Gateway Arch
Marketing a monument
Since its completion in 1965, the Gateway Arch has become an iconic fixture in the St. Louis skyline and a lasting symbol of America’s westward expansion. Yet, the beloved monument needed a destination marketing agency to amplify its reach.
Elevating the Gateway Arch as a global icon
CHALLENGE
In 2018, Paradigm began an ambitious partnership with Bi-State Development and one of its largest partners: the Gateway Arch. At the time, Gateway Arch National Park had just finished a major redevelopment. Its grounds and museum had been completely reimagined to unify the City of St. Louis, the Arch and the Mississippi River.
With new experiences available and exciting additions in the works, the monument needed fresh minds to guide its travel and tourism marketing.
SOLUTION
Over five years, our destination marketing agency collaborated with stakeholders at the Gateway Arch, the National Parks Service, the Gateway Arch Park Foundation and more. Together, we devised creative marketing activations ranging from full-scale websites to brand awareness campaigns.
Throughout it all, we provided a fresh take on a decades-old attraction — increasing both local and non-local visitation during an unprecedented time for tourism.
WEBSITE
The Gateway Arch’s online experience needed to reflect its monumental scale and forward momentum.
Gateway Arch National Park is more than the monument itself. It’s a museum, a theatre, a riverfront and beyond. Nearly 1.6 million annual visitors flock to the destination for these reasons — but planning a visit online could feel overwhelming.
As such, our destination marketing agency approached the Gateway Arch’s website with one simple goal: remove friction points that stop visitors in their tracks.
On the front-end, we prioritized visual design, accessibility measures and intuitive user journeys. A complex navigation became a simplified mega menu. Lengthy pages became dedicated attraction pages. Complex journeys became clear pathways, with internal links pushing users toward similar ticketed and free experiences.
Behind the scenes, development focused on performance and custom content functionalities. Notably, our developers worked with Galaxy® ticketing systems to create a smooth transition between the website and the purchasing experience.
SIGHTS ABOVE, SO MUCH BELOW
Visitors often focus on the Gateway Arch’s incredible view — but so much more waits below.
This idea inspired us to evolve a past campaign into “Sights Above, So Much Below.” This travel and tourism marketing campaign highlighted the breadth of ticketed and free attractions available in one location.
Creative assets promoted riverboat tours, virtual reality experiences, green spaces and, of course, the ever-popular Tram Ride to the Top. Design remained cohesive across channels by using a scripted font and an arched arrow pointing to featured attractions.
Our destination marketing agency distributed the campaign through social media, print publications and beyond. Its versatility was an asset — giving ample opportunities to spotlight existing adventures and adapt as new experiences joined the agenda.
By the numbers
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230%
interaction rate for the new Museum landing page
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15%
increase in tram tickets sold in one year
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19%
increase in visitors from pre-pandemic numbers
SIGHTS ABOVE, STORIES BELOW
Before “Sights Above, So Much Below,” there was “Stories Below:” a campaign dedicated to a world-class museum.
In 2018, the Museum under the Gateway Arch was reopened with six modern, interactive galleries. Over 200 years of stories waited in its wings — but to hear them, visitors first needed to come through the door.
To drive visitation, our destination marketing agency devised the “Sights Above, Stories Below” campaign. This campaign captured attention by calling out the Arch’s views, then diverting attention to the world-class museum beneath.
Copywriters developed approachable messaging for social media posts, print advertisements, videos and radio spots. All activations appealed to visitors’ thirst for knowledge, sharing snippets of historic facts or spotlighting features of the free museum.
Designers utilized both historic imagery and present-day photography. All designs were tied together by an arched arrow that drew eyes beneath the monument we know and love.
By the close of our travel and tourism marketing campaign, all recognized that hours could be spent delving into the past before catching an amazing view.
MEET THE BUILDERS
The Gateway Arch was built by engineers, trade workers and support crews — and their stories deserve to be preserved.
These men and women have incredible stories about how this one-of-a-kind structure defied the odds and became a reality. And as they get older, we felt that their accounts needed to be preserved for future generations.
Alongside the Arch’s historian, our destination marketing agency conducted a series of video interviews with attendees of the 2019 Meet the Builders event. Our questions prompted vivid recollections from the builders, which were then paired with historical photos and modern-day footage of the monument.
The “Meet the Builders” video series ultimately preserved a piece of national history — revealing the human side of the beloved monument.
COVID-19 RESPONSE
The Gateway Arch had to adapt to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
St. Louis’ stay-at-home orders closed the Arch for weeks. Though it adapted quickly and reopened, people were still hesitant to travel during the pandemic. The Arch needed visitors to know it was prioritizing safety, without damaging the monument’s magic.
To address concerns, our destination marketing agency designed a series of floor markers and wayfinding posters. Each piece stood by attractions, ensuring visitors could quickly see mask policies, payment info, foot traffic flow and social distancing protocols.
We then directed a series of instructional videos for Gateway Arch attractions. Each video outlined precautions being taken inside the facility — reassuring visitors that the Museum, Tram Ride to the Top and other experiences were safe amid uncertainty.
FRIGHTS & HEIGHTS
Like any local, Paradigm knew that St. Louis loves a holiday.
In fact, all the great St. Louis cultural institutions host unique holiday events. Boo at the Zoo at the St. Louis Zoo. Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. But when it comes to the Arch, holidays were normally business as usual.
We saw an opportunity to connect St. Louisans to the Arch through a dedicated holiday celebration, which led to the creation of Freights & Heights. The event offered a one-of-a-kind night at the Arch, where families could visit and participate in themed activities, such as a haunted tram ride and balloon animals.
Our destination marketing agency supported the event by designing a logo, promotional signage and social media posts. We even crafted an activity book, featuring custom illustrations of Halloween characters that took kids through word searches, crosswords and coloring pages.
