The Field Museum (TFM), an iconic cultural institution in Chicago for 130 years, has long been revered as a gateway to the wonders of the natural world and human history. Last October, TFM opened the Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches as a new limited-time exhibition that explores the world of bloodsucking animals, insects and legendary creatures. While a fascinating exhibition, the topic of blood proved to be off-putting to many museum-goers. The brief was simple: transform the disgust and fear around the Bloodsuckers exhibition into curiosity and excitement. TFM is an institution that aims to connect all of us to the natural world and the human story; and what better way to connect and learn than over a shared experience with food.

Blood Appétit, a collaborative venture within Chicago's culinary talents, spotlighted an unconventional ingredient: blood. We tasked famous Chicago chefs with the challenge of showcasing the delectable possibilities of blood in gastronomy; menus featured dishes like Blood Devil’s Food Cake, Korean Blood Sausage and much more. With each dish savored, diners earned a discounted ticket to delve deeper into the enigmatic world of the Bloodsuckers exhibition and The Field Museum. These discounts motivated people to see the limited-time exhibition and led to boosts in museum attendance. A mere taste of blood was all it took to transform Chicagoans into eager blood enthusiasts.

Blood Appétit leverages the intersection of food, culture and education to create a memorable and engaging experience. With little media budget, our PR strategy revolved around harnessing the energy of Chicago’s local media market, booming culinary scene while leaning on blood as a cultural obsession and human need to captivate the local audience.

Recognizing the city’s passion for culinary experiences, we strategically timed Blood Appétit to coincide with Chicago Restaurant Week, a highly anticipated annual event. We borrowed against the social capital of this event, as well as the chef and restaurant partners, to craft the narrative and drive earned media, seamlessly integrating the Bloodsuckers exhibit into cultural conversations.

We partnered with 8 of Chicago’s beloved restaurants from 2/19 to 3/8. Leveraging paid media to drive awareness, we reached over 350k curious Chicagoans.

-Morcilla Tacos, Taqueria Chingón: Chef Marcos Ascencio

-Blood Devil’s Food Cake, Mott St.: Chef Edward Kim, a recipient of awards + accolades from Michelin, Bon Appétit, The New York Times, & more

-Pasta Al Sangue, Celeste: Chef Nick Lacasse

-Santa Sangre Pizza, Reno: Chef Chris Dunstatter

-Bloody Wiener & Bloody Malort Shot, The Wiener Circle: Chef Poochie Jackson

-Korean Blood Sausage, Parachute: Chef Beverly Kim, owner of Michelin-starred Parachute and James Beard Award-winning chef + contestant on TopChef

-Blood Chocolate Tort, Webster Wine Bar: Chef Aaron Mooney

-Blood Sausage Sliders, Frontier: Chef Brian Jupiter, accolades + television appearances include James Beard Awards Semifinalist "Best Chef: Great Lakes", Cooking Channel’s “America’s Best Bites”, NBC Chicago News, Fox 32 Chicago News, WGN-TV News, Food Network, & “Check, Please!”.

Attendance increased by over 40% (Goal/KPI: 20% lift in attendance).

1,700 visits to the landing page in the first week of the activation.

Paid social content fostered 71,653 engagements (comments, likes, shares, reposts) and Display received 123,483 impressions (Goal/KPI: 50,000 paid social engagements and 100,000 display impressions).

500 million earned media impressions across broadcast, online, and print platforms.

31,500 visits to partner restaurants.

Throughout the three week partnership, over 90,000 people visited the museum.