To the Stars Through Difficulties
The Cosmosphere, a space museum and science and education center in Hutchinson, Kansas, attracts space enthusiasts from all over the planet. However, it has room for growth as an inspiring destination for the whole family. The museum came to Howerton+White on a mission to increase attendance, camp enrollment, and awareness of its educational offerings to a regional audience.
Inspiring More Visitors
Artifacts are an easy sell to the niche market space enthusiast who will travel long distances for a close encounter with a lunar module. The Cosmosphere needed to appeal to a more universal demographic — the family unit — to increase regional attendance. H+W helped the museum to position itself as a fun destination for a family to explore together.
Seeing is Believing
A brand must show — not just tell — what it promises consumers for it to be believable. Our creative strategy was to show the look of awe on family members’ faces as they experienced the Cosmosphere together. A two-day photo and video shoot at the museum captured stills and footage of moments of wonder and joy that every parent wants to provide for their child. They were used as visuals on the website and in creative assets deployed in campaigns promoting family attendance.
Elevating the Website
A new website — one that is easy to maintain by in-house staff — was high on the priority list for the museum. H+W integrated user experience research and best practices to build a site that is easy to navigate and update. Just as importantly, strategic calls to action and funnels help to increase conversions, turning browsers into ticket buyers. Finally, competitive analysis informed the site’s architecture and design, elevating the Cosmosphere to better position and differentiate itself from competing destinations/attractions.
Driving Real Traffic
H+W helped promote the Cosmosphere as a worthwhile destination and detour for drivers passing through the state. We designed bright and colorful backlit signage for high-traffic rest stops with directions and an enticing message that “space is closer than you think.”
Leveling Up the Camp Experience
The Cosmosphere offers spring and summer camps for kids. Growing the number of attendees was a priority for the museum. H+W produced social media ads and videos that extoll the benefit to parents of enrolling their children in the camps. For the younger audience, we branded the various camps with badges that are inspiring to look at and, more importantly, to collect.
