The Toronto Zoo is promoting its new 10-acre Tundra Trek exhibit with a campaign from Lowe Roche.
The video, which runs just over a minute in length, starts with a “Survivor Guy” documenting the journey of his “most dangerous test yet… the tundra.”
The video cuts to shots of him trying to “survive” in the wilderness.
“It’s always important to stay alert,” he says to the camera as a polar bear emerges from a cave behind him.
Next audiences see him trying to build a fire with wood and string, as the Toronto Zoo shuttle bus passes behind him.
“Sometimes I think the polar bear is just a myth,” he says. “It’s very rare that a human can get so close to a polar bear.”
The spot ends with a super of the Toronto Zoo logo and Zoo tag line “Same planet. Different world.”
The video was first posted on TorontoZoo.com last Monday and added to YouTube later in the week.
It’s a fun way to drive awareness on a mainstream channel, without spending any money on media, said Lowe Roche president Stephanie Nerlich.
The campaign includes radio, online domination and interactive banner ads on TorontoZoo.com.
The 30-second radio spot starts with a father asking his son what sounds a frog makes. The son, soft spoken, responds with “ribbit ribbit.”
The father then asks what a polar bear sounds like, to which his son responds with a loud, life-like growl. “Okay, bedtime,” says the father.
The female voiceover invites listeners to visit the new exhibit and ends the spot with the tag line which is interrupted by a little boy version of a growl.
“Our friends at Lowe Roche and Untitled Films are the creative force behind this fun campaign and we are looking forward to seeing how much of a buzz it will create for our exciting new exhibit,” said Shanna Young, Toronto Zoo executive director, in a release.
