Challenge:

Charlotte and the surrounding area within a 4-hour drive time is one with an intimate connection to the ocean and its animal life. A pilgrimage to the seashore is an annual excursion of tens of thousands of local families.

Merlin Entertainments, the world’s second largest visitor attraction operator whose brands include Legoland, Madame Tussauds, Sea Life, The London Eye and more, announced it would open its 100^th attraction—SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium in Concord, NC. The tide was reversed, and the new attraction had to draw people back to Charlotte and establish itself as a place for families to constantly renew their connection with the marine world in their own backyard.

SEA LIFE tasked SPARK to plan, conceptualize and execute public relations, event management and social media around six key milestone events leading up to the Grand Opening. The quick-paced construction schedule proposed a five-month window to complete all events, starting in mid-Sept. and ending in late Feb. at the official Grand Opening. With a focus on garnering media broadcast coverage, the overarching goal was to build general awareness for SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord in the community and elevate it as a premier tourist destination in the state.

Solution:

The SPARK process started by researching and identifying key target audiences—regional and local media, “mommy bloggers”, key influencers and the broad community within a 2-3 hour drive. Taking it a step further, SPARK developed the first ever SEA LIFE Parent Advisory Council, a carefully selected group of influential local and regional bloggers who became brand ambassadors throughout the pre-opening process. Spark then created the SEA LIFE PR tool kit, a media kit and supporting documents, press releases and photos that was updated for each event and delivered electronically on a custom 3D shark USB drive.

Merlin came to SPARK with an agenda of pre-set milestones—Groundbreaking, Tunnel Arrival, Water Fill, Fish Arrival, Media Preview and Grand Opening—but allowed the local level to make the events into something special, adding unique elements and creative ideas not previously utilized at other sites. One of SPARK’s non-traditional elements woven throughout each event was the Sea Mural. With the assistance of a local artist, the 6’ x 9’ mural was executed by children in stages, as a paint-by-number format; at each event, another layer was added to the ocean scene, building the anticipation for the completion and final unveiling at the Grand Opening celebration. Another SPARK element at the heart of the PR effort was the SEA LIFE Kid Reporter. After an audition process, two students were selected to provide “live”, on-site video reports of event happenings in a fun and engaging way. Memorizing SPARK-drafted scripts, the Kid Reporters filmed at each of the five milestones. At the end, videos were edited together into one overall brand story—a time-lapse of the construction and pre-opening events.

Additionally, SPARK engaged local morning television and radio show personalities who are key influencers and “celebrities” in the community to broadcast live from SEA LIFE, as well as host a special contest-winner preview event just before Grand Opening. With live tweeting, fun contests and customized hashtags, SPARK’s social media efforts added to the buzz at each media milestone.

To kick things off at the first event, the “Wavebreaking”, SPARK produced a unique sand shovel media invitation to go out to key media targets. At the event, several local dignitaries outfitted in dive masks and SEA LIFE hardhats turned the sand with oversized beach shovels in a large sandbox. Continuing to build excitement and anticipation, the Tunnel Arrival event was the first look inside the new aquarium for media and bloggers. SPARK utilized blown-up room renderings on easels to give a sneak peek of what was to come. Closely following, for the Water Fill event, SPARK secured a local fire department to bring a fire truck to SEA LIFE to start filling the 117,000-gallon ocean tank. Beforehand, a local FOX TV host donned a wetsuit and climbed into a smaller tank, broadcasting live from inside the water-filled display.

Rolling out the red carpet, SPARK created a VIP-style event for the highly-anticipated Fish Arrival, a day when the first sharks and stingrays were delivered to SEA LIFE. A police-led caravan that also included a NASCAR pace car ended with SEA LIFE’s mascot Sharky exiting a limo with children from the Young Environmentalist student ambassador panel. Members of the media were able to get an up-close view of the creatures from the ocean catwalk above the tank. For Media Preview and Grand Opening, SPARK created and hand-delivered media invitations rolled into large seashells, inviting guests to a “Sea and Be Seen” event. A “blue carpet” event, the Grand Opening featured a bubble theme and several detailed elements that culminated into a festive celebration attended by state dignitaries and Merlin’s Global Head of Marketing. With speakers, music and entertainers, a ribbon-cutting, cake-cutting and toast to Merlin’s 100^th, SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium was officially opened.