BredaPhoto is a photo festival in the Netherlands. In 2010 it ran between September 16 until October 24. During this period, Breda lives and breathes photography. Photographers from all over the world come to show their vision on a present world that feels upside down.
In order to encourage more people from the surrounding areas to visit the festival in 2010, the team used the end of the Dutch holiday season to step directly into the comfort zone of their target group. They tied up with 12 regional photographic shops who, while printing holiday photos, also provided a photo from the BredaPhoto festival.
The contrast between the holiday photos and the festival images was so stark that it is reported to have drawn 55,000 visitors, described as a record for the festival.
Holiday prints as a distribution channel
The insight is almost embarrassingly practical. After holidays, people already walk into photo shops with emotion in hand and a willingness to look at images. BredaPhoto does not try to interrupt that behavior. It inserts itself into it.
The mechanic: a surprise image in the envelope
The “infiltration” is literal. Every time someone picks up their printed holiday photos, they also receive one festival photo. No extra decision. No extra trip. The festival’s work lands in the same stack as the family memories it will be compared against.
In European cultural festivals, partnerships that piggyback on an existing routine like printing holiday photos can outperform broad awareness media because they reach people at a moment of high receptivity.
Why the contrast does the persuasion
Holiday photos are comfort. Festival photography is often confrontation, curiosity, or a sharper point of view. Put them side by side and the festival image does not need a manifesto. The viewer feels the difference instantly, and that feeling creates the urge to see more.
Extractable takeaway: If your product is “new perspective”, deliver one sample at the exact moment people are already consuming the old perspective, then let comparison do the selling.
What this is really optimizing
This is not just reach. It is qualified reach. Anyone printing holiday photos has already self-identified as someone who cares about images, and the distribution happens locally, which reduces the friction between “interesting” and “I could actually go”.
The real question is how to put one credible sample of the festival in front of the right local audience before asking them to commit a visit.
This is a smarter local-growth play than buying broad awareness and hoping interest shows up later.
What event marketers should steal from this
- Hijack a routine with built-in attention. Choose a behavior where people already expect to look carefully.
- Make sampling unavoidable but tasteful. Put the sample in the default flow, not behind an opt-in form.
- Use contrast as your copy. If the product difference is visual, show it next to the audience’s baseline.
- Localize distribution. When the event is physical, use channels that keep the distance to action short.
A few fast answers before you act
What did BredaPhoto do to attract visitors in 2010?
They partnered with regional photo shops and slipped a festival photo into customers’ holiday print orders, so people encountered the festival work while collecting their own photos.
Why does this work better than a normal poster campaign?
Because it reaches people when they are already engaged with images, and it delivers a concrete sample of the festival’s point of view instead of a promise.
What is the key design principle behind the tactic?
Make the first experience of the product frictionless. One unexpected image in the envelope is enough to trigger curiosity and intent.
Why were photo shops the right channel for this?
Because the audience was already in a visual mindset and already handling printed images, which made the festival sample feel relevant instead of intrusive.
What kind of events should copy this approach?
Events that sell perspective, taste, or discovery. Especially when the audience already has a routine where they consume similar media, like prints, tickets, playlists, or screenings.
