DENVER ZOO
CASE STUDY
Overview:
In the past several years there has been a great shift in how zoos and aquariums communicate and connect with the public, taking the focus off of poor reputations and misconceptions to concentrate instead on how zoos help save animals in the wild. The end goal is to focus the Zoo’s communications from “entertainment” to “education” on conservation initiatives, while still providing enjoyment from the animals themselves.
Problem:
The Denver Zoo communications team is unable to showcase all the important stories because of limited bandwidth. The team seeks a solution to promote internal content creators in order to increase media coverage and public affairs.
Goals:
Educate zoo employees and volunteers on brand awareness and etiquette
Create a unified hashtag for social media posts
Update conservation page by simplifying the number of links and integrating visual media
Integrate a live feed for Instagram on the main Denver Zoo website to keep the feedback loop continuous
Analysis:
Internal Brand Communications Plan - Goal 1
According to the 2013 Edelman Trust Barometer, “Employees rank higher in public trust than a firm’s PR department, CEO or Founder. 41% of us believe that employees are the most credible source of information regarding their business.”
An individual’s personal brand can (and should) be woven into the corporate brand.
According to Harvard Business Review, it’s the best way to help employees make a powerful emotional connection to the products and services you sell.
It gives employees a sense of direction and purpose
Companies can use many of the same tools for the internal market that they would use for consumers: focus groups, in-depth interviews, and surveys. Once organizations find out what’s on people’s minds, they can tailor their campaigns accordingly.
Action Step: Create Internal Brand reference guide for employees and volunteers. This would include how to incorporate the logo(s), the zoo’s color palette, social media etiquette and hashtags, as well as a list of resources and channels available to them so they can individually share stories that reflect back on the Zoo’s overall message. This could be a simple two-sided sheet that is also timed with any new logo releases.
The Power of #Hashtags - Goal 2
Posts with hashtags get twice as much engagement as posts without hashtags.
Tweets with two hashtags get the highest engagement, and engagement falls as the number of hashtags increase.
Use niche hashtags revolving around your industry
Brand-name hashtags provide an easy way for people to find and follow a brand. As customers begin using the name hashtag, it builds rapport for the brand and its users.
Hashtag campaigns: Once equity and recognition are established with users, brands can roll out campaign hashtags with less overt branding, based on the target audience affinities and marketing initiatives.
Increase Conservation Awareness - Goal 3
According to a joint study by Harvard, University of Maryland, and University of Colorado, the more visually complex a website is, the lower it’s visual appeal.
90 percent of all information we perceive is visual.
In 2010, web users spent 80% of their time looking at information above the page fold. Put the most important information at the top.
Social Media Website Integration - Goal 4
Denver Zoo does not have any social media feeds on their main website.
Social media integration would cross promote their channels so they can be more frequently used, shared, and explored by their consumers.
Tactics
Internal Brand Communications Plan - Goal 1
Use existing training and communications programs like onboarding, all-company meetings, intranets, leadership development programs, and other tools to generate greater employee awareness and strengthen the learning around your brand.
In addition to communicating the brand, establish a corporate-level, quantifiable brand objective at the highest echelons of the company. This will generate awareness among all employees.
Combine existing modes of zoo-wide staff communication into one daily/weekly email. Smaller teams will probably continue to use more specialized system (ie Vets, Caretakers, Communications, etc).
The Power of #Hashtags - Goal 2
#conservationnation (360 posts, most earth and animal related)
#denzooconservation (no existing use)
#careandconserve (6 existing posts, not used by anyone)
#conservationincluded (plays off of their ticket tagline “Denver Zoo, where preservation is included with admission” (no posts, could be a brand element)
Your most common hashtag #IloveDenZoo seems to work pretty well, I would suggest keeping that and just reminding visitors to use it via signage throughout the park.
Increase Conservation Awareness - Goal 3
Create short, explainer videos using archived footage and interviews for social media outreach
Market the newly updated conservation webpage through newsletters, email blasts, Search Engine Listing, Adwords, and social media marketing.
Decrease repetition on website by consolidating menu tabs. Ex. Integrate ‘ANIMALS’ and ‘SAVING ANIMALS’ in the header menu. Create a ‘CONSERVATION’ tab and move to a more prominent area, perhaps after ‘EVENTS’.
Social Media - Goal 4
Integrate live streams of social media into website main page
Use instagram stories and highlights, as well as facebook live. These stick around longer and get more engagement.
Still have the “cute” photo for interest but always add a second slide so the viewer can swipe to see specific conservation details about it. This could be secondary to the body copy below the image and only focus on conservation.
Employees and volunteers can “take over” the main Zoo Instagram stories or Facebook Live. “Take Over Tuesdays” or some other consistent opportunities for staff to get involved to be a voice of the zoo. This could be advertised internally via existing employee news outlets.
Timeline
November/December 2021
Create a quantifiable internal brand communications goal (ex. Increase internal communications by 5 percent by March. 1, 2022)
Internal Questionnaire: What do employees think of the company? What do we want them to think? What will convince them of this? And why should they believe us?
Simplify current website and integrate more social media/visuals
Choose a campaign hashtag(s) (ex. #ConservationIncluded and #DenZooVets)
January 2022
Host brand event day for employees and volunteers
Create an internal brand presentation for new hires and current employees/volunteers
March 2022
Establish Brand Ambassador awards. Give special recognition to employees who live the brand.
Create selfie area and other photo ops with signage “#ilovedenzoo” or other relevant hashtag.
Sources:
https://www.adweek.com/digital/ethan-martin-bukwild-guest-post-hashtags/
https://conversionxl.com/blog/why-simple-websites-are-scientifically-better/
https://www.customermagnetism.com/what-is-an-infographic/what-is-an-infographic/