The V&A Museum Hosts an Elaborate Treasure Hunt That Indulges Niche Passions

Museums are sometimes seen as dusty, irrelevant institutions in the digital era. Young people may be more interested in scrolling TikTok than staring at a painting or sculpture in an art gallery. The V&A Museum in London is tackling that challenge head-on with an elaborate campaign that caters to a wide range of specific and sometimes obscure interests. The institution is hosting a kind of treasure hunt across the U.K., hiding creations in plain sight that spotlight the relevance of its collection of more than 2.8 million objects. Created by agency adam&eveDDB, “If You’re Into It, It’s in the V&A” is unique in its scale and its extremely niche executions. Are you a gamer? This 172-year-old institution can still speak to that passion. Into knitting, bookbinding, plants, puzzles, tattoos, Bollywood, soccer, golf, punk, ceramics, AI or acid house? There’s something there for you, too. Before it got into the weeds, the V&A and adam&eveDDB conducted research that found 74% of people had heard of the institution, but many struggled to articulate what it offered. The V&A asked the agency to help dust off its image and lure in visitors, particularly among 18- to 35-year-olds who don’t frequent museums. “That audience doesn’t think museums are relevant to them; they’re seen as old-fashioned institutions that don’t reflect their interests,” Stuart Williams, senior planner at adam&eveDDB, told ADWEEK. To change that, they decided to go big—but also very small. The V&A and adam&eveDDB enlisted creators to produce unique, handcrafted objects. Then the team placed those items in unknown locations around the country to be discovered by enthusiasts as they pursue their passions. Each item is handcrafted and caters to a niche interest. Each object features the campaign’s message and a QR code that links to relevant items in the V&A collection. There are dozens of examples, but to name a handful: the V&A left a ceramic pot in an antique shop on Portobello Road in Notting Hill, London; a knitted vest at The Stitch Festival; an engraved plaque on a seat in a London theater; golf balls at a driving range; customized soccer jerseys at Premier League matches; a silver tankard at a metal detecting hotspot; and many more. For gamers, TikTok influencer Shlottie’s avatar will wear clothing displaying the campaign’s message in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto Online, as she broadcasts live on Twitch on Wednesday (March 13). A gaming avatar wears clothing with the V&A's message. “It’s almost like we’re speaking [to enthusiasts] one-on-one,” said Xander Hart, an adam&eveDDB creative behind the campaign. Speaking to the TikTok generation The V&A’s campaign was purposefully designed to appeal to a generation who lives on TikTok, where niche interests and creators have been able to find wider audiences. Before the treasure hunt, adam&eveDDB created posters based on 73 unexpected V&A items—not the typical statues or paintings associated with museums. The ads appeared in contextually specific places, “getting people at that point where they’re doing something they’re interested in,” explained Mark Shanley, the agency’s creative director. For example, a poster of a Doc Martens boot ran in the London neighborhood Camden, known for its alternative scene. Another ad depicting a costume from the musical Wicked was placed in the West End, London’s theater district. V&A's poster displaying a costume from the musical Wicked showed up in the theater district. For the first time, the V&A also advertised in niche publications instead of general ones, running executions in fishing, soccer, music and gaming magazines. V&A advertised in niche publications including a fishing magazine. The organization also commissioned three creators with specialized interests in pottery, bookbinding and knitting. The agency captured videos of the creators crafting objects that featured the line. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Victoria and Albert Museum (@vamuseum) The pot, book and knitted vest now join a wide-ranging collection scattered across surprising places. But there’s a chance some of those objects could remain hidden for weeks, months or years. “If people don’t find them immediately, that’s fine,” Hart said. “They can find it in a year or two years – the V&A will still be there.” Titan Casket and Maximum Effort Want to ‘Bury Daylight Savings’ in Darkly Comic Ad