When the Penn Museum decided to introduce its extensive collection to a broader, global audience, they turned to Brian Communications to create a robust outreach campaign.

To kick things off, the museum’s unofficial mascot—the 13-ton sphinx of Ramses II—needed to make its way to a new home in the museum’s newly renovated lobby. To raise awareness of this once-in-a-lifetime undertaking, Team Brian worked with the museum to invite the Philadelphia community to see if they had what it takes to #MoveTheSphinx. In the days leading up to the move, we welcomed passersby in Dilworth Park to test their strength by attempting to move a 500 lb. replica model of the ancient artifact. The activation was featured on local media and promoted by social influencers, which created a steady drumbeat of coverage headed into the official “moving day” of the sphinx.

Once the sphinx was in its place, our team concepted creative that showed not only the type of experience possible at the new Penn Museum, but also the sense of wonder, excitement and adventure that visitors can feel while walking its halls. Our creative content, which included a complementary tag line to create a logo lock-up, worked hard to drive awareness, create emotional connections and ultimately shift misperceptions. Through a combination of strategic partnerships, media relations efforts and reopening events, we told the multi-faceted story of the museum’s transformation, its dramatic new galleries and its unique ability to foster greater understanding of our shared humanity.