…Speaking about the revolution. Innovation in communication within the ArchAIDE project

To attract visitors and enhance their experiences, museums have led recent development efforts using social media channels, along with the advancement of virtual reconstruction and immersive reality. The academic community has been more reluctant to engage with these techniques, particularly in the communication and dissemination of research projects. This lack of visibility reduces the effectiveness and potential impact of European Commission initiatives, prevents European citizens from understanding the processes behind the use of European funding and restricts opportunities to promote Cultural Heritage. ArchAIDE is a three-year project funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020, and is meant to engage with and inform specialist and non-specialist archaeologists and technologists and the public. In addition to the research carried out by the project, the partners have chosen to reflect on how many European research projects are virtually unknown to both the scientific community, and a wider audience, and explore how this might be improved as a fundamental aspect of the research. 

ArchAIDE has invested heavily in communications activities to better understand how this deficit might be addressed. This has taken the form of writing for multiple audiences, and through visual communication using images and video. The aim is to tell an interesting story that will engage a wide audience, while communicating the progress of the project with its successes and difficulties, in a way that is also compelling for specialists. To achieve this we have adopted the concept of ‘visual storytelling’ as a key strategy for our communications, using images and short phrases to create easy and multi-level communication. The aim is to move beyond languages and translations which can sometimes over-complicate information, and to focus on using ‘visual objects’ instead. This conveys information about the project quickly and simply, rather than creating content for multiple audiences.

ArchAIDE is also taking advantage of Web-based resources, particularly social media, to create innovative storytelling about the project, in order to build a collaborative community. So far, this synergy between web, visual and video communication, often using humor, has shown good results in keeping our audiences engaged. ArchAIDE is also exploring the application of marketing strategies to attract audience attention, help them to discover the aims of the project, and subsequently encourage participation.