TikTok for art

About the practice

A diverse team from the Uffizi Galleries, including an art historian, a philosopher, and individuals with different backgrounds, collaborated to create content for the TikTok account. While content experts were essential for presenting information about the collection, other skills like communication were crucial for the project's success. Interestingly, the team did not include communication experts or individuals with prior training in this area.

The main goal was to demonstrate to those who spend a lot of time on TikTok that art can be enjoyable, so an emotional approach was adopted. The content aims to captivate the audience rather than provide formal education. Therefore, the language used was tailored to the platform, incorporating memes, irony, and following current trends.

About the institution

The Uffizi Galleries developed a strong social media campaign in the first months of the blockade, particularly on the social network TikTok, where the @uffizigalleries account doubled the number of young visitors, creating online content in accordance with the unwritten rules of communication of the tool (such as the use of irony and memes).

Context

The museum's director proposed the idea of setting up a social media account on TikTok even before the pandemic began in 2020, it was then that the idea of setting one up appeared in discussion. The Covid outbreak accelerated the process.

Success factors

Irony, young target audience, engaging.

Target audience

This best practice targets regular TikTok users (specifically, those under 25).

Sustainability

The project is easy to replicate in smaller realities as well, given that it doesn't require any special technology or knowledge (high-resolution photos and editing apps such as InShot are needed), especially since the app privileges non-professional content.

Digital tools

The technological tools used are very common and easy to use: the content for TikTok was created using the InShot app, available for any smartphone.

Funding

The project was developed solely through internal funding.

Plans

To show young people that it is possible to play with art - to adapt to new users of TikTok and its trends.

Organization/ Institution
Gallerie degli Uffizi
Good pratice link
https://www.tiktok.com/@uffizigalleries?_t=8fFkAWEzmKG&_r=
Address
Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6, 50122 Firenze FI
Contact person on good practice
Ilde Forgione, assistant and creative, infouffizi@beniculturali.it