National Aquarium

In the spring of 2009, the National Aquarium was facing a problem common to many companies and entities in the tough economic times. How do you drive sales when your audience is cutting back?

MGH was brought in to help solve that problem. Our approach centered on creating excitement about the Aquarium's new dolphin show, "Our Ocean Planet." Our theory was, if we could strengthen people's connection to the dolphins at the Aquarium, they'd want to visit not just once — but often. So we set out to help those in Baltimore and beyond get to know the cute and loveable animals.

Our strategy involved personalizing the dolphins by highlighting their names, personalities, and unique traits — in order to "humanize" them and help form a bond with visitors. There was Maya, who loves to jump; Spirit, an expert at both sliding across the water and thrilling children; Jade, who does an amazing twist; and more.

Our fully integrated campaign allowed people to "meet" the dolphins in different ways and learn a little bit about their different abilities. Our creative highlighted the individual dolphins, and spoke to how the new show would give visitors the opportunity to "get up close and personal" with the magnificent animals. We also generated buzz by implementing a massive word of mouth campaign, using social media tools to spread positive messaging and user-generated content about the new show.

The results of our campaign were overwhelming, as visitors turned out in droves to meet the dolphins they'd heard so much about. Despite the uncertainty of the economy, attendance was well above projections, setting the pace for a busy and successful summer.