As the United States’ official museum dedicated exclusively to World War I, the National WWI Museum and Memorial approached its Centennial.
As the United States’ official museum dedicated exclusively to World War I, the National WWI Museum and Memorial approached its Centennial with a rare opportunity: to honor 100 years of history while positioning the organization for sustained national relevance and growth.
The Centennial coincided with America’s 250th and the city (and Museum and Memorial) preparing to welcome a global audience through the FIFA World Cup. The Museum and Memorial needed a campaign that could stand alongside other major national commemorations, connect historical significance to modern audiences and transform the Centennial from a one-time milestone into a platform for ongoing engagement.
Leadership sought a strategic partner to help align history, mission and future goals into a cohesive campaign that would elevate awareness, strengthen audience connection and maximize the impact of this once-in-a-generation moment.
The National WWI Museum and Memorial partnered with Crux to develop the strategy, messaging and creative foundation for its Centennial campaign.
Through research, stakeholder interviews and audience analysis, we uncovered a critical insight: the Museum and Memorial’s greatest strength lies in its ability to connect the enduring impact of WWI to today. While its legacy was well established, the Centennial represented an opportunity to more clearly articulate how remembrance continues to shape the future.
This insight became the foundation for the Centennial platform: Remember Forward. More than a tagline, Remember Forward reframed the Centennial as a forward-looking call to action, connecting remembrance to responsibility and inviting audiences to carry the legacy of World War I into the next century.
With the strategic foundation established, Crux developed the Centennial messaging framework, narrative, visual identity system and campaign concepts designed to unify communications across channels, audiences and partners. We created a scalable brand system that translated the Museum and Memorial’s values into a cohesive visual and verbal language capable of supporting everything from digital storytelling to large-scale public activations.
The work extended into campaign execution planning, including website recommendations, social content systems, paid media concepts, partnership materials and high-visibility out-of-home activations. From streetcar wraps and transit signage to year-long content planning and audience engagement frameworks, every recommendation was designed to create a consistent, recognizable presence while supporting long-term awareness and relevance.
The National WWI Museum and Memorial entered its Centennial year with a unified campaign platform, a scalable brand system and a clear framework for engaging audiences locally, nationally and globally.
The Remember Forward platform provided a consistent narrative that could extend across channels, partners and experiences, ensuring the Centennial functioned as more than a commemorative milestone. Instead, it became a foundation for future awareness, engagement and relevance.
The campaign was brought to life through high-visibility activations across Kansas City, including streetcar advertising, transit signage, digital content and social storytelling. A comprehensive messaging framework and year-long content strategy enabled the Museum and Memorial to consistently translate its mission into audience-facing experiences while reinforcing the connection between historical remembrance and present-day responsibility.
Together, these efforts positioned the National WWI Museum and Memorial to capitalize on a period of increased national and global attention while strengthening its role as a leading voice in preserving and applying the lessons of World War I for future generations.
What This Looked Like in Market
