stimulated discussion and above-average enthusiasm well beyond the target markets in the international press, advertising and industry media as well as in social media.

With provoking Artists such as Egon Schiele, Vienna was ahead of its time around 1900. 100 years after his death we wanted to show that Vienna still celebrates the freedom of art like no other city. By starting a deliberate provocation that ignited a worldwide discussion about the freedom of art.

To showcase Schiele’s explicit paintings in Germany and the UK, various out of home, print and social media placements were booked. And, as intented, promptly rejected by official sources. The world-famous masterpieces were only allowed to be shown with veiled genitals in public. We apologized to viewers for the loss of art enjoyment this caused: “Sorry, a hundred years old. Still too daring today. #ToArtItsFreedom“. The campaign stimulated the audience to engage in an active discussion and gained attention for Vienna and Viennese Modernism.

A media experiment that ignited a worldwide discussion about the freedom of art: The Vienna Tourist Board started a deliberate provocation that put the question about the limits of art in our seemingly enlightened society at the centre of its campaign. Out of home, print and social media placements were booked to showcase the world-famous Egon Schiele paintings and the publication was promptly – but intentedly – rejected by official sources.

As expected the masterpieces were not allowed to be shown with unveiled genitals in public in the UK and Germany as well as on several social media platforms.

The campaign was launched with out of home, print and online placements, social media (Facebook, Twitter) and content marketing on local websites.

Target audiences included the general public and people interested in traveling as well as art (especially people aged 25-55 years with an income higher than $2400).

The world-famous masterpieces were only allowed to be shown with veiled genitals in public and at several social media platforms. We apologized to viewers for the loss of art enjoyment this caused: “Sorry, a hundred years old. Still too daring today. #ToArtItsFreedom“.

The campaign stimulated the audience to engage in an active discussion and gained attention for Vienna and Viennese Modernism. At hashtag “ToArtItsFreedom”, based on the slogan of the Vienna Secession, people’s reactions on all social networks were collected.

Even social media platforms dealt with the campaign in different ways. What some platforms permitted was subjected to censorship by others.

The international press also took the campaign as an occasion to join in the discussion about the limits of art and the morals and values of our society. All advertisments led to a microsite showing how far Vienna and its protagonists were ahead of their time: www.viennesemodernism2018.info

2.9 million Earned Media Value

+ 240 million Earned Media Impressions

+ 7 million Social Media Impressions

+ 80.000 unique visitors to the microsite during the campaign

+ 2.000 contributions under the hashtag during campaign period (the discussion is still on-going on social networks 5 months after the campaign officially ended)

1.7 million overnight stays in Vienna in Jan/Feb 2018

(+ 6.6 % compared to Jan/Feb 2017)

#ToArtItsFreedom puts Vienna in the spotlight. To engage the audience by touching a raw nerve in our seemingly enlightened society aroused interest in Vienna/Viennese Modernism and what it has to offer persons interested in travelling and arts. It also proved that Vienna was and still is ahead of its time as the advertisements could have been shown unveiled in Austria. As a result it manifests Vienna’s position as one of the most liveable and open-minded travel destinations on this planet.