W Hotels ROCKED
Landscape
W Hotels planned to unveil ROCKED, an exclusive traveling exhibition shot and curated by legendary music photographer, Mick Rock. Led by musical director Michaelangelo L’Acqua, ROCKED was part of the Starwood property’s Symmetry Live musical series, which offered W guests and locals insider access to performances by the hottest, just-discovered acts in music such as Janelle Monae, Theophilus London, and many more. Rock’s photography documented one of music’s most enchanting eras. Photos of Iggy Pop, Syd Barrett, and David Bowie embodied the atmosphere and attitude of the age.
Digital Partnerships
Working in conjunction with W Hotels team and Think PR, we focused on promoting the event across digital media and via influencers to drive attendance to the W Hotel Downtown property and aesthetically driven installation by Graham Kelman, leveraging featured performances, behind-the-scenes access, and VIP treatment. It was the blend of old school and new world members of New York City’s vibrant nightlife in a special event designed to drive engagement in W Hotels' luxury and digital spaces both online and in person.
Outcome
W New York - Downtown celebrated the launch on December 7, 2011, with special performances by Phantogram and Mark Ronson. The ROCKED exhibit opened to the public on the next day, December 8, 2011 in W Downtown's fifth floor Living Room Bar & Terrace throughout the month of December.
Star-studded invite list filled rockstars, social media it-girls, fashion designers, and ingenues, including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bebe Buell, Theophilus London, Albert Hammond Jr., Chace Crawford, Penn Badgley, Betsey Johnson, and Gala Darling.
The series and digital engagement persued by our joint teams resulted in a bevy of top-tier news articles and a 30%+ increase in engagement and bump in new followers to the W Hotels social media accounts.
Mick Rock’s ROCKED exhibit continued to tour additional W Hotels properties, including Washington D.C., Hong Kong, and Hollywood.
From Joan Jett to Lady Gaga: Mick Rock’s Iconic Rock ‘n’ Roll Photos - ABC News
Mick Rock Survives the ‘70s to Shoot Again - The New York Times
Interview With Mick Rock And Photos From "Rocked" At The W Downtown, NYC - The Huffington Post
Mick Rock Shows Off His Pretty, Pretty Pictures at the W - New York Observer
"The Best $2K I Ever Spent!" W Hotels Celebrate Mick Rock, With Phantogram And Mark Ronson - Guest of a Guest
Phantogram played the Mick Rock party @ W Hotel - Brooklyn Vegan
