Marketing email that reads "Dayton's Saga Continues!?" It features an image of a man holding a tiny primitive desk. The headline says "Crude object found in wall has experts questioning everything."

A marketing email that reads "Theories grow as more discovered at Dayton's." The image shows a gloved hand displaying aged paper with primitive schematics resembling a system for moving creatures that hold onto ceiling-mounted rings.

A photo of a gloved hand holding an aged, primitive drawing that shows a schematic for ceiling-mounted system of moving apes people (or monkeys) quickly through a space.

A marketing email that reads "MONKEY BUSINESS?" It features more fake, aged artifacts discovered at Dayton's like "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Primates," monkey ID badges, business cards, and more.

A marketing email that reads "Prank or Primate?" It features a illustration of small squirrel monkeys in a business meeting.

Detail of an illustration of monkeys in a business meeting. A newspaper on the desk dates the scene to the 1980s.

A series of news stories and social media posts about the discovery of a mummified monkey at the Dayton's department store in Minneapolis.

Services

Creative Direction

Art Direction

Agency

Core Twelve

Client

601W Companies
The Telos Group

Year

2019

When a mummified primate was found in an air duct of the former Dayton's department store in Minneapolis, the story captured national attention. Amidst local legends of stolen monkeys and hidden histories, our team spotted a unique marketing opportunity to promote the conversion of this iconic building into mixed-use office space.

Leveraging the buzz, we crafted a whimsical narrative: a hidden society of super-smart primates had long thrived within Dayton's walls, pioneers of the building's potential as office space. Our campaign featured fabricated artifacts such as primate-designed desks, office blueprints, and anthropological sketches, imagining their sophisticated office life.

This tongue-in-cheek micro-campaign resonated widely within the brokerage community, marking an amusing, yet memorable promotional success. Looking back, it was an over-the-top endeavor, but undeniably enjoyable.