ALMA: when a brand activates culture as a form of care
At a time when brands are seeking new ways to connect with their audiences, Cantabria Labs has sent a clear message: health is also built through art, through symbolism, through emotion. And it has done so by leading ALMA, a cultural innovation project that transforms four old warehouses in the port of Santander into an artistic intervention co-created with the public.
From MIG PRISMA, we've had the opportunity to support this project from its inception, designing its communication strategy, developing its narrative, and activating the content, events, and public actions that have made it a national benchmark for how a company in the health sector can transform its relationship with its environment through art.
A project that transcends sponsorship
ALMA is not a campaign, nor a one-off patronage action. It is an example of how a company can lead a real, profound, participatory cultural process, connecting brand purpose, urban regeneration and citizen engagement. Cantabria Labs doesn't put its logo on it: it puts its vision, its commitment and its capacity to build value beyond the product.
The artistic proposal, developed by the Boa Mistura collective alongside the cultural organisation Tiempo de Arte, stems from an open process of listening and co-creation with the citizens of Santander and Cantabria. More than a thousand people participated in collaborative workshops that resulted in three creative concepts, among which “ALMA” was ultimately chosen, a work that will be imprinted on the reservoirs as a symbolic and emotional legacy of an entire community.
Culture is also health
This project opens a new conversation: can a brand also care through art? Cantabria Labs answers yes. And it demonstrates this by integrating culture into its innovation model, activating art as a language to transform relationships, strengthen bonds, and leave an impact that goes beyond marketing.
From MIG PRISMA, our role was to activate that ambition at every stage:
- We define the strategic positioning of the project.
- We drafted the key messages and the overarching narrative.
- We design editorial and audiovisual content.
- We coordinate the organisation of institutional and cultural events.
- We deployed a media relations strategy that connected the project with local and national audiences.
A new framework for cultural collaboration
ALMA demonstrates that public-private collaboration can go beyond the instrumental to become a space for shared creation. Institutions, companies, social collectives, and, of course, citizens, have been active participants in a process that redefines the role of companies as cultural and social agents.
It's not just about transforming a physical space. It's about activating new forms of urban narrative, collective identity, and symbolic legacy. It's about understanding that art is not just expression, but also care.