The Challenge

When the Cincinnati Zoo prepared to launch a Super Bowl-themed campaign featuring Fiona the Hippo—the Zoo’s beloved mascot and international viral sensation—the stakes were high. The goal was clear: capitalize on the energy of Super Bowl weekend to drive major visibility, increase online engagement, and convert fan enthusiasm into real-world action through ticket sales, memberships, and donations.

The Zoo needed a coordinated digital strategy that could move quickly, reach the right audiences, and make Fiona stand out in a sea of Super Bowl noise.

The Approach

As the campaign lead, I built and executed a digital-first plan that captured hearts and delivered results:

• Pre-Game Tease & Countdown: Created a teaser campaign leading up to Super Bowl Sunday with a mix of playful social posts, behind-the-scenes videos, and countdown-style emails—all centered on Fiona’s “Big Game Debut.”

• Social + Paid Media Blitz: Managed a targeted ad campaign across Facebook, Instagram, and Google—highlighting Fiona’s video spot, with CTAs driving traffic to ticketing and donation landing pages.

• Landing Page Creation: Designed and optimized a dedicated landing page for Fiona’s campaign, giving fans a place to watch, donate, learn more, and share the campaign with friends.

• Real-Time Game Day Content: Coordinated real-time social engagement during the Super Bowl—including live post timing, community management, and cross-channel promotion—to amplify the conversation.

• Post-Game Retargeting: Deployed follow-up email sequences and remarketing ads to re-engage visitors and convert interest into memberships and visits.

The Results

• 3.2M+ video views across paid and organic social during the campaign window

• 145% increase in online engagement compared to the Zoo’s average weekly performance

• 40% lift in website traffic to donation and ticketing pages

• Thousands of new followers added to the Zoo’s social platforms

• Emotional fan response with hundreds of user-generated shares, comments, and media mentions

Conclusion

Fiona was already a star—but this campaign helped turn that spotlight into measurable growth for the Cincinnati Zoo. By blending cultural timing, emotional storytelling, and digital execution, we turned one of the world’s most lovable hippos into the centerpiece of a Super Bowl campaign that resonated far beyond Cincinnati. And more importantly, it drove lasting support for the Zoo’s mission.