“Singaporeans are generally apathetic to conservation,” said Isabel Cheng, marketing director, Wildlife Reserve Singapore. “The drive to succeed in the corporate world makes conservation a cause that’s barely considered.”
To encourage a sense of the bigger picture, the zoo’s agency, Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, has created a campaign that takes a child’s perspective of the animal world.
A TV commercial, produced by Tandem Films in London, uses children’s illustrations to portray the role of the zoo in nurturing young minds, according to a Saatchis spokesperson.
“Children can be more persuasive and believable when they push the conservation message,” added Cheng.
Meanwhile, a Sumatran tiger takes over last year’s orangutan as the zoo’s new icon for endangered species.
The campaign — which uses TV, print and online — primarily targets local families with children aged between 5 to 12, with all other Singaporeans named as a secondary target audience. “Conservation is an issue everyone should be concerned with,” said Cheng.
She added that the campaign was necessary to differentiate itself from other parks’ communications.
Last year, the Singapore Zoo received over 1.4 million visitors and won its seventh ‘Leisure Attraction of the Year’ award at the Singapore Tourism Board Awards.
“The Singapore Zoo cannot rest on its laurels and must continually innovate to attract overseas and local visitors alike,” said Cheng.
“The myriad of education and entertainment options which are available in Singapore makes this task even more challenging.”
Saatchis has worked on the account since 2004.
