The Museum of Toronto wants locals to discover some of the city’s lesser-known stories.

Created by agency partner Berners Bowie Lee (BBL), the “For the T.O. You Don’t Know” campaign transforms streets, sidewalks and transit spaces into storytelling platforms as a reminder that history isn’t static, but evolving all the time.

Wayfinding signage, including plaques, posters and sidewalk stickers will be on display at more than 25 locations across high-traffic pedestrian spaces across Toronto.

QR codes can be accessed at the markers to take a dive deeper into each story and access a map of the complete Museum of Toronto tour.

The sites included in the open-air exhibition include the location of Toronto’s last fatal duel and a reformatory opened in 1880 “For Women Unable to be Improved or Fixed.”

Each marker reveals a slice of Toronto’s past uncovered through interviews with the museum’s network of local historians, architects, journalists and culture aficionados.

“Our goal is to share histories that are often overlooked or unknown, allowing communities and individuals to think more deeply about the city they call home,” says Heidi Reitmaier, executive director of museum of Toronto. “We want Torontonians to engage critically and creatively with their city’s past and to imagine its future with fresh eyes.”

“By revealing these hidden stories, we hope Torontonians will see their city in a new light, one that sparks curiosity, pride and a deeper connection to the places they walk by every day,” adds Michael Murray, co-founder and chief creative officer at BBL. The campaign is the agency’s first project for the Museum of Toronto since winning the remit last summer.

The Museum of Toronto was known as they the Myseum of Toronto when it launched in May 2015. Murray tells strategy, that the digital museum or a “museum without walls” was programmed through pop-up activations and programming around the city and focused mostly on digital storytelling on the histories of Toronto.

Since opening a gallery space in 2022, the museum has been putting on two or three exhibitions a year. The brand’s marketing since then has largely focused on driving traffic to the physical exhibitions.

“Any traditional advertising since then has been relatively limited and focused on specific exhibitions. This campaign is meant to build general awareness for the museum, its 2024 name change,” Murray says.

The choice of OOH media turns the city into an exhibit or experience people could visit on bike or foot.

“We chose bike share stations as they are plentiful around the city and support touring all the sites by bike.”