Profiling a slice of ceramic history in Townsville

Driving cultural discovery in the Tropics

How do you turn a regional city into a must-visit arts destination? With bold thinking, smart storytelling and a rare slice of ceramics history.

From April – August 2025, Townsville welcomed the Australian exclusive of Wedgwood: Artists and Industry, a 100-piece exhibition spanning more than 200 years of ceramics and pottery, straight from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Aruga was engaged to drive national awareness and ticket sales for the exhibition, while reimagining Townsville as an unexpected cultural powerhouse.

Our approach was a multifaceted public relations campaign anchored in clever positioning and compelling storytelling, achieving widespread national buzz, a wave of high-quality content and a renewed cultural lens on Townsville.

Results

39

high-quality editorial clippings

3.08M

estimated audience reach

$1.1M

advertising value equivalent

3

national media famils

29

pieces of famil coverage

35

hours of influencer content watched

Deliverables

Earned Media Relations

Developed and executed a national media strategy with tailored pitching across arts, lifestyle, travel and culture verticals to secure high-value editorial coverage.

Media and Influencer Famils

Facilitated an immersive 2-day experience for three journalists at top-tier media publications and one family-travel influencer, blending exhibition highlights with Townsville’s local arts and hospitality scene.

Linkby Digital Campaign

Activated a Linkby cost-per-click campaign to extend audience reach and re-engage national media in the post-launch phase, delivering clicks from key over-50s audiences.

Winning Tactics

Aruga crafted tailored pitch angles for key arts and travel publications, resulting in diverse national coverage that spoke to each outlet’s unique audience.

Aruga transformed traditional famils into immersive, story-rich experiences, spanning pottery classes, guided gallery tours and cultural adventures. This saw us secure standout travel and arts coverage that brought Wedgwood and Townsville’s arts scene to life.

We sustained momentum beyond the initial announcement and opening buzz through a strategic Linkby campaign, securing coverage in two national publications. This ensured continued engagement and kept Wedgwood front of mind with audiences.