News

Southern Museum launches new marketing campaign

11/21/06

KENNESAW, GA – Glory. Honor. Tradition. These are the values celebrated at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. And now, they will be communicated throughout the Museum’s new marketing campaign.

Bolder graphics and a stronger emotional appeal define the Museum’s new brand identity, which is being unveiled this week in TV commercials, print advertising, and a redesigned Web site. The new design was carefully chosen based on input from Kennesaw residents, Museum visitors, and the traveling public.

“We designed three new options for the Southern Museum, then put them on display at the Kennesaw City Hall; the Georgia Visitor’s Center off I-75 near the Tennessee border; and at the Museum, then asked people to vote for their favorite option,” revealed Gordon O’Neill, president of the Southern Museum’s marketing firm, O’Neill Communications. 

In addition to a new design, the marketing plan includes a major investment in broadcast television advertising for the first time. The plan also retains some of its previously successful tactics.

“Approximately 28% of the Museum’s visitors report they learned about the Museum through billboards.  As part of the new campaign, all three billboards have been redesigned to focus on what is believed to be a more emotional appeal,” O’Neill explained.

Kennesaw’s Director of Recreation and Culture Jeff Drobney said, “We are expecting the new marketing campaign to produce an increase in attendance through improved awareness and a stronger connection with the general public.” 

This week, the Southern Museum launched its first broadcast advertising campaign on 11 Alive, and will also show its commercial on History Channel, Discovery, Headline News, Weather Channel, and the Cartoon Network in the Northwest metro Atlanta cable market. The TV campaign will be supported by the newly redesigned Web site and print advertising, as well.

“While we are using television to reach a broader audience, the campaign also focuses on the local Kennesaw and Cobb County markets through community-based promotion and print media advertising,” O’Neill said. 

The Museum continues to attract educational field trips and the traveling public but hopes to increase its appeal to Civil War and train enthusiasts by increasing targeted advertising in those markets.

As part of the new branding campaign, the Museum is using a more simplified name.  While it officially remains the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, for the purposes of the campaign, the name has been shortened to the Southern Museum. The shorter name allows the use of more dramatic messaging and bolder graphics, which are expected to contribute to improved visitor traffic.

A Smithsonian Institution affiliate, the Southern Museum features collections of rare Civil War weapons, uniforms, and other personal items; an exciting exhibit about The Great Locomotive Chase, including a short movie; a full-scale replica of a locomotive factory that helped rebuild the South after the war; and through May, a traveling exhibit featuring photographs of the people who dedicated their lives to the railroad.

The Southern Museum is located 20 miles north of Atlanta, off I-75 at exit 273.  Click here for visitor information, or call (770) 427-2117.