The Cult of Beauty was a major exhibition at Wellcome Collection that ran from October 2023 - April 2024. The exhibition explored notions of beauty across time and cultures, inviting audiences to question established norms and reflect on more inclusive definitions of beauty. This exhibition was a great opportunity for us to reach a broader audience who may not have thought that Wellcome Collection was for them.

The challenge was to create a marketing campaign that had strong cut-through, featured accessible content, and reached new and diverse audiences, with a particular focus on young people.

We achieved this through a combination of striking creative, strategic media placements and a marketing partnership with Polyester Zine, an intersectional feminist arts and culture publication.

The results were:

• The Cult of Beauty exceeded its attendance target, making it one of the most popular exhibitions in Wellcome Collection’s history.

• The campaign was shortlisted for ‘Museum Campaign of the Year’ at the Museums + Heritage Awards 2024.

• Wellcome Collection saw an increase of first-time visitors over the duration of the campaign.