Gladiators are not only alive and well, they’re walking the streets of Ottawa.
In an effort to promote the Canadian War Museum’s temporary exhibit, “Gladiators and the Colosseum: Death and Glory,” men dressed as the warriors have been popping up around the nation’s capital. The stunt, developed by Montreal-based shop Marketel (the first work on behalf of the museum since being named AOR last spring), was intended to generate excitement around the exhibit and to bring these relics of the Roman Empire to life.
Four online videos reveal little-known facts about gladiators. For instance, they ate a mostly vegetarian diet and consumed energy drinks made from vinegar and bone ash. The effort also includes print and OOH.
According to Pierre Girard, director of marketing and brand strategy for the Canadian War Museum, the effort (which launched in late June) has been paying off in terms of both online and foot traffic.
“Just a few weeks in, we were already seeing significantly higher traffic than exhibitions presented in the past, and the online videos have already seen close to half a million views… we can’t wait to see the final results,” Girard said in a statement.
“The Gladiators and the Colosseum: Death and Glory” exhibit runs until Sept. 7.
