The Metropolitan Museum of Art Names AKA NYC as Its Agency of Record

As agency of record, AKA NYC will be responsible for creative as well as media buying and planning. Its contract with the Metropolitan Museum of Art is for three years.

“It’s a really seminal moment for the agency,” AKA New York managing partner Elizabeth Furze said. “It’s obviously the destination museum in New York City, so to work with them is a great honor and it’s a great addition to our client roster.”

AKA NYC specializes in sales-driven campaigns for productions, events and exhibitions. Its client roster includes Broadway productions such as Harry Potter and Cursed Child, Fleabag, Anastasia and Matilda as well as the New York Botanical Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, the YMCA of New York City and Hudson Yards’ Edge observation deck. The agency has previously worked with the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.

Chief communications officer Ken Weine said the institution was looking for an agency that understands “the cultural landscape” of New York and “knows and supports the mission of the museum.”

The museum formerly worked with LaPlaca Cohen, which defended in the review. Weine said the Met initially sent RFPs to around 15 agencies, 10 of which chose to participate in the initial stages of the review.

Furze said that when it comes to the Met, and given the number of exhibitions taking place as well as the core collection and the institution itself, “there’s a significant number of campaigns you need to be considering at one time.”

The assignment comes ahead of a series of initiatives in 2020 celebrating a Met milestone: its 150-year anniversary.

“We’re in a really exciting moment where we want to honor the legacy of the Met, but also look toward the future and the mission and plans that the Met to continue their great work in bringing art to the masses,” Furze said. “It’s so rare that you have a client in New York City with that much legacy and that much history.”

On the April 13 anniversary, the museum will utilize earned and paid media to highlight its 150 years. There will also be a three-day series of special events in June, including an open house and a public celebration beginning with an artist-led event in Central Park.