The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza has selected Publicis in Mid America to handle its first advertising campaign since opening in 1989.
The museum is located in Dallas inside the former Texas School Book Depository building from whose sixth floor Lee Harvey Oswald is believed to have fatally shot John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States.
The selection of the Dallas agency comes as the museum is planning a $1 million expansion of its facilities. The expansion will add a temporary display space on the seventh floor to the museum’s permanent exhibit on the life and death of President Kennedy.
“The idea is of moving the museum from an assassination site to an important presidential site,” said museum executive director Jeff West. “We walk a very thin line obviously … We don’t want to in any way market the assassination. We’re trying to find that balance and Publicis has demonstrated the sensitivity to help us do that.”
West said Publicis was selected for the pro bono account following informal discussions with a number of local agencies. The shop will create television, print and billboard advertising, as well as airport dioramas.
West said the museum, which currently draws 450,000 visitors annually, will focus its efforts on the local market.
“The changing exhibits gives the local community a reason to visit the museum instead of always putting it off,” he said. “And with more space, we can get more people in.”
Museum Taps Agency
