Who: Toronto Zoo, Grey (creative) and Zenith (media).
What: A summer ad campaign with a focus on the zoo’s “Wild Encounters” program.
When & Where: The campaign is running through mid-September on TV, out of home, print, digital/social.
Why: The Zoo created “Wild Encounters” to give people a new reason to visit the Zoo during the peak summer season. The behind-the-scenes experience lets visitors get closer to the animals and learn more about how they are cared for. “We also believe this program attracts a younger audience given the encounter itself offers very ‘Instagrammable moments’ by providing a unique experience that is exciting to share with family and friends,” said Amanda Chambers, the Toronto Zoo’s supervisor of strategic communications.
How: Print, OOH and digital creative play on the concept of “behind the scenes” by featuring a large animal’s backside in the foreground. The TV spot shows how young people can become animal experts at Wild Encounters by featuring a young girl whose voice sounds like David Attenborough describing a Sumatran tiger. The giveaway is that in this case the narrator has not yet learned to properly pronounce his “R’s,” which leads to phrases like “apex pwedator” and “twopical fowests.”
Why does she sound like David Attenborough: “This is a voice we all know, love and recognize as the voice for animal documentaries—with a fun twist, that brings the whole concept together,” said Chambers. “It also encourages the viewer to think it might be one of those documentaries shot across the globe, when it actually is somewhere you can visit right here in Toronto.”