Project Press & Reach

Led by Luigia Minichiello and supported by in-house communications, the campaign focused on amplifying public involvement in shaping the Museum’s collection and building awareness around youth culture as a legitimate area of heritage.

The campaign launched with a national feature on BBC 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne Breakfast Show (24 April 2024), introducing the public to the project’s object callout and inviting contributions from across the country. This early momentum led to sustained media interest, culminating in widespread coverage around the launch of I’m Not Okay: A Retrospective of Emo at the Barbican Music Library in autumn 2024.

Key coverage included:

•BBC World Service, London Live, and Total Rock Radio interviews with Creative Director Jamie Brett

• Features in Dazed and Confused, Daily Mail, Sunday Times Style, Timeout, Evening Standard, and The Conversation

• Music press engagement from NME, Kerrang!, Rock Sound, and Louder Sound

• Online news coverage from MSN, Yahoo News, and Euronews

In total, the project secured over 20 media features, reaching millions of readers, listeners, and viewers with a total press reach of 12.4 million.

Social Media Standouts



Coverage centred on the project’s participatory nature - from scanning socials and object suggestions, all regularly linked back to the Museum’s  digital and physical collections. This helped convert media attention into direct engagement, with notable spikes in website visits, social media interaction, and archive submissions following major features.

The strength of the project’s media reach reflects growing public interest in youth culture history — and lays a strong foundation for national visibility as the Museum moves toward opening its permanent home.

Notable Mailers