Cactus Unveils an Illustrative Campaign for The Denver Zoo

Now rolling out on TV, multiple out-of-home formats, print, online and radio, a new advertising campaign launches The Denver Zoo’s $50 million expansion, the “Toyota Elephant Passage.” It is advertising agency Cactus, Denver’s first work for its zoo client — and is sponsored by area auto dealers’ association Denver Neighborhood Toyota Stores, via Saatchi & Saatchi, Denver.

The “Toyota Elephant Passage” is a 10-acre, 10-building exhibition environment, housing elephants, rhinos, tapirs, leopards, birds and reptiles in native-like settings. Across all media (except radio), the advertising melds layers of illustration of three zoo scenes — some richly detailed, some sparingly so — to suggest a place both real and fantastical. The digital, watercolor-style artwork, titled “Elephants’ Bridge,” “Gibbons’ Island,” and “Cranes’ Waterfall,” is all by Kory Heinzen of Redwood City, Calif. — better known for his film animation for such Dreamworks movies as Shrek (2 and the Third) and Megamind.

For the campaign, which targets professional adults, skewing female, and moms, Heinzen’s art has been turned into: two giant, 65’ x 35’ urban wallscapes in downtown Denver; backlit panels and food court tabletops in three major Denver malls (three different executions on 25 panels and 200+ tables); a print full page running in six Colorado newspapers and magazines; outdoor banners and pole-hangings that will blanket the sides and overhead spaces of downtown Denver’s Larimer Square; a TV :30 to run on all broadcast networks and top tier cable (media buy for TV only is via Saatchi & Saatchi; all other media via Cactus); rich media and traditional digital banner ads (four executions, 50 MM impressions, through interclick network, San Francisco); and an artwork-wrapped Toyota Prius to sit at the zoo entrance. Also, two radio :60s will run on Denver’s top AM and 7 top FM stations.

Whew, nice work.

Denver Zoo Toyota Elephant Passage from SPILLT on Vimeo.

Credits:
ECD: Norm Shearer
ACD/CW: Ryan Johnson
AD: Jorge Lamora
CW: Mike King
Acct. Sup.: Summer Hershey
Animation: Spillt
Music/Sound Design: Coupe Studios