Sabi Suriname

Tropenmuseum

In the (illustrated) Dutch media landscape you can hardly find non-white characters. In recent years, various initiatives have been launched to allow media and editorial staff to act from an intersectional perspective and to promote the inclusiveness and representation of non-white Dutch people in the media.

To draw attention to the new exhibition, Tropenmuseum Junior, together with advertising agency KAPOOOW, has developed a culturally authentic campaign that continues to touch potential visitors through relevant storytelling before, during and after the visit.In the inclusive campaign, the target audience is introduced to Harvey, his uncle Kenneth who works in the Tropenmuseum and their discovery of 'Sabi Suriname'. After the magical discovery, Harvey tells his friends his incredible yet true stories about 'Sabi Suriname'. The target group is then encouraged to experience the exhibition themselves.

To introduce the target group to the exhibition and the characters, the campaign kicks off with a short cartoon about the discovery, which is shown on social media, as a television commercial and in the cinema. In the last scene, the viewer sees Kenneth, Harvey and his friends standing in disbelief on their faces at the magic wall and looking at the target audience.

The 'Selfiemaker', an authentic shareable activation: This ensures authentic user-generated content where the target group itself becomes part of Harvey's world, through a 'character creator'. This as an activation at target group-specific events such as Kwaku and Keti Koti, but also at events with a broader composition such as the Uitmarkt or Museumnacht. In addition, the 'Selfie Maker' is also placed in the museum itself, and it is an experience to immerse the visitor and create more user generated content. By letting the target group create a selfie, the campaign will become more individual.

For the same reason, an Instagram filter has also been developed, whereby the target group can enter the world of Sabi Suriname. A Big Kiskadee lands on your head while standing in the doorway as shown in the campaign image. Here you can pose yourself with a surprised look and make your followers curious about the exhibition.

The campaign was expanded in the second year with a long format animation series for IGTV (Instagram TV), in which Uncle Kenneth talks about Surinamese celebrations. Via this series, the characters are also brought to life outside the museum, which makes them 'real' for the target audience. In a special episode on "The Day of the Maroons", Uncle Kenneth's good friend and famous Surinamese singer Kenny B stops by, to talk about his ancestors.

The campaign has a highly inclusive character, which means that metropolitan culture can be conveyed authentically, whereby the target group must be touched in their cultural heart.