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Name of Entry: Cutest Animal in the World

Name of Company Entering: Houston Zoo, Inc.

Name of Contact: Michael Reina

Email of Contact: mreina@houstonzoo.org

Phone Number: 713.533.6835

Alternate Number: 713.533.6556

Type: Business to Consumer

Category: Talking (marketing)

 

Short description of this entry (What it is and how it works):
In late 2008, the Houston Zoo received word that we would be acquiring a rare red panda from the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Our task was to generate excitement about the new exhibit opening without revealing the identity of the animal. Our goal was to keep Houstonians “guessing” what the Cutest Animal in the World could be. The end result of this campaign was effectively accomplished when we generated a significant amount of buzz about the mystery animal and saw increased attendance surrounding the unveiling of the new exhibit.


Our online presence included:
1) Securing a unique URL (www.cutestanimal.org) which we promoted across our online social media channels (facebook, twitter, flickr, youtube, etc) and traditional channels (billboards, in-store POS, radio, tv) This URL redirected to www.houstonzoo.org/cutestanimal.
 
2) A teaser video of Houstonians reacting to seeing a photo of the Cutest Animal in the World, which included popular local radio personality Sam Malone, Houston Dynamo soccer player Stuart Holden, and Mrs. Harris County at the time. Views: 1,400+
 
 
3) Launch of 3 online contests prior to opening:
          January: Online guessing game: Guess what the Cutest Animal in the World is!
          February: Send us your Cutest Animal Photos or drawings. 186 submissions received online.
          March: Enter to win a chance to meet the red panda before the exhibit opens
 
4) Online cross-promotions:
         Houston Zoo Banners on www.click2houston.com during campaign
         Houston Zoo Banners on www.HoustonCommunityNews.com during campaign
         Houston Zoo Banners on www.HoustonFamilyMagazine.com during campaign
 
5) A video of Toby the red panda exploring his new home was sent across our online mediums when he first arrived at the Houston Zoo. Views: 4,320+

 
 

This entry helped accomplish our goals in the following ways:

 
From January 7- August 25, 2009:
 
1) This page was viewed 29,568 times, with 25,582 unique views. The average time spent on this page is 2:22.
 

2) This page was viewed 11,381 times via 726 keywords, with the top being “houston zoo”, “houston zoo red panda”, “toby the red panda”, “red panda houston zoo”, and “cutest animal in the world.”

3) This page was viewed 38,641 times via 622 sources, with the top being direct, google, click2houston.com, abclocal.go.com, yahoo.com, blogs.houstonpress.com, and facebook.com.

4) When we sent an e-newsletter teaser announcement of the red panda, www.houstonzoo.org/cutestanimal received 3,677 hits in 3 days.

5) When we sent an e-newsletter real announcement of the red panda, www.houstonzoo.org/cutestanimal received 3,203 hits in 3 days.

6) We saw a very high increase in web traffic after our campaign concept was picked up by online media outlets and blogs, including:
 

7) Toby the red panda has a fan page on facebook, multiple photos on flickr, and is a focus of our twitter campaign. Our flickr photo set of the Cutest Animal in the World has 14 photos totaling 2,963 views. To date, five Toby photos posted to twitter have 660 views.

8) The day of the announcement generated numerous twitter feeds, with terms "Houston Zoo", "Red Panda", and "Cutest Animal in the World" as the most common.

9) The day of the announcement generated multiple Flickr Comments, including the following:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/houstonzoo/3331080850/in/set-72157614836426098
http://www.flickr.com/photos/houstonzoo/3330497723
http://www.flickr.com/photos/houstonzoo/3330497459
http://www.flickr.com/photos/houstonzoo/3330497213
http://www.flickr.com/photos/houstonzoo/3331080928

10) 24 fans were added to the Houston Zoo fan page on the day of the announcement, and multiple comments were made.
 
11) Local News Channel KPRC: Toby was featured in a 30ish-second impromptu segment on the day of the announcement.
 
12) This campaign aided in a significant attendance increase to the Zoo, setting our all-time highest attendance mark for a year.
 
 
Dates during which your entry was available to users: January 2009 - present
 
 
Screenshot:

 

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