SuperZoo recently wrapped its largest show in history at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, cementing its place as the largest (in both the number of buyers and exhibitors) pet retail show in North America. How did mdg help World Pet Association (WPA) achieve this record-breaking attendance success? Let’s ask the marketing team…
A fast-moving, industry-leading event like SuperZoo requires both a detailed framework and the flexibility to adjust to the unexpected. We developed a smart strategic plan up front, fleshing out components like email drop dates and digital ad suite messaging to ensure that our multiple target audiences received regular, targeted communications. At the same time, we left room to alter course, whether that meant adding an interstitial to a key media barter or making phone calls to a new group of attendee prospects.
Elena Lien, Account Director
With audience acquisition in mind, we developed a paid Facebook campaign that mixed boosted posts with targeted ads, resulting in a combined reach of more than 150,000. Facebook’s robust audience-building parameters allowed us to target a highly qualified group of prospects and drive nearly140 registrations at a cost that’s one-third the industry average!
Santana Inniss, Director of Social + Digital
It’s no secret that the way to a reporter’s heart is through a compelling story. And when your story includes a $65 billion industry, innovative new products, fun people and loveable pets, you have no excuses when it comes to garnering media coverage. mdg began courting trade media in early 2016 with news releases, personalized outreach and story angles. Closer to the show, we pitched Las Vegas-area media, and in the end, the FOX 5 Las Vegas morning show, KNTV (ABC affiliate), Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Sun—among many others—all covered SuperZoo with fantastic stories.
Nick Lashinsky, Public Relations Strategist
SuperZoo’s audience is highly social, so we used a variety of tactics to generate engagement before and during the show. In the weeks leading up to SuperZoo, we ran a hashtag campaign, asking audiences across all platforms to download a #SZ16 sign and share photos for reposting, and we featured big-name speakers posting on successive “takeover Mondays.” Once onsite, we utilized Facebook Live and the new Instagram Stories feature (which was released during the show) to provide relatable, unscheduled content at exciting moments.
Carly Boatwright, Account Coordinator
The campaign creative was based on a clean, modern look and clear, easily digestible messaging. By using a minimalist aesthetic and reducing the amount of content noise, we ensured that our website and email executions were straightforward and powerful.
Kacia Sullivan, Art Director
According to Julie Krieger, Account Strategist and mdg Vice President, “As one of our longest-standing clients, WPA holds a special place in our hearts. They’ve made us part of the team and have always encouraged us to take risks, try new things and push boundaries. We’ve been proud to support the evolution of SuperZoo from a small, regional expo to an international, category-leading event. We could not be more honored to be part of the WPA team!”
