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Non-Profit / Museum / Cultural Institution

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis 

Logo for the Children's Museum Indianapolis with the numbers 1 and 0, a sunburst graphic, a green hill, and the text 'Children's Museum Indianapolis'.

Crisis Communications

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is the world’s largest children’s museum. With a concentration on diversity, equity, and inclusion, it provides a concentration on cultural education, interactive exhibits, and community engagement.

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OUR WORK IN ACTION.

CHALLENGE:

The Children’s Museum faced accusations of cultural insensitivity after a social media post went viral from a food vendor featuring a “Juneteenth Watermelon Salad.”

Within 3 days, this had been covered over 202 times, with over 64 million media impressions. Coverage included many news outlets, such as TMZ, the Today Show, and the Huffington Post. Meanwhile, there were threats of boycotts, loss of community trust, and even strained partnerships.

The Children’s Museum’s CEO and President, Jennifer Pace Robinson, stated, “I was devastated. I’d built my career on creating exhibits with a particular focus on DEAI. This is when they turned to us to assist.

SOLUTION:

The Children’s Museum partnered with Herd Strategies to mitigate the crisis, rebuild trust, and reinforce its DEAI commitments.

Our first step included understanding what had happened through research, conversations, and identifying gaps in vendor processes.

After analysis, we put together a comprehensive communication strategy that included an apology and assurance statement, internal communication updates, and targeted outreach that focused on repairing community relationships and trust.

HOW WE HELPED

  • Working closely with the Children’s Museum team, we:

    • Created and delivered a public apology and reassurance statement 

    • Managed crisis mitigation and media relations efforts from both press releases to interviews

    • Created and executed a digital communication plan, including social media

    • Implemented a communications plan with staff updates and morale-building initiatives.

    “There was a lot of listening on my part,” said President and CEO Jennifer Pace Robinson. “Denise gave me the courage to continue.”

  • In June, Herd Strategies monitored the audience sentiment and, within days after coverage, saw an immediate drop in negative scores. Through our communication plan, transparent conversations, and the right messaging, the museum regained community trust and rebuilt partnerships.

    In September 2022, the Emmett Till exhibit began. Denise says, “Throughout the Emmett Till exhibit, there were no hiccups, and the museum exceeded all of its goals. That was beautiful because, despite the controversy and fears related to being thrust into the national spotlight, in the end, the museum was received with open arms by the community. The crisis didn’t serve as a deterrent to the good work the museum does.”

  • The crisis and Herd’s counsel shaped new communication insights, an internal policy program, strengthened community relationships, and above all, rebuilt trust in the community.

    This proves that a thoughtful strategy can turn a crisis into a milestone for growth.

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Media Reach & Coverage

In three days, the viral post reached national outlets including TMZ, The Huffington Post, and the Today Show, totaling 202 mentions and 64M impressions.

Date Overview:

  • The salad post went viral on 6/6/22.

  • Children’s Museum implementation began: 6/13/22

  • Observance of Juneteenth: 6/20/22

Sentiment Over Time

Within days of Herd’s partnership, negative sentiment declined significantly, and the museum regained community trust before its Juneteenth celebration.

Value of Coverage

This graph shows the campaign’s reach, estimated publicity value, and sentiment over time, highlighting audience exposure and public perception throughout key moments.
People sitting and watching a black-and-white documentary or presentation projected on a wall, featuring an image of a woman and a man with text displaying a quote from Mamie Till-Mobley.

The Children’s Museums’ Emmett Till Exhibit

Smiling woman with glasses and brown hair, wearing a dark floral top, stands in front of colorful abstract art.

The Indianapolis Children’s Museum:

“Denise helped us create an apology, which was important to us, but she also helped us reinforce the way we’ve historically done our important work,” Jennifer Pace Robinson said. “She determined outlets where we could share our message and helped us build bridges in the community.”

- Jennifer Pace Robinson, President & CEO The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

VIEW ALL CASE STUDIES.

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    Red Line

  • A lit-up Ferris wheel at a nighttime amusement park with the Children's Museum Indianapolis logo in the bottom left corner.

    The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

  • A fountain with a sculpture of soldiers and civilians, with the word IAAQLI in bold red and black letters at the base, and a cloudy sky in the background.

    IAAQLI (Indianapolis African American Quality of Life Initiative)

  • Two men standing outdoors at Belmont Beach holding gardening tools, surrounded by greenery, with the welcoming text 'Welcome to Belmont Beach' overlaid on the image.

    Haughville Riverfront Vision Plan Belmont Beach

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