Newfoundland not-for-profit organization The Mummers Festival has launched a multimedia advertising campaign with the aim of boosting support for the province’s centuries-old holiday tradition of “mummering.”
The campaign from St. John’s agency Target Marketing and Communications includes television, radio, online video, poster and print creative, as well as a website promoting the 2011 Mummers Festival, which runs from December 3-18 in St. John’s and includes a parade on Dec. 17.
The creative was assembled using images from last year’s festival and depicts Newfoundland residents engaging in mummering activities. The 400-year-old practice includes dressing up in bizarre costumes, playing music and entering the houses of neighbours who try to guess the identity of their disguised visitors.
The campaign features copy such as “The most fun you can have with someone else’s clothes on” and “We don’t want to see your face around here.”
Jenny Smith, creative group head at Target Marketing and Communications, said The Mummers Festival was seeking to alert Newfoundlanders to the fact that mummering, which was once banned in the province, is legal and celebrated at the annual event.
“Many people think that mummering is still outlawed and they don’t realize that the festival is a pretty big movement that’s becoming one of the most popular events of the year,” said Smith. “Our goal is to highlight the quirkiness and the fun of it.”
Target worked pro bono on the campaign, which was launched in early December.
