WAITING GAME = DOCUMENT EVERYTHING

Even though we could not publicly talk about the penguins for several months, we began gathering photos and videos, documenting everything from the moment they arrived. I brainstormed over 30 ideas we could do while they were behind the scenes. I then ran them all by our lead penguin curator to ensure the penguins' health and safety were priority #1. She approved almost all ideas.

The video below is just a quick behind-the-scenes look at some of the successes (and failures) of my shoots. All of which I would gladly do again. The biggest lesson I learned when filming these little penguins? No one needs to look at a penguin from below. No one. Oh… and as we later learned, they poop A LOT.

The bright side of not opening on time and being unable to share our news with the public was that we had a year and a half to try new things. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, and sometimes something even better happened.

Color Palette and Typography

Custom Illustrations and Texture

We worked with CinderDesign Co to create a set of custom illustrations for our Little Blues (adult and child-focused). They created the core penguins, and I gave each one a little more personality based on the campaign or execution. Each has been used in various campaigns or giveaways throughout the launch and opening.

MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Our first strategy was to hone in on an overall fun campaign, set our penguins apart, and capitalize on the “cute” factor. After brainstorming taglines, we brought our ideas to our husbandry and exhibits team. It was there that we were able to narrow focus on what made our penguins unique. It turns out it was simple — they are the smallest penguins you could ever meet, and no one else on the west coast has them. As a result, our primary campaign became “Meet the World’s Smallest Penguins.”

With that idea locked in, we set out to create the ultimate penguin portfolio – from brainstorming taglines, and creating creative copy, to producing eye-catching photos and videos! We incorporated this theme from the initial public announcement in every penguin post leading up to the opening.

Secondary Social Campaign

We also created a secondary campaign that played off some unique characteristics, again making the copy and content unique only to our little blues. Fun fact: Little Blues dive up to 800 times a day, so we played off of that in this playful series. By adding the secondary campaign, we were able to swap out the content and retarget audiences with fresh, new content to avoid fatigue and keep Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins top of mind.

WINTER CAMPAIGN

We noticed that we got a lot of comments on our social channels that seemed to express confusion regarding how penguins could live in SoCal - they assumed all penguins live in the snow. To answer that question (they don’t), we tied in our Southern California beach culture and our mild winters in our first-ever illustrative ad campaign.

ONSITE SIGNAGE

To continue the buzz and excite people, we also incorporated penguin signage ALL over the aquarium for guests visiting before the exhibit opening, doubling as photo ops! In addition, we had “fun fact” signage covering construction zones, large banners at the aquarium entrance, and even a penguin poop sign by the bathrooms (the most photographed sign at the aquarium to date).

EXHIBIT DESIGN

Due to the nature of my job, I am on both the exhibit and marketing teams. Meeting with the exhibits and husbandry team was a needed meeting, one I facilitated and was so glad we did. I wanted to ensure we saw elements of the marketing campaign (typography, ad copy, etc.) blend into the exhibit. In addition, I was involved in weekly design meetings and ideation sessions to help bring this exhibit to life.

Traditional Media

The exhibit opening garnered significant local and national media coverage and the highest social media engagement we had seen up to that point. Notable national coverage included The New York Times, Newsweek, and Sunset Magazine. Locally, the exhibit saw strong media coverage from The San Diego Union-Tribune, all local TV stations, Spanish-language networks Univision and Televisa, Westways Magazine, and the cover story of Where Traveler San Diego, and was also picked up by many bloggers and freelance writers. 

OPENING DAY

We focused on three social media pushes in conjunction with our traditional media to take us into the home stretch.

• The release of our timelapse construction video became our most-watched video of all time. In addition to traditional timelapse footage, the team cut in critical milestones, which made the video stand out. The social media manager, myself, and our marketing student took turns filming significant construction milestones. Then, we compiled it monthly to share on our website update page, all while knowing the end goal was the video as you see it today.

• A few days before launch, we released a shot we had been sitting on for months. We answered the “How little is little?” question by comparing our little blues to a SoCal burrito. No one had seen these little blues up close yet, and size comparisons are king. So what better way than a SoCal favorite? Note: I was the art director, photographer, and burrito eater. It was delicious.

• On opening day, we released the teaser video of the actual exhibit. We had opened a day early to members, and I was able to film our guests enjoying the new space, our aquarists feeding the penguins, and give people a little taste of the overall new addition.

We also tied in functional and fun giveaways that promoted the exhibit and introduced those unfamiliar with the aquarium to our mission. We ensured that all our elements (i.e., images, text, call to action, and more) were consistent, eye-catching, and connected back to Meet the World’s Smallest Penguins. This was evident in our advertisement, aquarium signage, social media, swag, and more.

RESULTS

We welcomed 58,033 guests in July, an 18% attendance increase over the prior year. We surpassed $1 million in monthly attendance revenue for the first time in the aquarium’s history. Campaign performance showed that over 30 days following the campaign launch:

• We reached 11.4M people in print, online, and broadcast. 

• We gained 10k+ followers across all social media platforms and had a collective impression of 8.7+M

Though we won’t have final attendance data until June 2023, the aquarium continues to shatter its attendance records month after month, and fiscal year 2022 is on track to have the highest attendance in the history of the aquarium.