Centre Pompidou's guerrilla souvenir campaign to lure tourists
The Centre Pompidou in Paris, one of the world's leading modern and contemporary art museums, trails behind the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, Sacré-Cœur, and the Arc de Triomphe in tourist numbers. To attract more foreign visitors, the museum commissioned the Marcel agency (part of the Publicis group) to devise a campaign. The agency created metal souvenirs and keychains mimicking typical Parisian trinkets, then distributed them across the city via shops and street vendors. Each souvenir bears a QR code on its base that, when scanned, provides directions to the Pompidou and offers a free shuttle service.
Key facts
- Centre Pompidou is one of the world's most famous modern and contemporary art museums.
- It lags behind Parisian landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, Sacré-Cœur, and the Arc de Triomphe in visitor numbers.
- The museum tasked the Marcel agency (Publicis group) with a campaign to attract more foreign tourists.
- The campaign involved creating metal souvenirs and keychains in the style of typical Parisian trinkets.
- Souvenirs were distributed through shops and street vendors across Paris.
- Each souvenir has a QR code on its base.
- Scanning the QR code provides directions to the Pompidou and a free shuttle service.
- The campaign was reported by Artribune in 2018.
Entities
Institutions
- Centre Pompidou
- Marcel
- Publicis
- Artribune
Locations
- Paris
- France