Madame Tussauds NY

Madame Tussauds Grand Opening campaign generated over one billion domestic and international media impressions. In year-one, brand awareness rose from 8% domestically to over 60%.

Objectives

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum has a remarkable 200-year history in the UK, renowned for the artistry of its life-like wax portraits chronicling centuries of historical notables as well as more modern-day celebrities. Americans, however, were unfamiliar with the attraction and in fact had only been exposed to creepy third-rate wax museums. So, when the Tussauds Group decided to open a $50 million, 85,000 square foot interactive attraction in the heart of Times Square, it was important to find the right agency to generate a firestorm of excitement, buzz, and impactful coverage.

Approach

During construction, BR|PR approached The New York Times and offered access and an exclusive for coverage to run prior to the opening. The goal was to obtain unqualified validation from the country’s most influential newspaper and let the paper communicate Madame Tussaud’s unique artistry and centuries-old legacy. We received not one, but two pre-launch New York Times cover stories in the Style and Metro sections. A four-page spread in People Magazine and a segment on The Today Show helped to further fuel pre-opening anticipation.

For the announcement press event, we secured the participation of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani whose wax portrait was unveiled in front of the Times Square attraction. A grinning Mayor Giuliani standing alongside his remarkable wax likeness was a huge PR coup, generating extensive coverage in the US and around the world.

We developed and directed Madame Tussaud’s Grand Opening event, closing off 42th Street in Times Square.

Results

In year-one, brand awareness rose from 8% domestically to over 60%. MTNY quickly became and remains one of the top ten attractions in New York City – exceeding The Tussauds Group’s expectations and illustrating the impact of PR and its ability to influence popular culture. The attraction has been consistently referenced by news programs and popular talk show hosts over the years.

The announcement press event with Mayor Giuliani and Tussaud’s executives generated over 50 million media impressions.

The Grand Opening was one of the biggest media events in New York that year, attracting 2,000 guests including A-list celebrities and more than 300 media from around the world. The campaign generated over one billion domestic and international media impressions.

Over several years we continued to saturate the media landscape, from stories on network evening news and morning shows to features in Associated Press, Reuters, Travel & Leisure, Rolling Stone, Vogue, Vanity Fair and Access Hollywood.

Retail