Mischief Managed
“Successful publicity stunt puts Museum at the center of post lockdown attractions
Mischief Managed
The American Museum of Natural History in New York is once again "teaching" how things should be done.
By Angelique Jun for NY strategy
The first time we heard about the American Museum of Natural History outside of the boring school expeditions that many of the city's citizens had to face during their days as students, was when, after a cold winter night, there were reports of Tyrannosaurus footprints on the snow leading to their building and several home recordings showing Neanderthals on the roof of it lighting a fire.
At that time, the morning news broadcasts recounted the events with puzzled faces, because it had never happened before that any institution of this type had such a 21st century approach to communication.
And no, it's not that I have anything against museums in particular.
In fact, today the vast majority of museums in the world use marketing and promotional strategies that have a deep impact on Gen Z.
However, the approach that has always been taken to the way of facing the public and the social and educational function that museums should have, as a communicator, has always seemed to me somewhat... lacking in creativity and originality.
Holding Kpop exhibitions in theaters or adding holographic or thematic projections with a variety that attracts the younger generations, was not to propose something really your own. It was to use a foreign element and borrow its light for a while longer, at the end of the charm, like Cinderella's carriage, museums were again the same pumpkins with attractions of other times.
The American Museum of Natural History was astounding in its strategy for not doing any of that.
He did not use others. He reorganized himself to make you live a constant adventure with its attractions, in a different and fresh way.
Although his night program, after a great success, had an abrupt closure; there has not been an inhabitant of the city - and many visitors from other parts of the country and abroad - who do not remember with amazement how realistic their exhibitions were and how wonderful it is to have experienced interacting in a super realistic way with, nothing more, nothing less, than Theodore Roosevelt and the young Pharaoh Ahkmenrah, among his many other characters.
It was natural, then, that, when the museum began to dabble in social networks, all those who know about its particular recent history, especially after the rumor had spread that the previous person in charge of his night program had returned to work at the museum to reintegrate the winning duo that with its director had taken the museum to his moment of greatest glory, we were waiting for an unexpected turn that would leave us with our mouths open and, as always, we have not been disappointed... "
The idea had been Nick's.
His son, with his experience as a DJ and later as a music producer, had learned to take advantage of social media in a way that was very difficult for him to conceive.
Both he and Doctor McPhee had been quite hesitant at first, because their ambitions had been much more modest. Instagram, twitter and other tools, in his opinion, should be used to contact and interact, but with certain precautions. They both remembered how they had burned their hands when they had flown too high with the night program and they did not want to repeat the experience.
Especially him.
Because if he lost his job and the chance to enter the museum, he could lose Ahkmenrah and he wasn't willing to let it happen.
"_Nick, no. We cannot reopen at night. They exhibitions enjoyed the attention a lot for a while, but after everything that happened, they don't want to lose part of the hours of the night, which are already few, serving the public.
Nick rolled his eyes laughing.
Naturally, his no longer adolescent offspring could perfectly read between the lines who did not want to give up the hours in which he could leave almost the entire museum to entertain themselves without too much custody, while he enjoyed a private time with his partner in his rooms.
Of course, since it was something that all the couples in the place shared, he did not feel guilty at all. Nick was old enough and experienced enough not to be criticizing that aspect of his life, as he was not criticizing his with his girlfriend.
_I'm not talking about reopening the museum at night.
_Then?
_I'm talking - the boy said, showing him his mobile - of using this for the benefit of the museum in a... more aggressive way, but I need you to help me convince everyone "
“It all started after the traveling exhibition of the most well-known Cinematographic Universe on the planet gave the exhibition rights over one of its spare stands, to the Museum.
This fact continued a good administrative streak that had managed to recover the Ahkmenrah exhibition that had been claimed years ago by the British Museum, who had also ceded the rights to two more mummies, the parents of the one who originally lived in New York and despite the lockdowns that followed, the procedures for their transfer could be finalized, so it was predicted to improve the income from public assistance in times of wide shortages.
Egypt and Science Fiction.
Two ingredients that usually do not fail. Not at the box office, not in real life.
And that, obviously, are also a kind of Felix Felicis in the world of museums: catch the fantasy, catch the public"
The idea was pretty straightforward, to tell the truth.
And, in fact, it was in action.
They had started it without realizing it.
Because they had wanted to give Loki reassurance about what people saw in him and what they thought of him, which was very different from what he had heard all his fictional life.
Then Nick, Tilly and Doctor McPhee had done a survey in the stories: What character do we add and what character do we not add to Loki's exhibition? With a background image of the god in question, captured by Ahkmenrah with the device that had bought Tilly to the Pharaoh a few weeks earlier when he first saw him chatting with Jedediah.
_We could not answer all of them - Nick explained to the members of the Museum who, once again, had gathered on the stairs to listen to the proposal of this - The number of people who voted and made comments was so great that we could not answer to everyone.
_Not only that - Tilly continued enthusiastically - but Loki was just the kickoff. In other words, there were many people who were very excited to see his exhibition, but many more who commented that seeing that photo reminded them of their night walks here and that they wanted to see their friends from the museum again.
_And since I have a photo as a child with all of you - Nick said winking at them - I posted it on my Instagram, tagging the museum and that made many others do the same with their photos with one or more of you. From there, the content went viral and that was when the letters began to arrive and the girl who brought the things for the recreation of Loki's rooms and, to be honest, the enthusiasm has not stopped.
He sighed, shaking his head when he saw that his night friends looked at each other with astonished faces.
_People remember us? – Jedediah, who was on the first steps, along with Octavius and his corresponding diorama companions, asked.
_Of course, they do! - his son answered, laughing low, to then see them astonished too - Did you think they weren't going to remember you?
He lowered his head, bringing one of his hands into his jacket pocket, feeling Ahkmenrah gently squeeze the one that held his own hand. Nick was young and full of the illusions and vitality of young people and he forgot that in front of him he had beings that, not necessarily alive in the same way as those who existed outside the museum, were over fifty years old and had many frustrations on top of them.
_Jed - his son continued bringing the mobile to the cowboy to show him aphoto - Why don't you see it for yourself?
The leader of the diorama of the Wild West, approached the screen and widened his eyes, while he passed his hand over the screen, evidently moving it to follow the line of photos that appeared on it.
_Ockie! Look! This have us both!
He pointed to the Roman, who leaned closer and smiling read what was written under the image.
_The best of them all. I laughed for hours watching them argue. I don't know how they did it, but I went back to the museum several times just to chat with them, because when I was a kid, in my school… let’s say that didn't treat me well and the one who handled them was someone with a lot of tact who knew how to treat a boy who was starting high school and had problems. I missed them a lot when they closed the night show. I would like to see them again. Even if it's only around here online #MAHNNY #LokienNY #TBT #Yourpicinthemuseum
_There were several boys like that - Jedediah commented sighing - There were always bullies in their stories and we couldn't go to put a couple of bullets in to their abusers, so we tried to make them laugh.
_Young people of these times - Octavius added, resting one of his hands on the cowboy's shoulder - have too much pressure, from a very early age. In the past it was more complicated, because it was more difficult to live, one died relatively young, but it was certainly less hard for the little ones.
_Well, that attitude of you, of all of you, made the people who came to see the night program want you back - Nick continued - but, as Dad said, we cannot open the museum at night, or expose ourselves to something go wrong again. So, we are going to sell the illusion at a distance.
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“The first image happened as an interesting resource. One question, with two very good actors who perfectly personified two of the museum's exhibits.
The public that will ever visit the evening program shared photos and anecdotes along with those technological proposals from the past that delighted us for so long, while answering who asked who they wanted to accompany the Loki exhibition that had recently premiered.
Of course, what happened on the screen with the series, was repeated in the vote.
Fans of the God of Mischief wanted to see him alongside his fellow adventurer analyst of the TVA.
By an overwhelming eighty percent, Mobius had won as a preferred addition to the show to be carried out.
Of course, no one, but no one expected the museum to pay attention to the vote and actually incorporate this character into the aforementioned exhibition. We all took this vote as a fun activity, which would not have major consequences, until three days later, with the legend: << your wishes are orders #MobiusenNY >>, a super realistic image of the analyst announced that an image of the man would be part of the museum and social media went crazy.
For hours, the only thing you could see in everyone's feeds was the same image repeated over and over again, followed by signs of disbelief, enthusiasm, and amazement that fans had at the knowledge in the museum that they had to predicted the result with so much anticipation as to have a sculpture already made. In fact, several blogs specialized in the series, highlighted even the intelligence of the fanservice carried out that, as the creator of the sculpture later let slip in interviews, included variations in the model such as the longer hair that, the neophytes in the subject were unaware it was one of the trends after the series ended among the fans "
He confessed it.
It had not been the best tactic to have laughed at his partner when he saw his face reading the comments on the mobile of the son of the night guard.
But he hadn't been able to help it.
Mobius...
Mobius was simply too naive.
He hadn't believed that the London guard taking those photos of him was going to have much of an impact. Because his crush didn't understand how attractive he was. He was still convinced that he was… how had he defined himself?
Oh yeah. Like a bored office worker, dressed in brown and wearing old-fashioned shirts.
However, when Tilly had told him that he would observe the camera crossing his arms and imagining how his expression had been when he had to convince the judge that she had to let him work with him on Sylvie's case, he had without thinking mutated his affable appearance for the determination with which he had seen him face the greatest adversities in those times.
Nick and Tilly had been extremely pleased with the images. Mobius had not understood much, but he had been happy to help and, on his part, had been silent about what he knew was going to happen until the next day, when the son of the night guard made them see the scandal that had been unleashed around the photo that they had chosen and before the incredulous face of his boyfriend, while the members of the museum passed the mobile to reproduce out loud the comments of all kinds that were under the photo, he had finished laughing while holding his stomach. Which had caused Mobius to end up taking him out of the main room to lock them in his exhibit with the door closed.
_I told you that you looked good
He whispered, hugging him while the analyst pursed his lips as he still couldn't forgive his laughter.
_Those people are crazy - he commented, shaking his head - I don' ...
_You don't, what? - he asked kissing his lips - That you are not desirable? That was what you were going to say?
The analyst inhaled and exhaled deeply.
_I don’t. I don’t know…
He half stumbled with words, which brought to his mind something that he remembered hearing him say: “I don't know. I frankly don't know what you see in me ”; so he brought a hand to his cheek to make him see him in the eye.
_They see in you the same that I see...
_I know. Someone with a good heart ... - interrupted his partner.
_No! - he exclaimed laughing again - Someone incredibly attractive! By the nor... Mobius! Do I need to remind you what happened as soon as we realize that we could close this door?
Oh yes, if that sight wasn't inspiring, he didn't know what it was.
His partner had flushed from just remembering.
After the night they met again and where they had only shared kisses and hugs, when he discovered the next day that someone had very intelligently moved him to a place that could be closed from the inside, the sexual tension accumulated in both had given way to a very active pre-dawn hours, which had earned them not a few racy jokes from the dioramas, who were their next-awakening neighbors, along with expressly embarrassing warnings from Octavius and Jedediah about not wanting to be grandparents so soon or Larry's request that they always remember to dress appropriately again to return to their place at the end of the night.
_The same thing that happens to me - he said then kissing him again gently, while he opened his jacket to remove it - it happens to them. Only they have a photo, while I have the original.
Mobius bit his lower lip and shook his head pulling his shirt to lead them to the reproduction of his rooms in Asgard.
_The next photo – his partner warned him staring at his eyes - You are going to be in it with me.
He nodded in amusement, as they both climbed onto the bed.
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“Again, after the initial enthusiasm and the next morning when people from all over the city flocked to the museum getting its best ticket sells in history, we wondered again how long the enthusiasm for a very successful and surprising reproduction of a cinematic character could last. The museum was not going to be able to draw a steady stream of public, just based on that. The novelty would surely end and perhaps it would resurface again when the second season of the series arrived.
But nevertheless.
A couple of days later.
When everything seemed to have calmed down, the museum uploaded a photo again.
This time, not only from the analyst, but from the analyst together with his serial partner.
Back to back, looking at the camera lens, the fans had a fantastic reproduction of both characters and the madness broke out again. Thousands of comments, congratulations, requests for visits and tours, which did not stop stopping, because in the days and weeks that followed, in addition to photos of both with different classic museum exhibits, both Loki and Mobius were the protagonists of short videos in which they answered questions and in which the other exhibitions answered questions about them and in which it was suggested that they could be a couple"
He put his hand to his face, denying as he listened to the replay of the questions that Nick asked his parents and that he and Larry were listening to while sitting on his bed.
"_What you thought of New York so far? - it felt like the boy was asking off-camera.
_It is a very interesting and friendly city - said his mother smiling - We have really enjoyed the comments its people have made about our photo.
_And you Mr. Pharaoh? What can you tell us of your experience of living at the museum so far?
_As a former Pharaoh, since my son is currently the one who directs the destinies of this establishment, my tasks are not so important - his father commented, adjusting his wesekh (wide necklace that he wears around his neck) - but they are interesting. Very recently I had to mediate between Emperor Augustus and the gentleman known as Mobius.
_Yes? Why?
_As all parents, since the Emperor has adopted young Loki, faced with the possibility that he wants ... how do you say?
_Formalize? - his mother suggested, holding back her laughter when she saw her husband evidently manipulating the talk to say and not say at the same time.
_I was thinking more about settling down, my dear, but formalizing is also a good option - continued his father - The noble Octavius, then, requested my services to warn the gentleman in question, in the way in which all parents do in these circumstances.
_What where these warnings?
_Oh, the usual, mummifying dismemberment before his death
Finished his father, while in the background he could hear Loki's voice recriminating Octavius when he heard what his father had said and Mobius voice trying to calm his partner, while the camera cut the footage”
_By Osiris - he murmured lowering his hands - Loki is going to kill them both. Octavius and him.
_Loki did not kill Octavius and Jed, after they recorded a tik tok having fun at the expense of Odin and Asgard, he will not kill them for this, believe me - Larry commented laughing - Besides, Mobius adores your dad and Loki your mom and let's be honest, Merenkahre has threatened half the museum with dismemberment at least once and Laa at least six times.
He laughed when he saw the photo from days ago in which the Neanderthal could be seen hugging smiling at his father who tried to maintain his royal pose without succeeding at all.
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"Nowadays, then, the Museum has become an example of how ingenuity and the ability to think outside the box, has allowed an institution as affected as all the others by the lockdowns process that took place in these complicated times, it is reappearing like the phoenix from its ashes and, we are sure that, with its influx of public, they will collaborate enormously with all other types of businesses and people who, located around them, directly benefit from their strategies and proposals.
So now you know.
Follow the American Museum of Natural History on their social media.
Whether you are a fan of Loki or not.
In a world where living from day-to-day costs more and more, that there is still a space that keeps the illusion, fantasy and hope alive, it is something that you cannot miss"
The dances of Midgard were so different from those of Asgard.
Here there were no bards, no tables with mead, no warriors counting exploits, or the eyes of the All-Father watching from his seat of honor, with his mother at his side, as differences, conflicts, and agreements were reflected on the dance floor.
No.
In the museum, the young Pharaoh used to put something he called a playlist on some speakers and between laughter and chaos, animals and people participated in the general festival, without much more interest than having fun and ending up exhausted from so much laughter and movement.
It was… liberating.
After so many years subjected to a constant loop of survival and abuse, finding that in addition to having new friends and his partner by his side, he could simply enjoy each one without thinking that they would take advantage of his joy to annoy him the next day, lead him to hug with all his soul those moments.
Especially when, after some time, the lively melodies gave way to softer ones that reminded him of the soft songs that his mother or her ladies-in-waiting used to sing in private and that, in Midgard, used to be consecrated to couples, so that they could have a moment of their own in that ritual of dance.
The first time he had seen it, he had felt thousands of pangs of pain, because it had not been between so many and with joy, but from far away, when Jedediah had reached out his hand and said something to Octavius and he had smiled extending a hand to him then hugging and gliding to the beat of the music.
His own arms had been empty then.
Not like now, in which the museum groups had divided up chatting animatedly at the sides, while leaving some space for the couples to move to the rhythm of their moment of the night.
Teddy and Sacajawea, were talking with each other smiling, on one side, as were Octavius and Jedediah at the information desk; while Larry and Ahkmenrah preferred to hug each other tightly without exchanging too many words and even the Pharaoh's parents who hadn't needed too many explanations to keep up with what was happening.
All of them in their own personal worlds.
Like him and Mobius.
In that same place.
_Hey - said the analyst smiling - What are you thinking?
_That I don't want it to end - he admitted sighing - I don't think... I have known this peace before.
Mobius thought for a few seconds and nodded.
_Me neither. I mean... I still want to know what it feels like to be on a jetski, but...
He laughed when he heard him talk about his blessed jetskis, which caused his partner to laugh as well.
_I will ask Larry to organize a visit for us to see one of those things - he said, still laughing at his occurrence.
_No - Mobius commented shaking his head - I said it just to make you laugh, because I thought you were remembering something sad because of how you looked at all of us who are dancing.
_It was not exactly sad - he clarified stroking his hair – It could even be said that wa quite the opposite.
_You're sure? - asked his partner raising an eyebrow.
_I am - he said sighing - I was reflecting on… how much I enjoy dancing like this and that they give us the space to do it and… by Ygdrassil, how enormously grateful I am that you are with me.
_I'm going to stay here - said Mobius smiling at him, while using one of his hands to bring his forehead closer to his.
_For all time? - he asked in a whisper remembering the logo of the organization that, without intending to, had ended up uniting them.
_Always - the analyst replied with a smile of his own, before closing the song that sounded in the museum with a long kiss.