THE BRIEF:

The Johannesburg Zoo wanted to kickstart their social media presence and raise interest in their animals, news and events. However, couldn’t afford to be tied down to maintaining a social media platform that demanded round-the-clock attention.

THE OBJECTIVE:

The goal of the campaign was to increase the zoo’s online presence by kickstarting their Twitter following.

THE TARGET AUDIENCE:

The target audience was wide and included educational institutions, potential sponsors, families with children and animal lovers worldwide.

The strength of the campaign is that we used existing technology to create something completely original. Never before has a brand hired an animal as their social media manager because never before has an animal been able to tweet.

The idea fits the Johannesburg Zoo because they specialise in the enchanting, lovable world of wildlife and animals. This creative solution puts their animals at the heart of their communication and captures their brand in an enchanting and lovable way.

The Tweeting Badger not only answers the zoo’s communication challenge but has become a key differentiator for them as a zoo.

THE IDEA

THE WORLD’S FIRST LIVE TWEETING HONEY BADGER

Through an innovative use of existing technology we transformed BG, the Johannesburg Zoo’s resident honey badger and mascot, into the Johannesburg Zoo’s official social media spokesanimal. By linking motion sensors to a pre-written bank of tweets, BG’s able to share zoo life with the world. Tracked by his location, tweets are relevant to what BG’s doing at the time.

By enabling an animal to tweet directly to the public we solved the zoo’s communication challenge, and completely changed the way social media can be approached and used.

OUTPUT/ AWARENESS RESULTS:

For a budget of under $1,000, the campaign generated more than $17 million dollars in earned media globally, delivering an ROI of 1:17 384 and rising. The communication also reached more than 80% of the local South African population and an audience of over 800 million people globally.

ACTION/ BUSINESS IMPACT RESULTS:

As a result, in 2013 zoo visits increased by 4.5% and event attendance by 48%. The zoo was voted Johannesburg’s Top Tourist Attraction and they built a loyal and active social following, increasing their Twitter following by 1,833% in just a few weeks.