Chicago’s Field Museum mobile campaign sees 7,000 interactions

Chicago’s Field Museum used mobile to transform its traditional marketing efforts to promote its Real Pirates exhibit. The Field Museum set up multiple keywords – SKULL, CROSS, PIRATE, GOLD – that consumers could text to a short code. The museum launched a mobile treasure hunt, pushed mobile pirate facts and engaged consumers through a text contest. The museum leveraged its Web site, voice mail and marketing materials to promote the mobile campaign and achieved 7,000-plus text interactions.

“LSN Mobile implemented a three-fold strategy for The Field Museum,” said David Spear, executive vice president of LSN Mobile, Atlanta. "The first part was to extend the exhibit beyond the four walls of the museum. The second was to spark engagement with younger audiences and lastly, deliver knowledge about the exhibit. “Real Pirates is a fascinating National Geographic discovery because it tells the story of the first authentic pirate ship, The Whydah, to be pulled from the ocean floor in U.S. waters,” he said. “The Field Museum marketers saw a unique opportunity to incorporate mobile marketing with the exhibit to drive additional interaction among audiences before, during and after visiting the museum. “To this end, Real Pirates would be able to stay top of mind with audiences beyond just the initial visit.” 

Mobile Pirates!

The mobile initiative marked the museum’s first foray into mobile. “With more than 7,000 mobile interactions, this was a huge success that spotlighted a new means of marketing for a venerable property like The Field Museum,” Mr. Spears said. “There is no doubt that you’ll see mobile become an integrated component of future museum marketing campaigns.” Signage encouraged consumers to text-in to become the first to receive the latest exhibition news, updates, special offers and chances to win exclusive pirate prizes through their mobile phones. “Mobile provided the perfect distribution channel for the museum marketers to deliver exhibit knowledge in a highly relevant manner,” Mr. Spear said.