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Winner Story
Georgia Aquarium by Alloy
Alloy (formerly Narwhal Digital) teamed up with non-profit Georgia Aquarium to vitalize their email campaigns and sponsorship landing page. In 2022, the team won Best in Show: Campaigns – Email Campaign, a Gold Award in General Marketing – Landing Page, and Silver Awards in Website Features – Best Home Page, and General Website Categories – Cultural Institutions. We spoke with the team at Alloy about the team’s process and the results of the projects.
What inspired the creative direction for the Georgia Aquarium landing page?
When we started working on the landing page project, we aimed to craft a highly immersive
experience that would set it apart from the other pages on our website. To inspire our design, we
drew inspiration from the captivating feeling of standing in front of the gallery windows at the
Aquarium. Being in the presence of the magnificent sea creatures and observing their interactions
on such a grand scale is truly awe-inspiring. We sought to recreate that sense of wonder in the
digital realm, and capture the same excitement and enthusiasm that visitors feel when they are
physically present at the Aquarium.
How did both projects evolve over time?
The sponsorship page started as a request from the sponsorship team to create a shareable
asset such as a printable PDF. After spending time discussing the project with the client and internal
brainstorming, we agreed to reposition the project as a digital execution to highlight the vibrant and
interactive experience that’s closer to the real experience of seeing the animals and exhibits in
person. We felt this would be a stronger marketing asset for the sponsorship team, would be more
versatile, and also could capture analytics we couldn’t get from a physical piece.
The email project initially started as a migration project from a defunct email system to a modern and
more intelligent platform in Iterable. We consulted throughout the vendor selection and implementation process. We started to build the new vision and strategy for this channel based on both client goals and capabilities from the new vendor, Iterable. Truly understanding the technical capabilities of the platform enabled us to deliver a more sophisticated, elegant, and personalized experience to the guests while also solving the more traditional needs that come with an email marketing platform. The first phase of this implementation is complete, but it’s only a small part of what has become an expanded roadmap. We’re excited to explore further into SMS, Mobile App notifications, and AI enhancements to drive the relationship further with Georgia Aquarium’s members and guests.
How did both projects contribute to the goals at Georgia Aquarium?
Georgia Aquarium is a nonprofit organization that is funded in different ways. One of these ways is through sponsor partnerships. Sponsorships create an opportunity for a for-profit business such as Home Depot to associate their brand with a mission and cause that aligns with their own audiences’ values. On the flip side, Georgia Aquarium gets to fund important initiatives like research and conservation projects or education programs with partnership funds. The result is a win-win for both organizations. The sponsorship page helps tell that story to partners and prospective partners in a highly visual and interactive way. We purposely created this page as a lower funnel marketing asset, to be used in direct communications with clients. It helps reinforce the value proposition already being communicated alongside other marketing and sales activities.
The initiative resulted in a 238% increase in email channel revenue, a 995% increase in total transactions, a 162% increase in overall page views, and a 10% reduction in bounce rate from the email channel. It streamlined marketing operations, positioned Georgia Aquarium for significant revenue growth, and provided visibility for the Aquarium product suite. Because of these efforts, we’ve made it easy to visit and enjoy the Georgia Aquarium, we’re delivering a consistent brand across all channels, we’re creating relationships with guests, and we now have a dynamic, flexible solution for future campaigns.
Which aspects of the teams’ work are you most proud of?
We are most proud of the creative ways we solved the Aquarium’s problems, with strategic solutions that delivered measurable results. We are obviously proud of the look and feel, but the results speak for themselves.
What does winning a w3 Award mean to you?
This award is indicative of the amazing team at Alloy, and the dedication they have to doing their best work. We’re proud of not just the end results, but also the outcome we delivered for our client — and the connections we made with their end users. Our partnership with Georgia Aquarium has spanned many years and initiatives but this was one of our favorites, and it is amazing to be recognized for it.