I must admit, I'm a little jealous of the Bronx Zoo Cobra.
He/She's been tweeting for two days so far, has 130K followers (and counting) and is currently on a whirlwind tour through one of my all time favorite cities.
In reality, though, this is a totally amazing marriage of technology + pr + awareness. I wonder if the cobra really is missing - it's even better if not. Better - because it means someone on staff is pretty much a genius at getting the public motivated around a decidedly unfriendly species.
The formula for success? I'm not sure on the ratios, but terrifying protagonist + minimalist communication platform + cryptic/hilarious postings + shoutouts to local hotspots (and hidden gems) = perfection.
Fear of snakes is a genuine fear - many people are terrified, and many of a snake's qualities (you know, the slithering, shiny-looking scales, venom, tendency to speak in a deep & evil whisper) do nothing to help its cause. The idea that a nearly-two-foot-long member (ha ha) of the snake kingdom (or is it genus?) would go missing is basically the theme of untold numbers of horror movies (and nightmares), and fear is often the playmate of fascination.
Whether the snake truly is missing or not is inconsequential for me - what is amazing is the way that the Bronx Zoo architected this marketing scheme, executed it, and activated over 100,000 people to tweet, retweet and listen in 48 hours.
The choice of Twitter over something like Facebook really works here - the short, simple messages leaves people wanting more, checking often, and asking questions. The coupling of location-based mentions is a secondary benefit, because it adds a dimension of familiarity with local businesses/attractions and creates loyalty amongst the local populace (hey, the cobra's at my fave cupcake joint! Awesome! Now I totally want a red velvet cupcake!).
It certainly doesn't hurt that the snake has a totally cutting sense of humor (Charlie Sheen references? The creation of the #snakeonthetown hashtag? Brilliant!), but that just adds to the level of rawk here.
If the Zoo has calculated this fully, they will begin to launch opportunities around this Twitter frenzy: perhaps a "Find the Cobra Fund" or a "Cobra Search Party" event to invite kids to search for the cobra on zoo grounds; perhaps a "Cobra Search Tips" aimed at kids to teach them about snakes in general and safety. The possibilities are endless, but so far, I've been disappointed by their response. Does this mean it's not a brainchild of the zoo at all? Or is their distance an even more brilliant tactic?
Now all we can do is wonder what happens next - where will the cobra pop up? Will there be twitpic cobra sightings? What sort of media bash will ensue when the cobra is "found" safely (I hope) back at the Zoo? Would love your comments!
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Posted by: Nike shox | May 25, 2011 at 05:57 PM