As Art Basel came to a close last week, The New York Times praised Miami as having “a solid art scene.”

Our city’s progress in the cultural and visual arts and architectural achievement finally got some well-deserved kudos; from the Pérez Art Museum to the just-opened Faena Forum to the highly-anticipated move of the Institute of Contemporary Art in 2017, we’re officially on the highbrow map — and the tastemakers have taken note.

We can joke that the New York Times is a bit late to the party we’ve been having down here for the last decade, but it is important to note that the perception of Miami has made a major shift around the country, and around the world. We’ve seemingly graduated from sleaze to sleek, transforming from the city of spring break to the city of important contemporary art and high-end luxury.

As PR executives, we can use the city’s essential “rebrand” to bolster our clients’ own brand stories. We shouldn’t be afraid to key into the branding of Miami as a cultural center of the world to both domestic and foreign audiences – because they’re all watching!

The Institute of Contemporary Art’s (ICA) director, Ellen Salpeter said of the wave of art in our city, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” So we need to get on board.

Here are three quick, tangible shifts we can make for our businesses on the daily:

Outlets: Don’t be afraid to think about reaching out to “higher” magazines and journalists for placement.

Language: We can begin to infuse press releases with more luxe language to mirror the new perception of our city

Partners: We can and should look to these incredible art museums for a range of partnership possibilities.

Let’s get our schmancy on Miami!

By: Hayley Brooks, Boardroom Blogger