Case Study Highlight: Wild Animal Safari

Gray Atlanta About The Author

July 19, 2021 at 10:51 AM

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Wild Animal Safari is a popular destination for Atlanta residents and visitors alike. With a more than 300 acre habitat, they offer animal lovers the chance to see 75 different wildlife species in their natural environment. Wild Animal Safari has also offered a wide range of programs and experiences designed to keep bringing visitors back and entertain them more than ever.  

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Shifting Focus: Marketing to the Atlanta DMA 

Two years ago, Wild Animal Safari shifted their focus to clients from the Atlanta DMA. Their goals were to increase the sales of their family packages and the number of visitors directly from the Atlanta DMA, as well as improving retention rates in visitors from that area. Instead of allowing those visitors to fall away, Wild Animal Safari wanted them to come back again and again for future experiences with the animals. 

Since they had been working with Gray Atlanta since 2010, Wild Animal Safari worked with them on a campaign designed to attract those visitors.   

The First Goal: Establishing Strong Branding and Call-to-Action Campaigns  

Gray Atlanta wanted to raise overall awareness of the Wild Animal Safari brand in a way that would help bring more people through the doors of the organization. They started with a TV advertising campaign that aired on CBS46 and Peachtree TV. The campaign centered around vignettes with the head zookeeper at Wild Animal Safari, who introduced the viewing audience to some of the most interesting animals within the park. In partnership with a professional Gray Atlanta host, the zookeeper was able to create a deeper sense of connection to the animals and more interest in the program as a whole.  

One of the key elements of those presentations was Wild Animal Wednesdays—and this year, Wild Animal Safari took a different approach to these segments to focus on baby animals. Baby animals are more likely to attract the interest of visitors with children, who will fall in love with those animals and eagerly await their next trip to see them. They used those segments to highlight any promotions or special events at the park to entice more families to purchase their family packages.  

These vignettes created a powerful response in their audience. "Gray Atlanta has always put together great spots. It's just a better value for our money. It always feels like we spent more than we did after we're done," says Tammy Vietti of Vietti Marketing.  

The Results Were Worth the Effort 

As a result of their shifting marketing, Wild Animal Safari was able to achieve record attendance for the second year in a row. They also saw a significant increase in the number of families who visited the park and have continued to see more customers coming from their immediate target area.  

The partnership with Gray Atlanta helped Wild Animal Safari achieve its goals at every step of the process. With those spots on Peachtree TV and on CBS46, Wild Animal Safari was able to create more awareness of the brand as a whole and what it had to offer. Not only did they generate more interest through spots with baby animals, they help highlight the zookeepers and their love of the animals, which helped increase their branding and show exactly who they are and why their audience should trust them.  

Want to learn more about how Gray Atlanta helped Wild Animal Safari accomplish their goals—and how they can help your business achieve theirs? Check out the full case study to learn more.  

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