Toronto Zoo Receives Marketing Award from Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Silver Spring, Maryland (September 17, 2019) – The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) announced that Toronto Zoo has been recognized with the 2019 Excellence in Marketing Award for significant achievement for the zoo’s “Come See All That We Do At The Toronto Zoo” campaign. Toronto Zoo received this award at AZA’s September conference in New Orleans.

The AZA Marketing Award recognizes excellence in marketing campaigns developed and executed by its AZA member facilities. The campaign must utilize a marketing mix with a minimum of three communication channels, such as television, radio, print advertising, outdoor, internet, direct mail, or other media.

The intent of this campaign was to inform our target audience in a fun way about the key and important role the Toronto Zoo plays as a leader in wildlife conservation locally and globally,” said Toronto Zoo President and CEO Dolf DeJong. “The Toronto Zoo is a place to learn about conservation and wildlife and plays a critical role in saving and protecting vulnerable and endangered species around the world. This campaign aimed to bring people through the doors by showing the passion and care that each and every Toronto Zoo employee shares on a daily basis, encouraging people to come see all that we do here.”

The “Come See All We Do at the Toronto Zoo” advertising campaign was hugely focused on mission-based messaging about the amazing conservation work the Toronto Zoo does. This was a result of feedback received from the community, media, local government officials and stakeholders that there wasn’t a thorough understanding of the key role that the Toronto Zoo plays as a leader in wildlife conservation locally and globally. The Zoo, working with Grey Canada Advertising Agency, accomplished this by highlighting key endangered species, such as the Blanding’s turtle and greater one-horned rhino, combined with a poem surrounded by hand-painted watercolour animals to show the passion, care and commitment the Toronto Zoo staff members show on a daily basis.

“Powerful, engaging messaging is critical to advancing public understanding of the role AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums play in animal welfare and conservation,” said AZA President and CEO Dan Ashe. “This award recognizes Toronto Zoo’s marketing team for significant achievement in developing creative ways to share our mission and our stories.”

To learn more about AZA’s Honors and Awards, please visit https://www.aza.org/honors-awards.

To view Toronto Zoo’s award winning campaign, CLICK HERE.

About the Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo is Canada’s premier zoo and a national leader in saving wildlife to ensure the rich diversity of nature for future generations. More than a tourist attraction, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day except December 25 and attracts approximately 1.3 million visitors each year. Toronto Zoo is accredited by CAZA (Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums) and AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums). Look for these logos whenever you visit a Canadian zoo as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. For mores information, visit caza.ca and aza.org.

About AZA
Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, animal welfare, education, science, and recreation. AZA is the accrediting body for the top zoos and aquariums in the United States and eleven other countries. Look for the AZA accreditation logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. The AZA is a leader in saving species and your link to helping animals all over the world. To learn more, visit www.aza.org.