Madame Tussauds: Chamber of Horrors

Merlin Entertainment was re-launching the infamous Chamber of Horrors exhibition at Madame Tussauds.

But the World Cup meant that media that winter was more crowded than ever, and had even driven up the period immediately before. But with the school holidays and Christmas such essential moments in the year for Madam Tussauds,  we had to find a new way to attract families to the attraction this year.

We realised we had the perfect solution right under our noses. Halloween was a sleeping giant on the calendar. A moment that has gradually crept up from local, child-led fun and fancy dress to a legitimate cultural event and quietly becoming a ‘must do’ activity for all age groups - and in particular Merlin’s core audiences: families with children and groups of friends. But it was still hugely under-exploited by the entertainment and attraction industry.

So, we shifted our activity from the expensive Christmas period to Halloween, complete with a new spooky creative direction.

We developed a very clear, distinct strategic proposition, the sensation of coming face to face with London’s most evil personalities, and we focused on the unseen to create a chilling out-of-home campaign that launched across the capital, complete with a life-size interactive special build at London Kings Cross Station.

The campaign resulted in the best-ever scores and results for Madame Tussauds. The attraction achieved its highest volume of visitors for the year, smashing revenue targets by 193%, and driving record awareness and intention to visit from guests.