BRANDING, INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN > Creative Director/ Copywriter.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium—that gem on the coast—was facing a tricky year; with new, increased ticket prices, and without the pull of a brand new exhibit to showcase. Not to mention, the reality of a 3-hour drive from Portland to get to the Aquarium. This can make for a hard sell for families who have limited vacation time and dollars (not to mention "Are we there yet?!" kids in the backseat). To combat those challenges, our team at Grady Britton wanted people to value the Aquarium in a whole new way. We thought it time to showcase its educational value, as well as its entertainment value. Here’s a chance for families to learn something new, engage their brains, even have fun as parents combat the dreaded “b” word—boredom happens on rainy weekends—all with a good use of discretionary income. In short, we wanted to inspire people to become marine ambassadors. We developed an integrated campaign that utilized highly visible billboard and transit placements that brought the wonder of the Aquarium’s animals to people along the routes from Portland all the way to Newport. The media worked to capture people’s attention along commuting routes—taking advantage of Portland’s sometimes less-than-swift traffic flow. 

We inspired 32.5 million parents, kids, and Aquarium fans to experience the wonders of the Oregon Coast and her creatures.

We garnered 32,565,287 impressions in the short space of five months, accomplishing an 85% reach and 14x frequency.

A 5% YOY attendance lift for the Oregon Coast Aquarium (early summer increase was 8% prior to an eclipse attributed August downturn)

We also won the AMA PDX MAX Advertising award, and The Oregon Outstanding Integrated Advertising Award hosted by the Governor’s Conference on Tourism.