There’s retail, and then there’s Times Square.
With more than 700,000 pedestrians passing through this over-amped, highly coveted corner of Manhattan real estate on the busiest days, it takes more than a sign to get noticed. For the world famous, 250-year old Madame Tussauds’ brand, not only was parent company Merlin Entertainment looking to attract more pedestrian foot traffic into the iconic wax museum, but it also wanted to freshen up the museum’s somewhat antiquated image. And, the static posters hanging in the museum’s storefront windows simply weren’t cutting it.
Today’s tourist not only walks around with a camera in her pocket at all times, but she can post those new pictures across the world in only a matter of seconds. She’s looking for a celebrity encounter that earns all the “like” buttons. So when passing by the picturesque windows of Madame Tussauds, the stanchioned wax figure that looked like it was off-limits, simply wasn’t driving the brand attitude and foot traffic that Merlin Entertainment was looking for. The static advertising posters sitting in the museum’s windows did not do anything to generate excitement about coming inside for a visit. And, they certainly weren’t doing anything to drive brand attitude. Plus, the staid nature of Madame Tussauds’ typical window displays couldn’t compete with the bright lights and vivid marketing images that dance across Times Square 24 hours a day.
With a new brand attitude on the horizon, the museum leadership knew they needed to switch things up. It was time to join the digital revolution that had already overtaken Times Square with technology that could communicate the entertainment value of Madame Tussauds and entice people to come in for a look.
The museum decided that an digital LED display was the way to go. Instead of one image stuck on a static poster, a cornucopia of images from inside the museum could be played over digital displays, showcasing the exciting and up-close interaction a customer could have with the wax figures. Madame Tussauds could use the displays to play out custom content that could serve as a teaser for the experience a potential visitor could expect inside the museum.
With an energy efficient, slim and lightweight LED display, NanoLumens was a natural fit for the new installation. With the help of Open Eye Global, Madame Tussauds has broken new ground in the museum/attraction world. Bringing in hundreds of thousands new visitors through their New York City doors on an annual basis, visitors can not only take the selfie of a lifetime but they can also take part in the newest iterations of Ghostbusters or King Kong.
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