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The
Australian
Museum
Relaunching
a 193-year-old icon.
Founded in 1827, the Australian Museum (AM) is the nation’s first museum. A custodian of over 21.9 million objects and specimens, the AM is uniquely positioned to provide a greater understanding of the region through its scientific research, exhibitions, and public and education programs.
We were engaged to relaunch the museum and to shift their approach from exhibition focussed comms of the past towards a flexible integrated brand-led campaign platform that can carry across every subject the museum touches. From dinosaurs to climate change to First Nations culture.
Its bright new look and inquisitive messaging structure aim to re-open the eyes of locals and tourists alike.
A new
space
for an
old face.
The campaign marks the reopening of the museum, which closed its doors to the public in 2019 to embark on Project Discover, an exciting $50.5m re-development including completely re-furbished exhibition spaces, educational facilities, a new museum shop and café.
As well as encouraging Sydneysiders to re-engage with the museum after over 12 months of closure, the campaign is the first to adopt a new brand positioning and creative platform developed collaboratively with the Australian Museum.
A new mission
The museum is well-regarded as the undisputed home of dinosaurs in Australia — but this is only a fraction of their offering. The new campaign sets out to shine a light on the breadth of science, history and culture to be found inside the museum’s walls.
The museum focus
on 3 key areas:
Unexpected Nature
Climate Change
First Nations Culture
The home
of facts &
truth-telling
The museum’s new strategic position is brought to life through a plethora of ‘Why’ questions — a way to evoke wonder, joy, emotion and put the audience at the centre of the comms. We all have burning questions about the world, the AM sets out to answer them.
Why?
Why? — it’s the simplest question to ask, yet the most eye-opening to answer. Whether you’re an over-inquisitive five-year-old or a research scientist looking to uncover new information for your life’s work, ‘Why?’ is the question we ask when we want answers. It can just as easily be whimsical as it can drill down into hard, and sometimes uncomfortable, truths.
The First
Brand Film
Working with the talented team at Never Sit Still we’ve produced the museum’s first purely brand-led film. Applying the same modular approach; different ‘Why’ questions easily slot in to give fast-paced glimpses into a variety of things to be learned by visiting the museum!
Sound up! ;)
The campaign aims to give the museum plenty to talk about for the next few years.
It’s a platform designed to grow over time, with new questions continually introduced and deployed across owned and paid channels in print, digital, social and TV.
You’ll also see it influencing the new space across internal and external signage too!
Modular
by nature
Modular by nature, the new creative look & feel can easily be adapted for new topics and ‘Why’ questions. Each execution follows a clear system that puts a single subject front and centre, framed by an intriguing question and call to action that alludes to the answer, without giving too much away.
WHY NOT COME
& MEET THE FAMILY?
The first major exhibition to take on the new look & language — Tyrannosaurs: Meet The Family — sees a long line of ‘Tyrannosaur’ family members immortalised in ornate picture frames, bursting out into the real world. Did you know T. rex wasn’t the only Tyrannosaur in the family?
Working with ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’ director Matt Drummond, we brought each Tyrannosaur back from extinction through CGI animation, paying particular attention to how they might have moved and sounded all those millions of years ago. Every detail was considered from their colouring and skin treatment, whether they roared or squawked to the environments they appear in.
3X Visitor numbers
Visitor numbers have surpassed expectations by three-fold since reopening.
Made with love @SomeOne
with Tom Dabner, Rosie Brennan