Let Leonard In | Digital Advocacy & Brand Campaign

Client/Employer: Seattle Aquarium & Copacino+Fujikado

When the Seattle Aquarium wanted to drive attendance during its peak summer months, we took a playful and emotional approach—introducing a new character named Leonard, an underdog goldfish vying for his own spotlight. "Let Leonard In" became a charming cross-channel campaign that rallied public support and brought humor, heart, and advocacy to the Aquarium’s broader summer marketing efforts.

1. Problem: Increase attendance at the Seattle Aquarium during peak summer months.

2. Strategy: Build off of the Aquarium’s traditional marketing campaign (TV, radio, OOH) with enhanced storytelling on social media around an underdog goldfish named Leonard. Leverage emotional storytelling, humor, and social advocacy to generate attention and drive traffic.

3. Execution: We created a series of short-form videos, social posts, and interactive content inviting audiences to sign a playful petition to "Vote Leonard In." The campaign lived across Facebook, YouTube, the Aquarium's owned channels, and was incorporated into that year’s summer marketing campaign on TV, radio, OOH, online, and non-traditional executions like coffee sleeves at local cafes, as well as a microsite to host the voting.

4. Results: The campaign drove a significant increase in digital engagement, with over 100,000 online votes. Leonard ultimately earned his own tank front and center at the Aquarium, alongside plenty of earned media coverage and buzz from the community.