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Table of Contents Defining the Problem 3-5 The Problem Situational Analysis The Problem Statement

Planning and Programming 6-9 Problem Goal Statement Target Publics Objectives Action and Communication Strategies and Tactics

Taking Action and Communication 10-14 Coordinating Action and Communication Program Implementation Plans

2-Year Campaign Timetable 15-16 Evaluation of Program 17 Evaluation Plans Feedback and Program Adjustments

References 18 Dedication 19

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Defining the Problem The Problem

Orca whales have been an asset to the “family fun” entertainment business for over 40 years. With the release of the Blackfish documentary in July of 2013 the dangers of orca whales in captivity were highlighted and spread awareness and outrage throughout not only America but also the world as a whole. Even though many sponsors, investors and the general public have stopped programs, investments and park attendance with SeaWorld and other amusement parks the orca whales are still being bred and held captive around the world. The problem not only roots with animal cruelty but orca whales are dangerous to humans as well. There been fewer than five recorded orca whale attacks on humans in the wild but there has been more than 130 orca whale attacks recorded while in captivity since the early 1970’s. That is over 130 human lives that have either been taken or jeopardized because of exposure to orca whales while in captivity. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has made strides in making orca whale training safer for humans by eliminating contact with the orcas in the pools but the breeding and holding orca whales in captivity still continues.

Orca whales are one of the smartest mammals to live on this planet, they are social beings that thrive in family units and by separating them from their pods and forcing them to live in confided spaces they suffer from posttraumatic stress syndrome and act out in dangerous ways to the humans they come in contact with. The culture of our society says it is normal to watch orca whales perform, “behaviors,” for entertainment but the turmoil that can come with these animals forced to perform is greater than anyone could have expected. Situational Analysis

The Blackfish documentary was shown at many film festivals and theaters around the nation and world before it was released on CNN late October. This exposure sparked a pristine opportunity to showcase to the public the problems with orca whales held in captivity. This documentary has the opportunity to sweep the nation and world as a whole the more it is released on cable television. Awareness alone will convince people to stop supporting SeaWorld, other amusements parks that host orca shows, and their conglomerates. The strength this propaganda has on the nation is very powerful. Beautifully showcased, the documentary has emotionally moves people and creates a movement evoked by passion to end this type of animal cruelty. Expose and awareness are the first steps to gain momentum to get orca whales out of

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captivity. Through conservation groups like the Orca Whale Conservancy Group, the Whale and Dolphin Conservancy, and many other groups that are taking action to remove orca whales out of captivity there is a better opportunity to reach goals while working as a unit. There is opportunity to lobby and pass legislation to ban all marine animals and mammals including orca whales from being held in captivity. The facts are not hard to prove. The fact that orca whales are in captivity and the dangers that come with that are straightforward facts that the general public understand when they come in contact with the documentary or subject.

With this come the threats that getting orca whales out of captivity face. SeaWorld and the conglomerates, investors, and sponsors that invest much of their money into this company and others similar to it hold power that make it hard to pass this legislation and laws restricting orca whales in captivity. SeaWorld release statements and invests in its own publicity to show the public that they are not doing harm to the whales. The public who are unaware believe that the orca whale entertainment is a fundamental to “family fun,” amusement parks. Its this arrogance that plagues the destiny of orca whales that are captured or bred to entertain the people in a pool that is a micro compared to the vast ocean space that wild orca’s are allowed to roam with their pods and families. The weaknesses orca conservation groups face are unlike mentioned above these groups do not have access to the financials necessary to make strides in a campaign to end orca whale in captivity. It is no secret that the many of these investors and such for corporations like SeaWorld are actually leaving and profits have gone down since the release of Blackfish; the problem is still a problem. Orca whales are still in captivity and as a unified unit programs can help end this problem and change the culture of marine animal entertainment. As the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has and continues to create laws to slowly end orca whale captivity and the release of Blackfish has brought awareness to the issue without continued exposure to it the issue will soon be overshadowed by other similar problems. The opportunity orca whale conservation groups have is to work together to create a campaign and publicity to highlight the issue at hand and end this type of animal cruelty for good.

The Problem Statement Orca whales in captivity are a danger to the whales themselves and the humans that train and interact with them. Keeping them in captivity away from their pods and confining them in pools to entertain and display “behaviors, “ for audience members is a form of animal cruelty. As exposure and awareness to this issue has been displayed to the general public through the documentary

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Blackfish, and through passed legislation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, there is still a large amount of the general public that are in the dark of the seriousness of this problem that plagues the culture of what humans thinks is appropriate entertainment. There are still many publics that could be reached to end the problem. The general public is unaware of whales in captivity and the dangers that come along with that This industry needs to be stopped and all investors, conglomerates, sponsors etc. that are financially supporting these corporations are the only options to end this cruelty to orca whales. By bringing overall awareness to people around the globe, investors, conglomerates, and sponsors of SeaWorld and other corporations that use orca whales as entertainment will have no other choice but to drop ties with the corporation and end the breeding and capturing of orca whales for profit. By creating more propaganda, publicity and advertisement from orca whale conservation groups to educate and bring awareness to this situation, as well as finding the funding to put together this campaign the more likely these corporations will stop breeding and capturing orca whales.

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Planning and Programming Program Goal Statement It is apparent that the goal by the end of this campaign is to stop the breeding and capturing of orca whales for entertainment and profit by the corporations that put them there. By accomplishing this goal the orca conservation groups will be doing much more than that. They will be educating and bringing awareness to a social issue that is plaguing the world. It is not right for humans to take intelligent animals out of their natural habitat to entertain us. SeaWorld voices that by displaying these natural, “behaviors,” that direct us to believe that if we see them perform we are more likely to conserve them in the wild. They also want us to believe that a large amount of their profits go to funding aid and conservation projects for animals in the wild when only less than one cent for every one hundred dollars of revenue is donated to conservation in the last decade. SeaWorld is feeding information to the public because they have the funding to reach a large group of publics. The goal that needs to be set for this campaign to go in full effect is to be financially stable enough to follow through to reach a large group of publics as well. Finding appropriate funding and educating the general public will not be an overnight success. It will take approximately two whole years to see an even bigger drop in SeaWorld’s profits and drops in investors and sponsors to be able to get the orca whales out of captivity. Overall, funding is crucial to the success of the orca whale anti-captivity project. With enough funding and sponsors to end this animal cruelty, orca whales will be removed from captivity and will stop endangering lives of humans who choose to interact with these intelligent animals. Also with the substantial funding and partnering with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration legislation can be passed to make the captivity of orca whales against the law so it will not be lawful to do so in the future. Target Publics There are five target publics the campaign will need to engage to ensure that the goal is reached. The general public without awareness of the problems with orca whales in captivity, the general public with prior awareness of the problems with orca whales in captivity, publics affiliated with orca whale conservation groups, investors, sponsors and conglomerates of SeaWorld, and lobbyists and lawmakers that can help further legislation with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. All of these publics together can help progress in the goal of ending orca captivity.

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Target Public #1: The general public without prior awareness of the problems with orca wales in captivity (Nontraditional, latent, intervening, secondary, external, domestic/international)

Target Public #2: The general public with prior awareness of the problems with orca whales in captivity (Nontraditional, aware, intervening, secondary, internal, domestic/international)

Target Public #3: Publics affi l iated with orca whale conservation groups (Traditional, active, intervening, primary, internal, domestic)

Target Public #4: Investors, Sponsors, and Conglomerates of SeaWorld and other corporations that have captive orca whales (Traditional, active/aware, intervening, primary, internal, domestic/international)

Target Public #5: Lobbyists and lawmakers that can help pass legislation with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to make orca whale captivity unlawful (Traditional, active/aware, intervening, primary, internal/external, domestic)

The general public covers a wide base of people. We are most interested in young, college age students who use social media and adults who vote and have interest in social injustice/ animal cruelty. These publics will be the ones that will be educated on the issue of orca whale activity and spread the word.  

Due to already being exposed to the issue this public will be crucial in spreading their knowledge and joining/volunteering with conservation groups. We assume that these publics will be similar to the ones above that are unaware of the issue

All individuals affiliated to orca conservation groups will be the main target public that will lead all other target publics to reach our goal. It is important all orca conservation group affiliates are on boar for the campaign so it is organized and ran smoothly.

Due to the fact that SeaWorld is a public corporation and has investors investing in their stock, sponsors that put on programs affiliated with SeaWorld, etc. if these investments and programs stopped SeaWorld would not have the funds to function as an amusement/ animal park. Educating these publics on the dangers of orca whale captivity can end orca captivity.

If laws were passed that made it illegal to breed and keep whales in captivity than SeaWorld would be forced to close it’s doors. This public is important because it stands alone. If the other publics encouraged these lawmakers to create positive legislation the goal will be reached.

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Objectives The ultimate goal is taking orca whales out of captivity. By doing this there are two objectives that need to be put in action. One objective being educating and bringing awareness to the general public to lead all investors, sponsors and conglomerates to stop financially supporting SeaWorld and similar corporations. This will give SeaWorld and other similar corporations no other choice but to close their doors and end this type of entertainment. The other objective to make an effective change is having laws passed to make the capturing and breeding of orca whales to be used for entertainment illegal. Working towards the main goal these objectives are the appropriate way to give a voice to this form of animal cruelty and ultimately give hope for other animals that are confined to this way. Educating and shedding awareness on this social issue will open avenues to ending orca whale captivity. The general public as a unit has more power than many realize. The government and legislators are here to serve the people. The people are what investors hope to buy their product and to keep their product relevant. If the people fight against this animal cruelty they can make the change that is needed to end this injustice to orca whales. The orca whale conservation groups will be the catalyst of change for the Anti-Captivity Project. By organizing the awareness programs and doing all the communication the project will entail to reach the goal. Since they will have the most responsibility they will also be in need of finding volunteers and eventually hiring more people to work on the campaign. The orca whale conservation groups will be necessary for any laws to be passed and investing of SeaWorld and other corporations to end. They will be the leading force to keep this campaign headed in the right direction. With the help of the general public, the orca whale conservation groups can make an effective change to current condition of the campaign. With the awareness Blackfish has started there is enough of the general public that understands the issue and can then pass it on to their counterparts. Orca whale conservations groups must make sure the general public is being made aware and educated in the most professional way possible to make sure the information is being passed on correctly. Overall, each target public will play a key role in the Anti-Captivity Project. There is no possible way that the campaign’s goal can be achieved without the effort made by each of the target publics. Creating a cohesive unit between all orca conservation groups can successfully bring awareness to the issue and make it a priority to change for investors and lawmakers alike and finally put an end to orca whale captivity.

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Action and Communication Strategies and Tactics As explained in the “Objectives,” section, to achieve the goals all target publics must work together to bring awareness to the issue to then end the captivity problem. Internally all orca conservation groups must come together to create a cohesive group that will work together to designate tasks that will then lead towards accomplishing the goal. Each orca conservation group should come together and have delegates to form a council that will carry out the goals and plans implemented in this campaign. Designated teams will need to be formed to assign specific tasks and steps towards each tactic that is put in place to get orca whales out of captivity. There will need a team to work on connecting with lobbyists and legislators to get laws passed to make orca whale captivity illegal and unlawful and a team to have conversations with current investors and sponsors of SeaWorld to end their investments and partnerships. There will also need to have a teams to lead the education and awareness programs through advertisement, social media, partnering with sponsors, etc. and all plans that will be discussed further in this campaign proposal. Communication between all teams working with the orca whale conservation groups will be the key to making sure all messages are received clearly and correlate effectively to reach the ending goal. Many different forms of media will be needed to reach the goal of ending orca whale captivity. The plan will include creating press releases for multiple parts of the campaign including the most importantly, the education and awareness programs and the progress on legislation and investors and sponsors ending their investments and programs with SeaWorld. Every part of the campaign publicized would help the end result because one of the main priorities in this project is to bring awareness to the general public. Keeping the subject of orca whale captivity relevant topics on social media and through blogs. This alone can cut ticket sales and can take advantage of peer advertisement. Budget 5 Full-Time

Staff 10 Part- Time Staff

All other plan expenses

Total

Year 1 150,000 70,000 250,000 470,000 Year 2 150,000 70,000 500,000 720,000

Total 300,000 140,000 750,000 1,190,00

*Campaign must have paid employees to reach goals. Volunteers will still be necessary but not the entirety of what the campaign needs to be successful.

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Taking Action and Communication Coordinating Action and Communication Communication will be key in organization of the campaign. The need for five full-time staff will create a cohesive team that will be in charge of all plan implementation. The diagram below will show how all communication goes to the campaign leader then distributed to team leads, coordinators and their teams. This will create a cohesive team of orca conservation group leaders that can effectively create change.

Campaign Leader Assistant Campaign

Lead

SeaWorld Investor Communications

Coordinator

SICC Team (2)

Legislation Communications

Coordinatior LCC Team (2)

Media Communications

Coordinator Social Media Team

(2)

Awareness and Education Team

Leads (2)

A and E Team (3)

Campaign Leader: • Will be in charge of all meetings and delegation of plans for the project. • Be voice of campaign

Awareness and Education Team Leads: • Will be in charge of all awareness and education program implementation • Coordinate all programs to make sure they are effective • Research on behalf of the campaign • Delegate to Coordinators all tasks that will promote awareness

SeaWorld Investor/ Sponsor Communications Coordinator: • Hold meetings with SeaWorld investors/ sponsors to explain goals of project

and encourage them to stop investing/ sponsoring • Work with team to create presentations for meetings

Legislation Communications Coordinator: • Hold meetings with legislators and lobbyists to communicate goals of

program to create laws to make keeping orca whales in captivity illegal • Work with team to create presentations for meetings

Media Communications Coordinator: • Create all media to be released to get media coverage on project • Lead Social Media Team to effectively voice project goals

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Program Implementation Plans

The campaign project will consist of a number of plans that will carry on throughout the course of the 2-year campaign timeline that will be shown in the next section. All plans are separated by the different teams mentioned in the “Coordinating Action and Communication,” section making each program have a clear goal and coordinator. This will ensure that each team has specific tasks and plans to achieve to ensure the campaign is able to reach its goal. Here are the plans and program the campaign will carry out:

1. Awareness Programs a. Orca Oreo™ Campaign

i. This plan incorporates awareness and fundraising. ii. The campaign will team up with Oreo for a month and have

an orca whale imprinted on the cookie and so much percent of each pack bottom will be donated to the Anti-Captivity project.

iii. This plan will spread awareness about orca captivity. The Oreo cookie is black and white, just like an orca whale. The symbolism will catch the public’s eye and help fund the campaign.

iv. These will be limited edition cookies that will be sold during the month of June because it is a time when there is no holiday Oreo would have a cookie for.

b. Billboard/ Ad Campaign i. Create a series of billboard campaigns about the Anti-

Captivity Project and the problems with orca whales in captivity.

ii. Also an ad series campaign that is similar to the billboard series campaign that will run in magazines and on buses.

iii. All of these ads will be in a series that will change monthly. Each month a specific message will be shown to emphasize the dangers of orca whale captivity.

c. Public Viewings of Blackfish i. Making the Blackfish accessible to the public will increase

awareness of the problems that come with orca whales in captivity.

ii. CNN already made strides in making Blackfish available on a couple separate occasions making the documentary viewable during primetime. Also having Blackfish on Netflix

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made awareness of orca whale captivity even more accessible.

iii. Now we need to find another venue to make Blackfish viewable. Having public viewings in cities and drive in theaters will be great access to the greater community.

d. Celebrity endorsements and fundraisers i. Recently celebrities have publicized their opinions of

SeaWorld based on their personal ethics code. For example when Jackass star, Steve-O, changed a sign on the Interstate 5 from “SeaWorld Way” to “SeaWorld SUCKS.”

ii. Celebrity endorsements in commercials, billboards and other types of advertisement will reach our target publics and encourage them to research orca captivity and fight for the cause.

iii. Other ways celebrities can endorse this campaign is by hosting fundraisers and charity galas to raise funds for the campaign.

2. Education Programs a. K-12 School Education Program

i. There will be an education tools packet that will be sent to elementary schools and high schools in counties close to where SeaWorld and other amusement parks are

ii. These education packets will have literature on how to teach students on the dangers of orca whale captivity as well as a short DVD with clips of Blackfish and for the lower elementary school levels they will receive coloring pages

iii. Teaching children the dangers of orca captivity at an early age. The literature will not be graphic but will emotionally evoke children to not want to attend SeaWorld amusement parks.

b. College Education Program i. The main part of the college education program is doing

student viewings of the documentary, Blackfish. ii. Another aspect would be adding a seminar at the end of it

for people to voice their opinion of the issue. It would be a good venue for people to state their opinions on orca captivity as well as get insight to other people’s opinions.

3. SeaWorld Investor and Sponsor Communications Plans a. Meetings w/ Investors and Sponsors

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i. This plan is self-explanatory. The coordinator and team will set up meetings with current investors and sponsors of SeaWorld. They will organize a presentation on SeaWorld and orca captivity.

4. Legislation Communications Plans a. Meetings w/ Legislators and Lobbyists

i. Similar to the plan this plan will implement meetings with Legislators and lobbyists to help give ideas and the information needed to create laws to make orca whale captivity illegal.

ii. Along with working with legislators and lobbyists the coordinator and their team will work with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to make this cause a credible source of information.

5. Media Communications Plans a. Social Media Campaign

i. Creating “The Anti-Captivity Project: Save the Orcas,” social media accounts for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest will create cohesive social networking sites that will spread awareness of the project.

ii. These accounts will help connect with the general public especially with target publics that are teenagers to young adults who can be easily persuaded on social issues.

iii. All social media accounts will cover everything form facts about orca whales and captivity, advances and progress on the current campaign, plus videos and links to blogs and other information on orca whales.

b. Blog Partnerships i. There is already a decent amount of blogs that blog about

animal rights and specifically orca whales and captivity. By paying bloggers to blog on behalf of the Anti- Captivity Project we can link these to our social media pages and have them go viral.

ii. Including visual images and videos there is an opportunity for the target publics to get a glimpse of how serious this problem is.

iii. Blogs are often on the informal side and attract a wider audience than a newspaper or magazine article. They are also more accessible to a wider group of publics in the

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younger age groups. This would be the perfect opportunity to expose the problems with orca captivity.

c. Press Releases i. Press releases will be essential in showing the media the

progress we have made throughout the campaign. ii. These will also be able to target our publics with things like

fundraising and our overall goal of spreading awareness about orca captivity.

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2-Year Campaign Timetable

Janurary-March 2015

• Begin weekly meetings with all staff and learn about designated duties

• Begin to develop all awareness and education programs • Begin presentations for Investor and Sponsors of SeaWorld and scheduling meetings

• Begin to develop ideas to bring to lobbyists and legislators and scheduling meetings

• Create social media plan and begin to contract bloggers

April-June 2015

• Continue weekly meetings with all staff and learn about designated duties

• Countinue to develop all awareness and education programs • Begin giving presentations for Investor and Sponsors of SeaWorld and continue scheduling meetings

• Begin bringing developed ideas to lobbyists and legislators and continue scheduling meetings

• Launch social media plan and blog

July-Septemper 2015

• Continue weekly meetings with all staff • Launch trial education programs • Conitnue to develop awareness programs • Continue giving presentations for Investor and Sponsors of SeaWorld and continue scheduling meetings

• Continue bringing developed ideas to lobbyists and legislators and continue scheduling meetings

• Continue with social media plan and blog • Send out press release about trial education programs

October-December

2015

• Continue weekly meetings with all staff • Evaluate trial education programs • Finalizeze awareness programs to launch next year • Continue giving presentations for Investor and Sponsors of SeaWorld and continue scheduling meetings

• Continue bringing developed ideas to lobbyists and legislators and continue scheduling meetings

• Continue with social media plan and blog

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January-March 2016

• Continue weekly meetings with all staff • Launch evaluated and refined education programs • Launch awareness programs including Ad campaign, Public Viewings of Blackfish

• Continue giving presentations for Investor and Sponsors of SeaWorld and continue scheduling meetings

• Continue bringing developed ideas to lobbyists and legislators and continue scheduling meetings

• Continue with social media plan and blog • Create press releases of all awareness and education programs

April-June 2016

• Continue weekly meetings with all staff • Continue education programs • Continue awareness programs including starting Orca Oreo campaign, Ad campaign, Public Viewings of Blackfish

• Continue giving presentations for Investor and Sponsors of SeaWorld and continue scheduling meetings

• Continue bringing developed ideas to lobbyists and legislators and continue scheduling meetings

• Continue with social media plan and blog • Continue to create press releases of all awareness and education programs

July-September 2016

• Continue weekly meetings with all staff •  Continue education programs • Continue awareness programs including Orca Oreo campaign, Ad campaign, Public Viewings of Blackfish

• Continue giving presentations for Investor and Sponsors of SeaWorld and continue scheduling meetings

• Continue bringing developed ideas to lobbyists and legislators and continue scheduling meetings

• Continue with social media plan and blog/ press releases

October-December 2016

• Continue weekly meetings with all staff • Finish all education programs • Finish all awareness programs • Finish giving presentations for Investor and Sponsors of SeaWorld and continue scheduling meetings

• Finish bringing developed ideas to lobbyists and legislators and continue scheduling meetings

• Finish social media plan and blog/ press releases • Evaluate campaign

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Evaluation of Program Evaluation Plans The Anti-Captivity Project: Orca Whales will be evaluated with a survey of 1,000 people about the awareness of the dangers of orca whales in captivity. The goal of taking orca whales out of captivity will be the ultimate evaluation but it takes many years for laws to pass and awareness to be spread. At the end of two years if the awareness of the dangers of orca whales in captivity goes up then the campaign was successful and another advancement of this current campaign can progress. The evaluation of this campaign will rest with how accessible each program and plan was made to the target publics. If all programs and plans are made easily accessible the campaign should not have problems being successful since awareness of this issue is our number one priority in the long fight to end orca whale captivity. The campaign can also be evaluated by how many publics we reach via social media, blogs and press coverage we received in the two years. The more likes and views we receive on social media accounts and blogs the more awareness of orca captivity will be spread. Also depending on how often we have some sort of news and newspaper coverage the more target publics we can reach and use in our evaluation.

Feedback and Program Adjustments The results of the evaluation will be reported to program team leads and coordinators in a number of ways. Like stated above in the “Evaluation Plans,” section a random survey to 1,000 people will be released to evaluate the overall awareness of the dangers of orca whale captivity. With this information the campaign can either further progress with similar programs or plans or change them entirely. The program will not have to make changes if orca whale captivity is made illegal or awareness goes up by over 50%. As we will be able to see with a survey about orca whale captivity will be released to 1,000 random people before the campaign starts. All results of the social media campaign, blogs and press coverage can be evaluated and reviewed by the Media Communications Coordinator themselves by the statistic analyst options on most social media sites and by reviewing number of likes, follows, views go up every quarter.

Each program besides the awareness and education programs will be easy to review because it either worked or did not. This will evaluate whether change needs to happen or not.

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References Books Kirby, David. Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity. New York: St. Martin's, 2012. Print. Blogs The Dodo- www.thedodo.com The Sea Sheperd http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2013/12/21/a-reply-to-sea-worlds-open-letter-1537 Takepart-www.takepart.com/photos/6-ways-rescue-killer-whales-captive/

Conservation Websites Whale and Dolphin Conservation- http://us.whales.org/wdc-in-action/captivity Orca Whale Conservancy- http://www.orcaconservancy.org

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Dedication To all my family, friends, and peers who have ever taken time out of their day to stop and listen to me talk about the dangers of orca whales in captivity.