The Marketing Attractions Podcast

Madeline Walden manages social media for the Aquarium of the Pacific — an audience of more than 3.5 million followers across platforms, including 2.8 million on TikTok.

In this Spotlight episode, Madeline shares how the Aquarium built a massive global following by blending entertainment with education — and why their TikTok Live strategy eventually evolved into a podcast, Aquarium of the Pod-cific.

We talk about:

• How “tricking” au...

Email is the most important channel cultural attractions use to communicate with members and potential members. It drives renewals, upgrades, event awareness, and ongoing engagement.

This conversation explores what it looks like to level up email. What would a smarter email plan look like? How would it impact member retention, renewals, and long-term revenue?

We’re joined by TJ Christensen, founding partner at Blue Gator, to talk abo...

Public relations and paid media may sit on different sides of the marketing umbrella, but they both shape how visitors, donors, and stakeholders perceive your institution.

In this episode, we bring in Sharon Dewar, Senior Vice President of Wild Care and Conservation at Public Communications Inc. (PCI), to break down how PR actually works inside zoos, aquariums, gardens, and museums - and when it makes sense to bring in outside help.

...

Ticket trades only get you so far. We break down four common approaches to influencer marketing for cultural attractions – media nights, CVB co-ops, big local publishers, and amplified influencer campaigns – and explain why paying creators often drives the best results.

We talk about…

• How to reach audiences who aren’t already coming by proactively recruiting creators that match growth goals, including bilingual voices.
• Why paying ...

When your attraction has already maxed out on attendance, where does new revenue come from? In this episode, we sit down with John Abrahamson – formerly of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the upcoming Nat Geo Museum – to talk about creative ways cultural attractions can grow earned revenue while staying true to their mission.

John shares how he helped Monterey Bay Aquarium expand beyond its walls through immersive VR experiences, sust...

Dynamic pricing is gaining momentum across gardens, zoos, aquariums, and museums. But what does it mean for marketing teams, and how does it affect revenue, accessibility, and guest experience?

We talk about:

• The difference between variable pricing and true dynamic pricing
• Why many attractions market it as “plan ahead pricing”
• How dynamic pricing smooths attendance at blockbuster events like holiday lights
• Revenue lifts institutions...

The Google Ad Grant offers up to $10,000 a month in free search ads for qualifying nonprofits, including gardens, zoos, aquariums, and museums. But without the right setup, much of that potential goes unused. 

In this episode, we outline the ideal campaign structure to make the grant work harder for your institution.

We talk about:

• Separate branded and non-branded search terms into distinct campaigns for clarity and control.
• Build ...

We explore whether it’s time for your garden, zoo, aquarium, or museum to go beyond the printed map—and into the world of mobile apps.

We’re joined by Jacob Thompson, CX Director at Attractions.io, who works across both nonprofit attractions and for-profit parks. Together, we talk about what makes an institution ready for an app, what features actually drive revenue (hint: it’s not just a prettier map), and how apps can enhance both...

Augmented reality isn’t just for tech companies - it’s helping zoos, aquariums, museums, and gardens create more engaging, measurable guest experiences.

In this episode, we’re joined by Anna Graham, Manager of Marketing Services at Ricoh USA, who shares how AR is being used across the cultural attraction space to enhance exhibits, tell mission-driven stories, and even sell more tickets.

We cover:

• The difference between AR and VR—a...

Shawna is a 'newbie' to cultural attraction space. But, she's a seasoned pro in building a collaborative space within diverse organizations. 

Join us as Shawna shares how she and her team created a system and culture for employees across all departments to create and amplify social media content for Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. 

Shawna walks us through: 

• Creating a zoo-wide meeting focused on social media
• How she lever...

Jenny makes the argument that most nonprofit attractions don't need a separate, disjointed tourist marketing plan. They need more influencer marketing. 

We talk about...

• How TikTok and Instagram (not Google) are the go-to platforms for travel and trip planning 
• Why influencer content can make your attraction more discoverable on social media 
• Ways to increase visitation with locals and tourists alike with influencer marketing 
...

User-generated content (UGC) is the word-of-mouth marketing of the digital age—and it’s changing how cultural attractions reach new visitors.

In this episode, we're joined by David Leach, who has deep experience helping attractions get the most out of their video content. 

We talk about how zoos, aquariums, museums, and gardens can build momentum with creators, visitors, and influencers who are already sharing their experience o...

Eric and the Elmwood Park Zoo are working to make their zoo more accessible, inclusive, and inviting to everyone.

We talk to Eric about how the team turned bold questions into real change—like letting dogs visit the zoo and becoming the first Certified Autism Center zoo in the world.

Eric shares:

• The behind-the-scenes process of creating a dog-friendly program that staff and animals could all get behind
• Why “Yappy Hours” became a m...

Dynamic ticket pricing isn’t just for airlines. In this episode, we’re joined by Wendy Babineaux from the Houston Zoo to dive into how her team rolled out dynamic pricing—starting cautiously with Zoo Lights in 2019 and gradually expanding across general admission.

She breaks down how pricing now fluctuates daily, even within a single day, and how that’s impacted attendance patterns, guest experience, and revenue goals.

We also talk a...

Most nonprofit attractions are doing some sort of ticket trade in exchange for influencers posting content. 

Jenny lays out a few reasons to financially compensate influencers and shares tips on how to do it. 

We talk about: 

• Looking at influencer marketing as a part of your paid advertising strategy 
• How a small financial consideration changes the working relationship between a brand and an influencer 
• The 6 things to include in yo...

Nancie from Noetic Consultants shares her 4 key steps of rebranding nonprofit attractions. 

Plus, Nancie shares real-world insights, including a case study on a recent zoo rebranding project, and offers practical advice for navigating the RFP process to find the right branding partner.

We talk about: 

• Defining the Brand’s North Star – Understanding mission, vision, and purpose.
• Brand Distinction through Research – Utilizing interna...

Corey Romberg joins us to share his ideas on enhancing guest engagement through multi-sensory experiences, storytelling, and audience-focused programming.

We talk about:

• Multi-Sensory Engagement: Using decor, food, hands-on activities, and entertainment to create immersive experiences.
• Character Development: How mascots and puppets help build empathy and connect young audiences to conservation.
• Guest Feedback & Adaptive Managem...

Diana Vega from Zoo Miami discusses how collaboration and creativity can elevate guest experiences at nonprofit attractions. It’s our view that marketing gets people through the door and guest experience turns them into members.

We talk about:

• Empowering Staff: Involving frontline employees in solutions enhances both operations and the guest experience.
• Revamping Internal Meeting Structure: Ways Diana changed weekly internal meeti...

Jenny breaks down what nonprofit, cultural attractions would lose if the TikTok ban comes to fruition. We purposefully recorded this episode prior to the January 19, 2025 'deadline' for TikTok. This allows to reflect on why TikTok is a powerful advertising platform for zoos, aquariums, gardens, and museums. 

We talk about... 

1. Why (most) nonprofit attractions should invest paid advertising dollars into influencer marketi...