The places you (can pretend) you'll go

credit: Dr. Seuss Enterprises

Dr. Seuss Enterprises has taken the concept of escaping into a book to the next level. In partnership with the agency Known, the global entertainment company recently launched the Dr. Seuss Travel Agency, a campaign to promote literacy and the works of Dr. Seuss.

There’s quite a few elements to the campaign. A Dr. Seuss Travel Agency website features a digital hub with links to different “destinations” from the books of Dr. Seuss. Visitors can also download and print colorable maps and travel diaries for children. Other planned media includes a 15-second spot, social content, educator outreach, and even a bus wrap in New York City.

A travel agency is a creative way for Dr. Seuss Enterprises to take advantage of its IP. Across the collection of works, there are many meaningful worlds and characters that still resonate in the public imagination, beyond their original stories. The Grinch, as an example, has transformed from your classic Scrooge character into a social media personality and one of the all-stars of last year’s holiday marketing. Popular culture’s constant re-making of the Grinch has expanded how we think about him and what he’s able to do.

With characters like the Grinch, that have developed lives far beyond their original source material, Dr. Seuss Enterprises has a lot of permission to push the IP, reimagining the characters across different contexts (real or imaginary). With that in mind, it makes sense that there would be a “travel agency” to help you get to the fantastical destinations of Dr. Seuss’s books. Where else could you imagine Dr. Seuss’s characters in the world? And how can this lead to even more creative marketing for the organization?