Christie’s: The secrets of media operations at the world’s top auction houses
Christie’s was founded by James Christie’s in London in 1766, 256 years ago.
Christie’s is one of the world’s leading and oldest art auction houses, but for centuries it has been a challenge to stay in the business. Due to the scarcity and preciousness of these works of art, only a few people have access to them, but this has led to the auction house having a limited clientele. In recent years, the rapid development of social platforms and new media has given Christie’s a new channel to publish everything related to art on its platforms, allowing more people to learn about and fall in love with art, as well as expanding the auction house’s visibility and finding potential clients, so media operations are an important and indispensable part of Christie’s.
Youtube
In order to enhance professionalism and customer experenice, auction houses often have hidden asset requirements for their target customers, such as the need to make an appointment and provide proof of assets before viewing a luxury property. This means that auction houses are largely invisible in the lives of most ordinary people, so Christie’s posts videos of live auctions on Youtube to give most non-target customers an insight into the auction industry, Christie’s and unrestricted art.
Of course, Christie’s Youtube content is much more than just videos and live broadcasts of auctions; it also features art exhibitions, mansions and artist-related videos. Open a Christie’s Youtube video and as if personally on the scene, experience an extraordinary journey through the world of art.
Christie’s is unique in that it is not a specific brand, but simply a high-end art muti-brand store that trades on the basis of auctions, with the majority of its art and collectibles coming from a variety of artists, designers and the world’s leading luxury brands, in addition to a small percentage from personal collections. So when Christie’s posts artworks on Instagram, many artists, brands, magazines and related staff will retweet them, creating a closed loop for the same level of target audience and, for Christie’s, expanding its visibility and widening its customer base. So far the official Christie’s account has over one million followers. This is similar to the “co-branding” that is so popular nowadays, the products and related content are published on new media and the target audience and resources of several brands are shared, bringing high buzz and traffic to each brand.
In addition to traditional collectibles and artworks, Christie’s has also recently announced its Metaverse paintings (NFT) on Instagram, which is at the forefront of the information age, blending art with emerging concepts to give the public a more visual understanding of the ‘metaverse’ and updating the price movements of the paintings on its Instagram story from time to time. This new form of art is a great example of how to make art accessible to the public. This novel format has pushed the prices of the Metaverse paintings to the forefront, with many of them fetching unexpectedly high prices.
As Christie’s seeks to expand its reach and influence in the China region, it is necessary to use WeChat, a public platform, to promote it. Christie’s has launched an exclusive WeChat ‘mini-programme’ that allows the public to book auction previews online as well as participate in online auctions, bringing the world’s top auction houses closer to the public.
Art comes from life.
I appreciate that Christie’s is sharing on these platforms and that it is a win-win initiative for both the auction house and the public.
