April the Giraffe's Marketing Elements

On Saturday, April 15, approximately 1.2 million people watched live on You Tube as April the giraffe gave birth to her calf at Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York. That was in addition to the 750,000 who watched the much-anticipated birth live on Facebook. However, viewers have been tuned in long before the actual birth. In February, Animal Adventure Park began running a streaming video of April so fans could follow the maternal progression. According to experts, entrepreneurs can learn a few pointers from the success that April’s pregnancy and birth have generated.
  • The fear of missing out (FOMO) or being the last to know something are reasons that social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, have become so popular. It’s even contributed to the popularity of email and texting. In April’s case, viewers were able to check on her any time of the day. “The longer this goes on, the more vested individuals will become,” says Tor Constantino in “3 Powerful Marketing Elements Fueling the Mania for April the Giraffe. 
  • April’s pregnancy and the birth of her calf created an “instant global community”—one in which strangers interacted with each other and bonded in real-time. Says Constantino, “They share comments, thoughts, memes, poems, and song parodies, as well as art work from their kids. April the Giraffe is the muse of it all.” Viewers felt a deep connection with each other over the event.
  • The pregnancy and birth are sweet and unassuming, but both are also a money-making venture. Although it evolved from nothing, there is a “clear brand, a clear platform and a clear audience,” according to Constantino.  The video feed had corporate sponsorship as well as advertisers. April items—toys, t-shirts, and more—are being sold and a crowed funding page has been generated. Hard to believe but true, this campaign was not developed by Madison Avenue. “This started as the brainchild of a small staff of hourly workers at a glorified petting zoo,” says Constantino.
Entrepreneurs, take note of the success produced from April’s humble pregnancy and the birth of her calf. You just may pick up a few pointers!

Constantino, Tor. “3 Powerful Marketing Elements Fueling the Mania for April the Giraffe.” Web blog post. Entrepreneur. 13 April 2017. Web. 17 April 2017.

Sullivan, Kate and Sean Rossman. "1.2 Million Tune In As April the Giraffe Finally Gives Birth." USA Today Network. USA Today, 16 April 2017. Web. 18 April 2017.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Social Media Trends

Guest Blogger, Rick Hunsicker