In 2022, aquariums and zoos have a difficult task on their hands. As the world faces a biodiversity crisis like nothing we’ve seen before – one that threatens the future of more than a third of US wildlife – these institutions have adopted conservation as their driving force and are aiming to involve zoo and aquarium-goers in this mission as well.
However, with ticket sales, memberships and donations at the core of revenue that drives investments in research efforts, animal safety, education, and more, these organizations face tension in their messaging.
Once solely entertainment institutions, as they shift their marketing to align with conservation and animal care, aquariums and zoos face a new challenge: bringing an entertainment-focused audience into a new story while still highlighting the adventure and excitement that drives ticket sales and memberships.
This means restructuring the way they tell their story online to highlight the duality at the core of what they do: world-class entertainment and world-saving conservation work.
A shift in perspective
Aquariums and zoos have made great strides in recent history away from their original model as entertainment institutions. Now they, along with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), are fighting on the front lines for species survival, conservation, animal welfare, and education, and they are working to redefine their public value and perception.
Beyond their gates, zoos and aquariums are reassessing their online presence as well. Many of these cultural pillars are changing the focus of their websites to better show their ethos and zooming in on their efforts to support these vital causes.
AZA member institutions are using the Association’s SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program to have a larger conversation about threatened animals and recovery plans. In prioritizing these commitments on their websites, aquariums and zoos are weaving a greater connection between institutions. And, they are also engaging guests in species survival action.
Changing digital tides
Two of the latest zoos to redesign their websites, the Memphis Zoo and the Fort Worth Zoo (both designed by Speak Creative, a digital agency nationally recognized for their work with cultural attractions), capture what an excellent zoo or aquarium website can do to advance this more critical framework of modern, conservation-focused organizations.
What makes these two websites the future of the way aquariums and zoos tell their story online?
The Memphis Zoo website
The Memphis Zoo had a lofty goal. They wanted to completely push the bounds of what a zoo or aquarium website has previously done. Rather than stepping outside the norm, though, the brand new Memphis Zoo website has redefined the expectations of how zoos and aquariums tell their story, advance their causes, and present themselves online.
Already a leader in animal welfare and conservation, the zoo aimed to shift the narrative they were building online in a way that would amplify their commitment to these key efforts and the world-class animal care they provide.
Speak Creative worked with the Memphis Zoo to weave these causes into every part of their website design and strategy – and strike the perfect balance between “creating adventures and saving wildlife.”
The design that resulted is stunning and animal-focused at every turn, never failing to connect the adventure they offer guests to the vital purpose of their work. The site mobilizes website visitors from the first page to engage with their conservation initiatives, support their efforts through donations, and “secure the future of a world of wildlife.”
This shift in language on their site does not replace, but rather, supports their goals in ticket sales, membership purchases, and event attendance. By splitting center stage of their mission between creating adventures and saving wildlife, the Memphis Zoo is powerfully shaping the future of zoos and aquariums within the attraction industry.
These cultural attractions will never stop being meccas of adventure, entertainment, and excitement for their communities. However, by weaving the story of animal welfare and conservation throughout the user journey, even the less informed members of their audiences are driven toward education around why keeping zoos and aquariums alive and well serves not only their community but a whole world of wildlife.
The Fort Worth Zoo website
The Fort Worth Zoo is home to more than 7,000 native and exotic animals. It is recognized as one of the top zoos in the US. They came to Speak Creative wanting a brand new website that would wow visitors from the first encounter and highlights their ongoing conservation projects and animal enrichment programming.
Speak built the Fort Worth Zoo a website that drives ticket sales and event promotion, all while making sure their key missions of conservation and education were spotlighted.
The Fort Worth Zoo wanted to inject their digital presence with a contemporary, playful look and feel that establishes the zoo as a destination for fun and excitement, while simultaneously presenting the animals in their charge with dignity through captivating imagery and language that promotes the exceptional care they provide.
The new design brings the Fort Worth Zoo’s 64 acres to life online. It teems with the colors, patterns, and foliage found throughout the zoo’s many exciting exhibits. However, as an AZA-accredited zoo, the Fort Worth Zoo’s conservation efforts extend far beyond the animals in their direct care, to more than 30 countries worldwide.
With an aim to make their reach beyond those 64 acres loud and clear, the site places their commitment to species survival, conservation, animal welfare, and education at the forefront of the guest experience.
In maximizing this narrative, the Fort Worth Zoo’s new website is already driving donations, animal adoption, and other forms of vital support and giving. This will enhance the care they can continue to deliver.
Rewriting the narrative of zoos and aquariums online
The web is a storytelling medium like no other. As aquariums and zoos move forward in their change-making and advocacy efforts, they have a powerful opportunity to harness the digital landscape and reshape their story from the first click.
Both these examples achieve every necessary goal of what an attraction site can and should do in 2022. In a matter of moments, both of these sites are able to capture the attention and imagination of visitors. They create an immediate sense of connection and emotional investment, moving people to action.
These two new zoo websites are showing that aquariums and zoos can do more while continuing to give users the amazing digital experience that compels them to become ticket holders, donors, loyal members, and more. By bringing their commitment to conservation, animal welfare, and education online, zoos and aquariums can be sure that as traffic finds their website, they are prioritizing what matters most.
In doing so, AZA-accredited zoos are bringing in a new wave of earnestness. They are empowering visitors to join a movement toward wildlife and habitat protection by engaging in zoos’ and aquariums’ events, donating to progress their vital projects and causes, and even by buying a ticket to all the wild and wonderful experiences these cultural pillars have to offer.
Bring your website up to par with the future of zoos and aquariums online
Speak Creative brings 20 years of expertise partnering with aquariums, zoos, conservation organizations and other visitor attractions.
The team at Speak shares AZA-accredited institutions’ drive for making meaningful change amid the world’s current climate crisis. They’re committed to getting to know the specific nuances and goals of your organization and can also create impactful online experiences that propel your key missions forward.
The Speak team would love to chat with you about how they can help you move people and maximize the impact of your important work. Reach out directly to Matt Roberts, or give them a shout any time to discuss your needs.
