It’s a Zoo Out There

Minnesota Zoo is top winner in annual Brass Ring Awards

By Jeremy Schoolfield

Zoos and aquariums were well represented at Tuesday’s Brass Ring Awards, with the facility group combining to win 17 of the 50 honors handed out.

The annual competition recognizes excellence in marketing for amusement facilities worldwide, with the secondary goal of sharing ideas and concepts among members. This year the latter will be more prominent than ever as the 2008 Brass Ring Award winners’ materials will be showcased as part of a large display in the Orange County Convention Center’s South Concourse, on the west side, nearest the Peabody Orlando.

The Minnesota Zoo led all entrants in Tuesday’s ceremony with a total of five wins for integrated marketing campaign, online advertisement, PR program, television commercial, and web site. San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, meanwhile, won three awards, for integrated marketing campaign, radio commercial, and television commercial.

Two other facilities earned three awards apiece: the Niagara Parks Commission, in promoting Niagara Falls, won for online advertisement, PR program, and web site, while North Carolina amusement park Ghost Town in the Sky won for marketing collateral, PR program, and web site.

Other multiple-award winners this year included: Adventure Landing in Florida; Denver Zoo in Colorado; Newport Aquarium in Kentucky; Ripley Entertainment Inc. of Orlando; Singapore’s Sentosa; Utah’s Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City; Wild Wadi Waterpark in Dubai; and Worlds of Fun in Kansas City.

Brass Ring Awards 2008
The Brass Ring Awards highlight originality, creativity, and excellence in marketing among professionals in the industry. Entries are divided into the following class sizes:
Class 1a: Amusement and waterparks with less than 250,000 in attendance, family entertainment centers, attrac­tions, nonprofit zoos, aquariums, museums, and concessionaires.
Class 1b: Amusement and waterparks with less than 500,000 in attendance, family entertainment centers, attrac­tions, nonprofit zoos, aquariums, museums, and concessionaires.
Class 2: Amusement and waterparks 500,001-1 million in attendance, hotels and resorts, casinos, and for-profit zoos, aquariums, and museums.
Class 3: Amusement and waterparks 1 million-2 million in attendance.
Class 4: Amusement and waterparks with more than 2 million in attendance, and FEC chains.

First-place awards were presented for the following categories:
Integrated Marketing Campaign
Class 1a—Adventure Landing
Class 1b—Minnesota Zoo
Class 2—Kidzania de Mexico
Class 3—San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park
Class 4—Shenzhen OCT Holding Company

Marketing Collateral
Class 1a—Ghost Town in the Sky
Class 1b—Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Class 2—Newport Aquarium
Class 3—Six Flags St. Louis
Class 4—Sentosa

Online Advertisement
Class 1a—Adventure Landing
Class 1b—Minnesota Zoo
Class 2—Worlds of Fun
Class 3—Dorney Park
Class 4—Niagara Parks Commission

Outdoor Advertisement
Class 1a—Waterworld California
Class 1b—Daytona 500 Experience
Class 2—Newport Aquarium
Class 3—Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Class 4—Ripley Entertainment Inc.

PR Program
Class 1a—Ghost Town in the Sky
Class 1b—Minnesota Zoo
Class 2—Wild Wadi Waterpark
Class 3—Xcaret
Class 4—Niagara Parks Commission

Print Advertisement
Class 1a—Utah’s Hogle Zoo
Class 1b—Dutch Wonderland Family Amusement Park
Class 2—Capilano Suspension Bridge
Class 3—Calgary Zoo
Class 4—Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Radio Commercial
Class 1a—Utah’s Hogle Zoo
Class 1b—Denver Zoo
Class 2—Six Flags New England
Class 3—San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park
Class 4—Six Flags Magic Mountain

Seasonal or Special Event Marketing
Class 1a—Adventure Landing
Class 1b—Denver Zoo
Class 2—Wild Wadi Waterpark
Class 3—Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Class 4—Sentosa

Television Commercial
Class 1a—Polynesian Cultural Center
Class 1b—Minnesota Zoo
Class 2—Worlds of Fun
Class 3—San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park
Class 4—Ripley Entertainment Inc.

Web Site
Class 1a—Ghost Town in the Sky
Class 1b—Minnesota Zoo
Class 2—Aquarium of the Bay
Class 3—Movie Park Germany
Class 4—Niagara Parks Commission