Wax On, Wax Off
A&E, Madam Tussaud’s bring Biography into museums. New York City-based A&E Networks has bought popular documentary show Biography a ticket into Madam Tussaud’s famous wax museums.
Through a deal that makes the cable network the official television media sponsor of London-based Tussaud Group’s attractions, A&E will brand various items and areas inside the museums in London, Las Vegas, and New York City with Biography-related content. Multimedia walls display highlights from the show, while kiosks let visitors access information from biography.com about the waxed celebrities they’re viewing. Statues of anyone profiled in a Biography episode carry the show’s logo on an adjacent plaque. And retail space has been set aside for A&E to proffer videos, DVDs, books, and apparel.
“This makes the show a little friendlier,” says Michael Mohamad, A&E’s senior vp-marketing. “Madam Tussaud’s gets consumers close to famous people. We help the consumer understand that person.”
Tussaud’s has allowed few sponsorships in the past, but thought the tie with Biography worked. “We want people to see the product they’ve paid to see without feeling short-changed,” says Nancy McGrath, Tussaud’s director of marketing. “But it became apparent that the two sides had similar principles. In the U.K., getting a wax figure is a badge of honor. In the U.S., getting on Biography is a similar honor.”
A&E is completing the Biography invasion (handled in-house) in the Sin City and London Tussaud attractions after first setting up in New York City last month. Once completed, the network will begin rolling out localized promotions in each locale.
