museums in the park — choose your muse.

the brand

museums are the top reason tourists visit illinois and the ten institutions that comprise museums in the park welcome nearly 8 million guests annually, more than half of the entire population of illinois.

they are: adler planetarium, the art institute of chicago, chicago history museum, dusable museum of african american history, field museum, mexican fine arts center museum, museum of contemporary art, museum of science and industry, the notebaert nature museum, and shedd aquarium.

the sitch

as much as they say they enjoy going to museums, most people are intimidated by the experience.

it can be daunting trying to understand the exhibits, not to mention deciding what to see within a given venue. additionally, people today place a greater value on their time off, and therefore, tend to stay inside their comfort zones, making decisions based on that which is practical, like running errands or simply pleasurable, like movies, and restaurants, and so on.

the question

how do we convince chicagoans to visit their local museums?

the answer

demystify the museum going experience and manage the consumer's expectations going in.
acknowledge their trepidation and diffuse its impact by addressing its universality (they're not the only ones who feel this way). and last, but not least, create tool that makes the experience accessible, simple and one which we can share. this is a journey the brand should take with its customers

the tools

the watsons created a museum-goers’ user manual that’s as much about the audience as it is the brand. the piece that blends a modern, utilitarian design with heart, and a sense of humor. to add relevance (aka: value) to each museum-going experience, we included favorite neighborhood joints and tips for sounding like you know your way around each museum.
the user manuals were tipped into time out Chicago and advertised via posters throughout the city.

the aside

this was the first multi-institutional branding effort in the organization’s history. and not only were the watsons the only non-chicago agency to make the final cut, we won the business. proud. very proud.