Case Study: Cantor Arts Center
Cantor Arts Center
Organic Social Media, May 2019-May 2025
Client: Cantor Arts Center
Campaigns: Organic Social Media (occasional paid)
Agency: WE INC. Marketing
Date: May 1, 2019 - May 1, 2025
Project Leads: Kara Whittington, Kathryn Booth
Project Manager: Shana Olson
Since 2016, WE INC. Marketing has partnered with the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University to support a variety of marketing services including museum marketing strategy, media planning and buying, email marketing, and social media marketing. In 2019, WE INC. pivoted to support Cantor’s objectives to grow its social media presence and tell the museum’s story in a way that feels both elevated and accessible. By combining strategy with creativity, WE INC. was able to cultivate what resonates most with Cantor’s audiences, and build on it across various leadership changes and many years.
Objectives
Tell the story of one of the nation’s leading university museums through a visual-first strategy.
Consistently increase Cantor’s followers and engagement across all active platforms.
Build and engage an online community that reflects the museum’s cultural relevance and broadens its audiences.
Develop, implement, and maintain effective internal systems to support content creation and distribution within Cantor Arts and interdepartmentally across Stanford University.
Strategic Objectives
Increase audience reach and visibility by leveraging platform-specific best practices (e.g., posting time consistency, vertical visuals, use of collabs, use of highlights, building out social media guidelines).
Build emotional connection with followers through a unified informal tone, human-centered storytelling, and behind-the-scenes content.
Foster cross-departmental collaboration to streamline content production and amplify institutional messaging.
Highlights
Collaborations and partnerships (e.g., Stanford Arts, artist foundations) significantly boosted visibility and credibility.
Richard Serra Timelapse: 2019, 2024 (1), 2024 (2), 2025
This timelapse of Richard Serra’s monumental work returning to the Stanford campus from SFMOMA continues to serve Cantor’s content strategy years after it was spearheaded by WE INC.
WE INC. repurposed program audio into high-impact Reels. These stood out for their artist-first storytelling and behind-the-scenes feel.
WE INC. adapted during COVID to create 200+ timely pieces that maintained engagement during uncertain times for many institutions. This was a pivotal time of growth for Cantor’s social channels.
Building out Cantor’s Instagram Story Strategy
Ian Cheng Feature Story
Family Day Story
Results
Instagram: +12,098 new followers, 2.6M impressions, +4,000 pieces of content created.
Facebook: +7,000 followers, 1.9M impressions, 155K engagements, and 500+ events promoted.
Multiple collaborations with @StanfordArts and artist foundations (such as @diebenkornfoundation, @ruthasawaofficial featured by @Stanford), as well as with more emerging artists like @tt_takemoto and @narsisomartinez)
Recommendations & Future Opportunities
Expand Video-First Storytelling
Short-form video remains the top-performing format across platforms. Cantor can deepen its use of Reels and Stories by regularly repurposing audio from live programs, tours, and lectures—creating bite-sized, emotionally resonant content that aligns with current algorithmic preferences.
Develop Interactive, Series-Based Content
Recurring formats like Q&As, behind-the-scenes tours, or curator-led mini features foster familiarity and follower retention. Establishing weekly or monthly series helps build anticipation and streamlines content planning—both best practices for sustained growth.
Leverage Strategic Collaborations
Collab posts and co-created content extend organic reach by tapping into partner audiences. Future opportunities include more joint content with Stanford departments, amplifying engagement while reinforcing institutional partnerships.
Prioritize Community Engagement + UGC
Encouraging (UGC) user-generated content and responding meaningfully to comments builds loyalty and boosts visibility. Cantor can invite its audience to participate through prompts, story shares, and photo tags—turning passive followers into active collaborators.
This case study provides a snapshot of Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University’s evolving social media strategy, qualitative results, and recommendations for future improvements, showcasing WE INC. Marketing's effective, intuitive approach to organic social media.
Reach out today to see how WE can support your organic content efforts!