The Strong National Museum of Play Creates Path to Play for Northeast Travellers

The Strong National Museum of Play, one of the nation’s leading museums for families and home to the National Toy Hall of Fame, is partnering with creative and media AOR Partners + Napier to delight travellers on the road from Toronto and across the Northeast with a billboard campaign that leads to the ultimate play destination.

The 'Path to Play' campaign supports The Strong’s recently completed expansion project, which includes 90,000 square feet of immersive exhibit spaces for all ages, featuring the world’s largest playable Donkey Kong arcade game, electronic gaming areas where guests can create personalised avatars and embark on puzzle-solving quests, a larger-than-life Hasbro Game Park, and much more. The project also includes a whimsical parking garage designed to support the nearly one million annual visitors anticipated by 2026, up from a previous high of 600,000 pre-pandemic visitors.

“This campaign is helping to usher in a new era for The Strong,” said Sara Poe, vice president for marketing and communications at The Strong. “We’ve created a unique destination unlike anything else in the world, and we’re thrilled to be welcoming even more visitors to come and experience it for themselves.”

In addition to being home to the National Toy Hall of Fame, The Strong National Museum of Play houses the International Centre for the History of Electronic Games, the World Video Game Hall of Fame, and the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of historical materials related to play. 

'Path to Play' brings the museum’s vast collection of classic toys and modern gaming experiences to life with high-impact billboards dotting the path from Toronto and other Northeast cities to The Strong’s location in Rochester, NY. Additional media includes mobile map and geo-targeted advertising, aerial banner advertising, and sports and radio sponsorships along the billboard path, as well as connected TV, YouTube, and social and digital advertising. 

“Play is universal - we can all relate to those moments as kids, letting your imagination run wild and having fun with your favourite toy,” said Rob Kottkamp, CCO of Partners + Napier. “This campaign captures the power of that nostalgia, inviting people to reconnect with their inner child at the ultimate play destination, not more than a couple of hours away.”