Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Much more effective dollars in TV or whatever. Billboards because you get the number of exposures that you get and it’s big and it’s on the way, you know, and you do it as they’re coming into the zoo. Billboards are really effective. They may be ugly,… Read More
If you could, what would you tell AZA about the issues that they should be addressing now for zoos?… Read More
Well, the one of them was one we just touched on a little bit. I think AZA should take a more active role in representing zoos and defending zoos to both the animal rights people, the PETAs, the HSUSs, and, and to US Fish and Wildlife and, and to the… Read More
Is there any advice you’d give to the neophyte zoo director about the importance of marketing zoos, and what would you say are the most important aspects of marketing?… Read More
Well, I think, you know, keeping, you know, keeping, keeping the, you know, keeping the zoo story in front of the public as much as you can. You know, even, even little things people are interested in, you know, even even a birth or animal activities or, you know, anything… Read More
And that’s why zoos that have got regular bits on, you know, on a TV show or on TV shows and/or, and/or a good reporter that, you know, is that once a week, you can, you can get it in the newspaper, you know, that’s. Well, and of course the… Read More
I think you get them up close and personal. There’s nothing in the world like getting nose to nose with a tiger or a gorilla or whatever, through you know, with nothing between you and that animal but a pane of glass. What would be even better is if you… Read More
And they’d walk around and they’d feel the elephant, you know, hold them up and let them stick their hand in the elephant’s mouth and feel elephants trunk, put them up on the back of the elephant. You know, there’s zoos that no longer let the kids touch a Python… Read More
That, you know, that really doesn’t work. We do, I think, you know, I think both Disney and, and SeaWorld all, the animal ambassador, I think we’re doing more and, and a lot of people doing the animal ambassadors where you take the animal that you can let them touch… Read More
Talking about that, but switching a little to a more formal education, do you think that education is helping to boost the image of zoos among the public in face of some of these anti-zoo groups?… Read More
Is education– Well, I, I think it does, but I don’t think we’re doing nearly as good. I think, I think, I think PETA and HSUS and some of the humane groups have been much more effective and they’ve had a plan at, at getting into the school groups. I… Read More
I said zoos. Into the schools and, and presenting our side of the story and the message, because I think, you know, I think frankly, PETA and HSUS, and some of these, these animal rights groups have done a much better job at beating us to death in the schools. Read More
Once you get the people to your zoo, the visitor, what should or can be done to make that visitor connection more meaningful?… Read More
Well, I think public pressure. There’s a couple of, you know, we, there’s a couple of ways to do that. One of the things that’s been pretty effective for us is to point out to them that the, the zoo has a pretty profound economic impact on the, on the… Read More
And then we’d put everybody in zoo t-shirts and we’d, you know, we’d fill the gallery with zoo supporters, which is a subtle way of telling them that there’s a lot of support out there. And then, you know, for a couple of mayors who were kind of obstinate, if… Read More
The top ones. Well, I, you know, I, I think are, you know, I mean one of them, I mean, the, the, you know, the fact that we’ve done a number of world-class exhibits that have really changed the perception of Omaha and changed the public perception of not just… Read More
And probably the last one is, you know, as in all the students we’ve handled the education, you know, not. The ripple effect from all of these students that have come through the place is really, you know, really turning out to be really big. And it’s not, you know,… Read More
Although, you know, the dormitory we had to go in and, and for our Asian students, we had to put in special hoods and fire extinguishers over the stoves because of the way they cook. (chuckling) Cause the fire alarms kept going off and the fire department kept showing up. Read More
(chuckling) I know you’ve had some experience with this, but what would you say is the most efficient way to deal with elected officials, which I’m sure you’ve had to deal with, and municipal bureaucrats to develop and manage a zoo today?… Read More
I guess I’m a dinosaur. And I think that’s a lot easier transition then than to bring in a CPA or a lawyer or something who then has to learn the animal side of things. I think you’re more apt to get in trouble if you start out with a… Read More