Zoo Knoxville ARC Brand Launch

OVERVIEW

Beginning in 2020, Zoo Knoxville was gearing up for its largest exhibit to date, the Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (ARC) Campus, to open in Spring 2021. The Zoo wanted to generate awareness, increase online engagement, and drive ticket sales and membership purchases for the coming year. They also needed a memorable brand identity iconic to the ARC Campus.

The brand identity was inspired by the architectural and exhibit elements of the center. The geometric shapes at the center of the mark representing the large glass entryway to the exhibit where a large tortoise replica hangs. The “Coming For Your” monster-movie-inspired teaser campaign launched in 2020 with a series of posters and social posts that would drive interest.

In 2021, the teaser campaign led into a fully integrated, cross-platform campaign, “Closer Than You Think,” letting visitors know that the exhibit would be open soon. The campaign generated awareness of the exhibit through print, out-of-home, microsite, email, digital, broadcast, social media, and merchandise.

ROLE

Designed the brand identity for the ARC Campus. Lead role as Art Director and Designer on the campaign including concept and strategy, creation of the key art, microsite design and backend development, broadcast concept, and production design of the print and digital pieces.

RESULTS

The ARC creative proved to be one of the most successful campaigns to date for Zoo Knoxville. In the first six months of the campaign, the Zoo consistently saw record attendance each month compared to the past six years, YOY. All media placements saw an increase in return on ad spend, with the most notable coming from digital display which increased 225%. The website saw improvements across the board in terms of performance with a 209% increase in online revenue in the first quarter of the campaign, increases in clicks, clickthrough rates, conversions, and users— exceeding previous years delivery, engagement and conversions.