SeaWorld wants to talk more about its animals and the workers who take care of them. But the company should realize that any focus on animals will come with additional scrutiny.
SeaWorld has said its new marketing campaign is an important step as the operator tries to bring in more visitors and leave its troubles behind. Now that the chief marketer is gone, will the emphasis change?
SeaWorld brought in a lot of fresh new leaders when the company was looking for ways to recover from the Blackfish effect. After years of flailing, the operator is turning to the old guard for ideas — at least for now.
This was probably inevitable. Joel Manby tried to turn the company around, but his efforts failed to do the trick. Executives say they plan to continue his strategies, but we wonder how much will change once a permanent new CEO is named.
SeaWorld has not been able to turn its attendance slide around, and back-to-back hurricanes didn't help. But executives hope to address deeper perception issues — the buzz phrase that's been around for years now — with a new ad campaign.
Responsible travel brands are taking steps to ban bookings of tourist attractions involving direct human interactions with animals. Given all the SeaWorld controversies that the film "Blackfish" uncovered, coupled with ongoing federal probes, couldn't ASTA have picked an alternative venue for its opening reception?
SeaWorld said a lot during this call after a dismal quarter, but equally interesting is what the company didn't address. We wonder if higher spending on advertising will help the operator address the issues that have resurfaced — and what it will do if not.