Goethe
When someone says the word- ‘library’ one visualizes a rather boring, monotonous, and silent space filled with shelves of books. Well, what if we tell you that we came across one that was quite the opposite; one that was filled with fun, curiosity, adventure, excitement, and lots and lots of magic.
Introducing to you, The Infinite Library!
About
The Infinite Library is a travelling installation produced by the Goethe-Institut, a non-profit German cultural association that operates worldwide in 159 institutes while promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. The infinite library aims to reimagine the future of libraries as interactive spaces that engage visitors through multisensory forms of storytelling. Goethe Institute, being a promoter of cultural exchange produced this experience in order to assimilate different cultural backgrounds across past, present, and future, expanding the concept of the library into a cross-cultural concept of knowledge transfer through VR rooms.
Concept
The ‘Library’ part of the installation was conceived as a living organism, a kind of embodiment of knowledge that introduces itself to visitors personally before inviting them to explore its house. The house consisted of multiple interactions- QR code game, holograms, 3D-printed objects, audiovisual works, and the project’s central piece: a vast VR experience set in a cave. The entire experience was spread over 5 days ( 23 – 27 March 2022) and included talks, presentations, and even shadow puppetry shows.
Wishbox Studio was approached by Goethe institute/ Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi, to manage the social media promotions for the ‘The Infinite Library’.
Our Goals
- Support the concept of ‘reimagining of library spaces for the future’ by introducing VR as a new medium of knowledge transfer
- Portray the event as a unique wholesome VR experience in Delhi while inviting the audience to experience the installation at the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan / Boost visitor numbers
- Position Goethe-Institut as a futuristic, technologically advanced organization that gives importance to cross-cultural exchanges
- Promote the evening events where visitors can interact with artists and experts
The Design Language
The infinite library already had a brand language established with striking, versatile, and distinctive elements. We studied The Infinite Library’s brand language across multiple merchandises, in order to use the language well on social media. Goethe’s official typeface, Goethe FF Clan, was used for the entirety of the project’s communication.
Challenges
The Infinite Library project came with its own set of challenges:
- Since the installation was starting in Delhi and would thereon be travelling to multiple locations, it was our responsibility to set things in motion and create the hype for the installation from the get-go. We had to generate curiosity and pique the interest of not only Goethe-Institut’s Delhi audience but also their audience across India.
- The time we had to promote the event, create hype and cover the on-ground activities, was only 2 weeks, which is a relatively shorter time period.
- The brand language was already set and was not 100% social-media friendly.
- The Infinite Library was not the only thing being promoted on Goethe-Institut’s India socials. There were multiple things going up on their page in a day and therefore it was a challenge to figure out how to make The Infinite Library stand out and grab eyes from among all the content.
Solution
Our first step was to develop a detailed social media calendar including stories, reels, and posts- starting from March 12th to March 29th.
Our plan was to pique the audience’s interest by creating curiosity through playful exercises, such as finding the hidden object game on stories, to tickle their minds into wondering, exploring and engaging with Goethe-Institute. We then slowly unraveled the concept of the infinite library through a series of immersive and eye-grabbing posts.
We introduced the reward concept by organizing a Giveaway to create more excitement and awareness about the project and also giving an incentive for people to attend the installation. Once the audience was hooked on the idea of what the infinite library was, we started introducing the installation and event details along with introducing the team responsible for curating the installation. Our next step was to cover the event offline and keep continued engagement with the audience of the happenings on the ground.
To tackle the problem of multiple posts going up in a day, we planned to post about The Infinite Library at the highest engagement timings for optimum results.
Results
The results of our social media promotions and activities were satisfactory on every level. The event saw a full house on 3 out of the 5 days the installation was operational. We garnered 750+ new page followers, 80K post engagements, and 100K+ reach across all social media platforms for our activities spread across 2 weeks.
We conceptualized a reaction video to end The Infinite Library’s Delhi chapter and hand it over to Bangalore. Check out the video below.
