CASE STUDY: MUSEUM OF FREEMASONRY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN 2019
BRIEF
When I joined Museum of Freemasonry in 2018 there were major developments underway. The museum was languishing with no clear identity, no audience data or insights, one social media channel and an outdated website. The new Director had an objective to double the audience figure by 2021. After several months of stakeholder workshops and audience testing under the guidance of Morris Hargreaves McIntyre, we had identified our target cultural segments and developed a new brand personality. I got on with planning an integrated awareness campaign for 2019. It would be the biggest undertaking in promoting the freemasons’ museum in its 180-year history. A recurring line throughout the audience testing was ‘we never knew this was here’. So our goal was simple: be seen.
CAMPAIGN
For the campaign creative we chose a recognisable masonic symbol: the All-Seeing Eye. I began by photographing an original 19th-century gold thread and sequin book cover to get a high resolution image for Ascend Studio to work from (good job I’m a trained photographer).
Once the final artwork was returned and we finalised the copy, I got in contact with Global to plan a double-burst city-wide London Underground and London Bus campaign. Being based in Covent Garden we targeted that station and Holborn in particular, as well as along the connecting Tube lines (Piccadilly and Central). We also targeted key sites on London’s museum trail near the V&A, British Museum, Imperial War Museum, etc. We had 4 sheet, 6 sheet and 12 sheet, as well as illuminated and escalator panels.
ATL activity included articles for freemason publications such as FMT, the official magazine for United Grand Lodge of England. With the long-standing stigma of being ‘secretive’ there was a lot of positive audience and stakeholder engagement following the roll-out of the campaign. The members felt a renewed pride in seeing their history being so publicly prominent.
The London Bus mega rear adverts were a novel idea to take our brand personality into the real world. ‘Unexpected’ was a word used in the final MHM report and I figured nothing would be more unexpected than a two-storey high advert for the freemasons on a London bus.
In addition to the out-of-home advertising we produced a sophisticated pamphlet. A smart folded concept played on the idea of revealing, again something hardwired into the overall brand creative. The matt finish added a luxurious feel. I had Impact drop 20,000 of these all around London’s cultural hubs when the first burst of the Tube posters went live.
To target the local tourism market I worked with London Planner. We maintained a solid placement in their magazines and on their website while also taking a square on their city map. This map was found in all Visit London sites and in most local hotels. Along with an issue of the London Planner magazine, the map was handed out in Covent Garden during high season. There was an estimated reach of over 1.5 million.
BTL activity included a suite of Google Search and Display ads as well as Facebook and Instagram ads. Using keywords and terms in conjunction with the brand identity, various suggestions were employed in the copy about revealing and the unexpected. Again we targeted the local London/South East to focus on visitor conversions and support the ATL campaign. Engagement was high with Facebook showing a 36% increase.
Of course the branding needs to be consistent across all channels, so from all social to the website the same creative was employed for profile headers and backgrounds everywhere.
When a potential visitor was checking their Facebook or Instagram while on a train in London, they’d see an ad in their live feed, then on the Tube platform, and when they left the station on a bus driving past before finally seeing the same message outside the building itself.
RESULT
Visitors who walked through the doors: Up 30%
Unique visitors to the website: Up 51%
Newsletter subscribers: Up 194%
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter combined followers: Up 62%
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