Break-in to Brand Moment

City Museum

  • One evening after the City Museum closed, a group of young men broke into the building, caused damage to multiple glass doors, and stole merchandise from the gift shop.

    While the situation itself was serious, it presented a unique creative challenge: how to communicate what happened publicly while staying true to City Museum’s playful, unconventional brand voice.

  • How do you address theft and property damage in a way that informs the public, activates the community, and still feels native to social media—without abandoning the brand’s signature quirky tone?

  • Rather than responding with a traditional or overly formal security-style message, I was challenged to approach the situation through humor and storytelling. The goal was to acknowledge what happened while still leaning into City Museum’s signature quirky voice—turning an unfortunate situation into engaging, shareable content that would resonate with the community.

    I conceptualized the video as a tongue-in-cheek “after-hours tour,” framing the break-in as an unofficial visit complete with commentary, sarcasm, and lighthearted humor. This approach allowed the content to remain entertaining while still clearly communicating that the individuals were not authorized to be there and that assistance from the public was needed.

  • I led the full creative process from start to finish, including:

    • Writing the voiceover script, using dry humor and playful sarcasm to match City Museum’s tone

    • Recording the voiceover, ensuring delivery felt natural, witty, and conversational

    • Reviewing and selecting surveillance footage, isolating only the clips where individuals were visible

    • Editing the footage to align tightly with the pacing and timing of the voiceover

  • The video gained significant traction due to its unexpected, humorous tone and shareable approach. By leaning into City Museum’s quirky brand voice and reframing the incident through storytelling, the content felt native to social media and encouraged strong community engagement.

    Instagram performance (as of January 2, 2026):

    • 538K views

    • 18.3K likes

    • 631 comments

    • 761 reposts

    • 3,463 shares

    The high share and comment volume reflected how the lighthearted, “jokey” approach prompted conversation, participation, and visibility—demonstrating how timely, on-brand messaging can transform a real-world incident into an effective and engaging social moment.