Leisure and entertainment: Museums, attractions

 

On Christmas day, 2007, a zoo visitor was mauled to death by a tiger. In the aftermath, media frenzy ensued, and attendance plummeted 66% from the previous year. The zoo rushed to fix the problem by b ...

The Detroit Zoo faced an incredible challenge: to secure new funding or close. The only solution was to seek approval of a new property tax from residents in three separate, somewhat adversarial count ...

The Field Museum of Chicago is a respected institution. It’s also perceived as dusty and traditional, especially compared to other modern and exciting Chicago offerings. So, to get people to come see ...

Disney wanted to improve its cultural relevancy to African American guests visiting and staying at its various resorts. In 2006, it launched the Ebony Perspectives Community, a small, private, and bra ...

This article explains how a combination of research techniques helped Universal Orlando Resorts compete against Disney in Florida in 2006-07. Researchers spent a week at each location using motivation ...

This article argues that the way to get new audiences involved in the arts (and other 'unpopular' culture) is to start from the assumption that people are not interested. You can then find out what th ...

Tate Britain is an emblem of British culture, but by 2005 it was losing relevance. The launch of Tate Modern in 2000 had repositioned Tate Britain as classic and institutionalised; its permanent colle ...

This paper shows how planning created new content, not just communications. It describes how Tate Modern connected with a group of 15–24-year-old Londoners who had never been interested in 'traditiona ...

This paper details a campaign run by the National Trust in Northern Ireland. The main communications objective was to increase the number of paying visitors to National Trust properties, as well as im ...

With 30 theme parks in North America and 8 in Europe in 2004, Six Flags, Inc., was the world's second-largest operator of theme parks, surpassed only by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. But the c ...

Billing itself as "the centerpiece of the historical renaissance of Negro Leagues baseball throughout the nation," the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) opened in Kansas City, Missour ...

Even with a $13.5 million operating budget and one of the largest contemporary art collections in the United States, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), toiled to draw crowds in 2001. ...

Amusement parks operate a variety of entertainment attractions on one premises. Popular features include mechanical rides, electronic and conventional games, stage shows, refreshment stands, and picni ...

This paper covers establishments primarily engaged in the operation of museums and art galleries. The paper provides a snapshot summary of the industry in the US, with additional sections on its devel ...

Museums and art galleries have traditionally been the preserve of the educated middle-classes. This campaign shows that it is possible to broaden their appeal to a wider audience, if you approach them ...

The outstanding advertising campaign for the theme park ride ‘Air’ at Alton Towers in the UK won an Award at the IPA Bronze Area Advertising Effectiveness Awards in 2003.The brief was to attract 15–24 ...

This is a five year case showing how, despite these odds, the Canadian Film Centre’s Worldwide Short Film Festival has become a giant success. Five successive annual campaigns have steadily increased ...

This is the story of how a disused steelworks in the heart of South Yorkshire was transformed into one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions in just 12 months. With the help of £23m from t ...

This paper tells the story of how the launch of a new visitor attraction was so successful it actually infused new life into one of the most important historical industrial sites in the world, along w ...

For a theme park with two distinct target audiences, ‘Air’ provided a perfect product experience to meet the needs of both. The communication objectives set were ambitious and wide reaching, particula ...

Historic Scotland is the government agency responsible for the built heritage of Scotland. They manage over three hundred properties including Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Urquart Castle and For ...

1576 Advertising Limited's case study focuses on how advertising contributed to a successful first six months for Scotland's most unique new tourist attraction, The Falkirk Wheel, which was opened to ...

This is a study of the world's first 'smart' exhibition where everything is controlled by the visitors who are encouraged to create big ideas for themselves. A major marketing problem was its situatio ...

The paper outlines a campaign aimed at improving perceptions of and attitudes towards Manchester and to unite the various organisations set up to promote the city in marketing or financial terms. The ...

The paper describes how the attraction Our Dynamic Earth was conceived and, despite a cynical introduction, proved to be a great success. The role of advertising was to favourably position the attract ...

Campaign for the 2000 Holocaust Exhibition at the Imperial War Museum. Media used: cinema and cross tracks, in London area only, plus print. Good PR obtained, and visitor traffic above target from the ...

Alton Towers, one of Britain's most famous family brands, needed to be seen as cool by its key youth market, an adjustment in consumer profile and to deliver more revenue. This had to be achieved insi ...

In the museum world, attendance is king. Targets are volume related, with secondary effects following. The NRM aimed to increase visitor levels, but faced several obstacles. The NRM has suffered from ...

Campaign in 1999 for Chessington World of Adventures ( a new ride, the Samurai). Objective: to encourage teenagers to visit. Approach: selling fear. Medium: TV. Successful beyond expectations.

Campaign in 1999 for Sea Life aquaria (Merlin Entertainments) as a day out to take children to. Medium: TV.