Image Mathieu Belanger - Reuters

Last week, a tragedy struck one of America’s most recognizable family establishments – SeaWorld. Trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed towards the tail end of a lunchtime performance in front of a live audience by Tilikum, an orca. While a workplace death typically drives PR into crisis mode, this instance also puts the brand into crisis and identity management.

From a brand point the company is married to the killer whale, take a look at their online pitch for dinner with Shamu as a prime example as noted by the AP, “Be part of an up-close and unforgettable adventure!”

That statement alone will make handling the crisis more difficult. For starters, the park may wind up having to pony up for therapy or counseling for the kids in the audience who witnessed the event or be prepared for a legal battle with the departed’s family. Those instances are something that the teams should be capable of handling. The wild card for this crisis is Tilikum, making for a whale of a problem.

Now SeaWorld has done some great things to help offset the crisis and seems well suited to handle their issues in the immediate future.

Perhaps the two biggest hurdles in the immediate future are dealing with the public opinion and the fate of the whale.

When the story was making its rounds on the social circuit, I was discussing the situation with Aurora Meyer on Twitter and she offered some insight into a strong feeling among many around the country. To put her comments into perspective, she noted that she grew up in Northeast Ohio when SeaWorld was still there and was never a fan of the whale show, and felt bad for the whales.

“As zoos move toward more “natural” habitats for their inhabitants, I often wonder why marine parks aren’t doing the same things. Isn’t viewing the animal in a more realistic habitat a better education than seeing it perform stupid tricks?

Killer whales are called Killer for a reason. They are huge and deadly in the wild where they have whole oceans to swim. I can only imagine how the bathtub sized aquarium felt. Additionally, this whale had issues before. The question I want answered most is why was this whale still forced to perform? If he was “acting like a small child” as some reports indicate before the show, why wasn’t the show cancelled? Furthermore, why if this animal has been involved in other incidents was he even part of a show? If Sea World truthfully answers these questions and apologizes to their fans, people will come back and won’t likely have lasting resentment. But it does bring up larger issues of animals in captivity.”

Aurora makes some great points and I am sure her views are shared by many, some of which will go to extremes to get their point out there. With that said I hope that PETA doesn’t make a brash statement on this saying something like “we told you so” or “saw this coming”. There will also be those that call for the whale to be put down.

Tilikum’s Value to SeaWorld

• Seen as alpha-male and is the father of 13 of the 20 calves born in SeaWorld
• $10,000-$12,000/month in electric bills to maintain habitat
• $35,000 a year for food
• Mitchel Kalmanson, a marine mammal appraiser notes, “Without killer whales, the rest are ancillary shows.”
  • Source

As anyone can tell you, these groups can put a ton of pressure on an organization. The negative press and protests can possibly hurt the gate more than the whale is worth to SeaWorld. One thing that could be a PR win for the company and help remove some of the heat from protesters on both sides of the fence is to let the whale go – free wily style. Given the whale’s history and the potential long legal battles for SeaWorld, this PR stunt could help draw more positive attention than the looming headache. The stories are already starting check out this video where an expert notes the attack was premeditated.

SeaWorld is pretty social media savvy and doing a documentary-styled YouTube campaign on the release could generate ridiculous buzz. They could even run a contest giving 100 school children or researchers the chance to be part of an up-close and unforgettable adventure to re-introduce this behemoth of the deep blue into a natural habitat. Hell a lion reunion garnered over 5M views on YouTube with 1970’s film, imagine what could be done in hi-def. The DVD sales could potentially offset the money lost in Tilikum’s stud fees. Think it’s crazy, here’s a quick plan on how to make it work:

Operation Shamu goes home

• June – Announce re-introduction to the wild for following year. Include YouTube channel, live feed address of tank, Twitter handle, Facebook fan page, etc.
• July – Announce contest to join team in reintroduction
• December – Announce winners; fly to SeaWorld for face to face with Tilikum
• February – Reintroduce whale to wild. Livecast event

Throughout the process there would be a constant update of information and some scientific stuff surrounding best time but it can happen. Each one of the announcements should garner attention and buzz as well as multi-media assets. What do you think? Could it work? Do you have a better idea for the whale?

Image Mathieu Belanger - Reuters

Last week, a tragedy struck one of America’s most recognizable family establishments – SeaWorld. Trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed towards the tail end of a lunchtime performance in front of a live audience by Tilikum, an orca. While a workplace death typically drives PR into crisis mode, this instance also puts the brand into crisis and identity management.

From a brand point the company is married to the killer whale, take a look at their online pitch for dinner with Shamu as a prime example as noted by the AP, “Be part of an up-close and unforgettable adventure!”

That statement alone will make handling the crisis more difficult. For starters, the park may wind up having to pony up for therapy or counseling for the kids in the audience who witnessed the event or be prepared for a legal battle with the departed’s family. Those instances are something that the teams should be capable of handling. The wild card for this crisis is Tilikum, making for a whale of a problem.

Now SeaWorld has done some great things to help offset the crisis and seems well suited to handle their issues in the immediate future.

Perhaps the two biggest hurdles in the immediate future are dealing with the public opinion and the fate of the whale.

When the story was making its rounds on the social circuit, I was discussing the situation with Aurora Meyer on Twitter and she offered some insight into a strong feeling among many around the country. To put her comments into perspective, she noted that she grew up in Northeast Ohio when SeaWorld was still there and was never a fan of the whale show, and felt bad for the whales.

“As zoos move toward more “natural” habitats for their inhabitants, I often wonder why marine parks aren’t doing the same things. Isn’t viewing the animal in a more realistic habitat a better education than seeing it perform stupid tricks?

Killer whales are called Killer for a reason. They are huge and deadly in the wild where they have whole oceans to swim. I can only imagine how the bathtub sized aquarium felt. Additionally, this whale had issues before. The question I want answered most is why was this whale still forced to perform? If he was “acting like a small child” as some reports indicate before the show, why wasn’t the show cancelled? Furthermore, why if this animal has been involved in other incidents was he even part of a show? If Sea World truthfully answers these questions and apologizes to their fans, people will come back and won’t likely have lasting resentment. But it does bring up larger issues of animals in captivity.”

Aurora makes some great points and I am sure her views are shared by many, some of which will go to extremes to get their point out there. With that said I hope that PETA doesn’t make a brash statement on this saying something like “we told you so” or “saw this coming”. There will also be those that call for the whale to be put down.

Tilikum’s Value to SeaWorld

• Seen as alpha-male and is the father of 13 of the 20 calves born in SeaWorld
• $10,000-$12,000/month in electric bills to maintain habitat
• $35,000 a year for food
• Mitchel Kalmanson, a marine mammal appraiser notes, “Without killer whales, the rest are ancillary shows.”
  • Source

As anyone can tell you, these groups can put a ton of pressure on an organization. The negative press and protests can possibly hurt the gate more than the whale is worth to SeaWorld. One thing that could be a PR win for the company and help remove some of the heat from protesters on both sides of the fence is to let the whale go – free wily style. Given the whale’s history and the potential long legal battles for SeaWorld, this PR stunt could help draw more positive attention than the looming headache. The stories are already starting check out this video where an expert notes the attack was premeditated.

SeaWorld is pretty social media savvy and doing a documentary-styled YouTube campaign on the release could generate ridiculous buzz. They could even run a contest giving 100 school children or researchers the chance to be part of an up-close and unforgettable adventure to re-introduce this behemoth of the deep blue into a natural habitat. Hell a lion reunion garnered over 5M views on YouTube with 1970’s film, imagine what could be done in hi-def. The DVD sales could potentially offset the money lost in Tilikum’s stud fees. Think it’s crazy, here’s a quick plan on how to make it work:

Operation Shamu goes home

• June – Announce re-introduction to the wild for following year. Include YouTube channel, live feed address of tank, Twitter handle, Facebook fan page, etc.
• July – Announce contest to join team in reintroduction
• December – Announce winners; fly to SeaWorld for face to face with Tilikum
• February – Reintroduce whale to wild. Livecast event

Throughout the process there would be a constant update of information and some scientific stuff surrounding best time but it can happen. Each one of the announcements should garner attention and buzz as well as multi-media assets. What do you think? Could it work? Do you have a better idea for the whale?

Image Mathieu Belanger - Reuters

Last week, a tragedy struck one of America’s most recognizable family establishments – SeaWorld. Trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed towards the tail end of a lunchtime performance in front of a live audience by Tilikum, an orca. While a workplace death typically drives PR into crisis mode, this instance also puts the brand into crisis and identity management.

From a brand point the company is married to the killer whale, take a look at their online pitch for dinner with Shamu as a prime example as noted by the AP, “Be part of an up-close and unforgettable adventure!”

That statement alone will make handling the crisis more difficult. For starters, the park may wind up having to pony up for therapy or counseling for the kids in the audience who witnessed the event or be prepared for a legal battle with the departed’s family. Those instances are something that the teams should be capable of handling. The wild card for this crisis is Tilikum, making for a whale of a problem.

Now SeaWorld has done some great things to help offset the crisis and seems well suited to handle their issues in the immediate future.

Perhaps the two biggest hurdles in the immediate future are dealing with the public opinion and the fate of the whale.

When the story was making its rounds on the social circuit, I was discussing the situation with Aurora Meyer on Twitter and she offered some insight into a strong feeling among many around the country. To put her comments into perspective, she noted that she grew up in Northeast Ohio when SeaWorld was still there and was never a fan of the whale show, and felt bad for the whales.

“As zoos move toward more “natural” habitats for their inhabitants, I often wonder why marine parks aren’t doing the same things. Isn’t viewing the animal in a more realistic habitat a better education than seeing it perform stupid tricks?

Killer whales are called Killer for a reason. They are huge and deadly in the wild where they have whole oceans to swim. I can only imagine how the bathtub sized aquarium felt. Additionally, this whale had issues before. The question I want answered most is why was this whale still forced to perform? If he was “acting like a small child” as some reports indicate before the show, why wasn’t the show cancelled? Furthermore, why if this animal has been involved in other incidents was he even part of a show? If Sea World truthfully answers these questions and apologizes to their fans, people will come back and won’t likely have lasting resentment. But it does bring up larger issues of animals in captivity.”

Aurora makes some great points and I am sure her views are shared by many, some of which will go to extremes to get their point out there. With that said I hope that PETA doesn’t make a brash statement on this saying something like “we told you so” or “saw this coming”. There will also be those that call for the whale to be put down.

Tilikum’s Value to SeaWorld

• Seen as alpha-male and is the father of 13 of the 20 calves born in SeaWorld
• $10,000-$12,000/month in electric bills to maintain habitat
• $35,000 a year for food
• Mitchel Kalmanson, a marine mammal appraiser notes, “Without killer whales, the rest are ancillary shows.”
  • Source

As anyone can tell you, these groups can put a ton of pressure on an organization. The negative press and protests can possibly hurt the gate more than the whale is worth to SeaWorld. One thing that could be a PR win for the company and help remove some of the heat from protesters on both sides of the fence is to let the whale go – free wily style. Given the whale’s history and the potential long legal battles for SeaWorld, this PR stunt could help draw more positive attention than the looming headache. The stories are already starting check out this video where an expert notes the attack was premeditated.

SeaWorld is pretty social media savvy and doing a documentary-styled YouTube campaign on the release could generate ridiculous buzz. They could even run a contest giving 100 school children or researchers the chance to be part of an up-close and unforgettable adventure to re-introduce this behemoth of the deep blue into a natural habitat. Hell a lion reunion garnered over 5M views on YouTube with 1970’s film, imagine what could be done in hi-def. The DVD sales could potentially offset the money lost in Tilikum’s stud fees. Think it’s crazy, here’s a quick plan on how to make it work:

Operation Shamu goes home

• June – Announce re-introduction to the wild for following year. Include YouTube channel, live feed address of tank, Twitter handle, Facebook fan page, etc.
• July – Announce contest to join team in reintroduction
• December – Announce winners; fly to SeaWorld for face to face with Tilikum
• February – Reintroduce whale to wild. Livecast event

Throughout the process there would be a constant update of information and some scientific stuff surrounding best time but it can happen. Each one of the announcements should garner attention and buzz as well as multi-media assets. What do you think? Could it work? Do you have a better idea for the whale?

Image Mathieu Belanger - Reuters

Last week, a tragedy struck one of America’s most recognizable family establishments – SeaWorld. Trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed towards the tail end of a lunchtime performance in front of a live audience by Tilikum, an orca. While a workplace death typically drives PR into crisis mode, this instance also puts the brand into crisis and identity management.

From a brand point the company is married to the killer whale, take a look at their online pitch for dinner with Shamu as a prime example as noted by the AP, “Be part of an up-close and unforgettable adventure!”

That statement alone will make handling the crisis more difficult. For starters, the park may wind up having to pony up for therapy or counseling for the kids in the audience who witnessed the event or be prepared for a legal battle with the departed’s family. Those instances are something that the teams should be capable of handling. The wild card for this crisis is Tilikum, making for a whale of a problem.

Now SeaWorld has done some great things to help offset the crisis and seems well suited to handle their issues in the immediate future.

Perhaps the two biggest hurdles in the immediate future are dealing with the public opinion and the fate of the whale.

When the story was making its rounds on the social circuit, I was discussing the situation with Aurora Meyer on Twitter and she offered some insight into a strong feeling among many around the country. To put her comments into perspective, she noted that she grew up in Northeast Ohio when SeaWorld was still there and was never a fan of the whale show, and felt bad for the whales.

“As zoos move toward more “natural” habitats for their inhabitants, I often wonder why marine parks aren’t doing the same things. Isn’t viewing the animal in a more realistic habitat a better education than seeing it perform stupid tricks?

Killer whales are called Killer for a reason. They are huge and deadly in the wild where they have whole oceans to swim. I can only imagine how the bathtub sized aquarium felt. Additionally, this whale had issues before. The question I want answered most is why was this whale still forced to perform? If he was “acting like a small child” as some reports indicate before the show, why wasn’t the show cancelled? Furthermore, why if this animal has been involved in other incidents was he even part of a show? If Sea World truthfully answers these questions and apologizes to their fans, people will come back and won’t likely have lasting resentment. But it does bring up larger issues of animals in captivity.”

Aurora makes some great points and I am sure her views are shared by many, some of which will go to extremes to get their point out there. With that said I hope that PETA doesn’t make a brash statement on this saying something like “we told you so” or “saw this coming”. There will also be those that call for the whale to be put down.

Tilikum’s Value to SeaWorld

• Seen as alpha-male and is the father of 13 of the 20 calves born in SeaWorld
• $10,000-$12,000/month in electric bills to maintain habitat
• $35,000 a year for food
• Mitchel Kalmanson, a marine mammal appraiser notes, “Without killer whales, the rest are ancillary shows.”
  • Source

As anyone can tell you, these groups can put a ton of pressure on an organization. The negative press and protests can possibly hurt the gate more than the whale is worth to SeaWorld. One thing that could be a PR win for the company and help remove some of the heat from protesters on both sides of the fence is to let the whale go – free wily style. Given the whale’s history and the potential long legal battles for SeaWorld, this PR stunt could help draw more positive attention than the looming headache. The stories are already starting check out this video where an expert notes the attack was premeditated.

SeaWorld is pretty social media savvy and doing a documentary-styled YouTube campaign on the release could generate ridiculous buzz. They could even run a contest giving 100 school children or researchers the chance to be part of an up-close and unforgettable adventure to re-introduce this behemoth of the deep blue into a natural habitat. Hell a lion reunion garnered over 5M views on YouTube with 1970’s film, imagine what could be done in hi-def. The DVD sales could potentially offset the money lost in Tilikum’s stud fees. Think it’s crazy, here’s a quick plan on how to make it work:

Operation Shamu goes home

• June – Announce re-introduction to the wild for following year. Include YouTube channel, live feed address of tank, Twitter handle, Facebook fan page, etc.
• July – Announce contest to join team in reintroduction
• December – Announce winners; fly to SeaWorld for face to face with Tilikum
• February – Reintroduce whale to wild. Livecast event

Throughout the process there would be a constant update of information and some scientific stuff surrounding best time but it can happen. Each one of the announcements should garner attention and buzz as well as multi-media assets. What do you think? Could it work? Do you have a better idea for the whale?