Stuart WoodBehavioural communications agency HeyHuman has been appointed by Merlin Entertainments as lead creative for a world-first conservation project.
HeyHuman will deliver interactive, immersive installations for the Sea Life Trust, highlighting their ambitious beluga whale project. It will roll out in Sea Life centres across the UK, Thailand, Australia, US, New Zealand and Germany.
The trust has bought an entire fjord off the southern coast of Iceland for the whales to inhabit – the world’s first open-water beluga whale sanctuary.
HeyHuman installations to promote the project will be open to the public in January 2019, with Sea Life centres in London, Birmingham, Brighton and Weymouth.
Rita Marcal, global senior brand manager (product & experience) at Merlin Entertainments, says: “Our beluga whale project is an amazing story, full of anticipation and excitement around the belugas’ journey to their new habitat. We want to tell this story through fun, interactive experiences that inspire our guests and showcase our commitment to animal welfare.
HeyHuman understands what makes an experience – what makes people not just take notice, but take action. Combined with the agency’s technological nous, HeyHuman is the right agency to develop and spread the Sea Life Trust’s incredible work.”
An artist’s impression of the fjord
Liz Richardson, managing partner at HeyHuman, adds: “Sea Life Trust has an excellent track-record in its conservation efforts, and it’s our job to ensure the brand’s protection efforts are successfully communicated to the public via experiences that everyone can take part in.
As an agency focused on the study of human behaviours and brand relationships, this is the type of work that we love to get involved with. Merlin commands a massive amount of respect across a portfolio of iconic brands, and we’ll work closely with the Trust to do this project justice.”