Zoo Atlanta | Inspiring Atlanta to Tour the African Savanna
As one of the oldest continually operating zoological institutions in the United States, Zoo Atlanta is home to over 1,000 animals and 220 species. The African Savanna at Zoo Atlanta offers an immersive experience replicating Africa’s diverse grasslands, featuring species such as African elephants, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, warthogs, meerkats, and white rhinos. In 2021, Zoo Atlanta partnered with our agency to develop a campaign promoting the African Savanna. Later that year, we also developed a city-wide campaign for “IllumiNights: A Chinese Lantern Festival,” an afterhours event at the zoo.
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Like many cultural attractions, Zoo Atlanta faced a steep drop in attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the city reopened, Zoo Atlanta had to compete for visitors’ attention in a crowded cultural landscape, alongside destinations like the High Museum of Art, the Atlanta History Center, the Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and the World of Coca-Cola. To stand out, Zoo Atlanta needed to spotlight its unique experiences, reignite community interest and drive both general audience and membership sales.
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To bring visitors back through the gates, we focused on storytelling that would capture the imagination of both children and adults.
African Savanna Campaign: We centered the campaign around the exhibit’s newest resident—Kiazi, the Southern White Rhino—creating a sense of excitement and urgency to visit. A whimsical tone was used throughout the creative to appeal to families, while emphasizing the up-close, interactive nature of the experience. Attendance surpassed budget by more than 10 percent and reached 99% of pre-pandemic levels, excluding the impact of school groups. Membership sales saw a dramatic success, 44% ahead of 2020.
IllumiNights: A Chinese Lantern Festival: We built a multi-channel strategy that highlighted the event’s visual beauty and its limited-time availability, driving ticket sales and buzz. The combined digital and traditional media campaign achieved over 104 million impressions.
