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Transcript of SeaWorldAnalysis2
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Kathleen Harrell Public Relations Management Dr. ChristieDecember 7, 2016
SeaWorld Analysis
SeaWorld made the decision and announcement to phase out their famous theatrical orca
shows in March 2016. This decision was brought about due to speculation saying the shows were
cruel to the animals, causing their health to fail and their quality of life to become bleak. While
the move will not be finalized at some parks until 2019, many people are pleased to see the
shows go. SeaWorld faced an overflow of criticism from organizations such as People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals and Humane Society of the United States, leaving them pressured
to take the shows away; but it was not solely the pressure from activists that made this action
move forward. Orcas living in captivity have a 2.5 percent higher mortality rate than those in the
wild, according to the Animal Welfare Institute. It has also been shown that orcas in captivity are
more aggressive towards humans. One of the biggest incidents that related to the decision to end
the orca shows, was Dawn Brancheau’s death in 2010 by Tilikum the whale. Brancheau was the
first person to die by the orca’s actions, but because of her death, SeaWorld made many changes
in order to produce a safer environment in their parks.
Question 1:
SeaWorld has been the pinpoint of controversy surrounding their orca attractions. When the
decision was made to exterminate the shows, SeaWorld was faced with discrimination and many
negative opinions. In order to successfully breach their audiences and explode their message,
SeaWorld needed to reach their key audiences. Those audiences are: SeaWorld’s customers and
client base, the parks partners and sponsors, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
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When it comes to who needs to know, it is obvious that clientele is high on the list. When
they ended the orca theatrical shows, one of SeaWorld’s most popular attractions, the amusement
parks needed to inform and educate their audiences of such occurrences. It might frustrate some
park goers to find out that they will no longer be able to see theatrical performances of the orcas,
and it might change their desire to go to the park.
Those who partner with the parks are affected by this decision because of loss of revenue,
loss of clients, and the partner’s outlook for business. Again, with the decision to end orca
shows, the park’s income could drop, causing a reaction to ensue in their partnering companies.
Another branch that is affected by the change is the Humane Society of the United States.
The HSUS is affected because of their two-decade-long battle with SeaWorld to have the shows
halt. Now that SeaWorld has made the move to no longer breed the orca’s in captivity, including
no longer capturing wild orcas, the HSUS can now put to rest their biggest argument with the
theme park. In fact, now that the battle is laid to rest, the two companies have since partnered
together to go forward and better the oceans. HSUS President and CEO Wayne Pacelle said “It’s
really momentous, we have a long history of criticizing SeaWorld. At the same time, we want
companies and individuals to change: Better to get your business model aligned and do the right
thing”.
Question 2:
The overarching theme of the press releases shows a mixture of emotions. SeaWorld displays
an excited attitude towards their forward movement for the animals. Joel Manby, CEO of
SeaWorld was quoted saying, "Today marks a bold and impactful shift for our company, the
killer whale issue is a growing reason why many people don’t visit SeaWorld and this is about
doing the best thing for our orcas, our guests, our ambassadors and our company".
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In his statement, Manby insists that the parks are focused on three main importance’s. He is
interested in the best life for the orcas, the desire of the guests, and those who benefit from the
park. This stance shows that he is focusing not only on the safety of the killer whales, but also
the health of the parks themselves.
On March 19, 2016, SeaWorld posted an announcement on their Facebook page. The
company decided to go with a message that focuses more on the changing exhibit and how that
will affect the orcas, rather than the fact that the theatrical shows are going away. SeaWorld also
played the angle of protecting animal wildlife and educating more masses on safety and
protection of sea life. Their message clearly announces that the parks are making the effort to
move forward; “We are excited about an amazing future. The world is changing and we want to
welcome you back to a changing SeaWorld” (SeaWorld Cares).
Question 3:
Manby shows that his interest is in what is best for the company, for the whales, and for
guests, but his positive stance is not shared by everyone. PETA has spoken about the topic
suggesting that the shows should have been eliminated long before the park made the decision,
and that the killer whales should not be kept in what they call “sea pens”. The senior vice
president of PETA, Lisa Lange, even spoke out saying “[SeaWorld] should be able to release the
animals into more natural settings where they feel the ocean current, the sun on their backs”.
Lange suggests that even though the shows have ended, the whales are no better off because they
are still in captivity.
PETA has made many attempts to persuade SeaWorld to shut its doors. They believe that the
orcas in captivity are deprived of a healthy, natural life, even though some scientists would beg
to differ. In one Business Insider story, Jennifer Kay and Mike Schneider write “While
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SeaWorld's decision last month to end its orca breeding program delighted animal rights
activists, it disappointed many marine scientists, who say they will gradually lose vital
opportunities to learn things that could help killer whales in the wild”.
The author of the Orca Act, which is the act that ultimately bans the breading, capture,
import and export of the Orcas, Rep. Adam Schiff said “SeaWorld's decision to end captive
breeding and make no additional wild captures in the future, means that the current generation of
captive Orcas in their parks will be the last. The partnership they are making with the Humane
Society, with its focus on rescue, rehabilitation, and advocacy on important marine issues not
only represents a change in their business model, but an exciting new direction for the company.
These changes are something that advocates have been urging for years, and I think SeaWorld
will find that visitors will reward their actions with a renewed interest in the parks.”
Many news stations covered the astonishing story of SeaWorld ceasing their beloved orca
shows. USA Today, National Geographic, NPR, Fox News, and Washington Post are just a few
among those that took time to speak about the movement. The Washington Post even went so far
as to ask if the parks will be sustainable without the shows. In one article, they highlight Allen
Adamson, a marketing expert based in New York; “The orcas were their most powerful
engagement tool, it requires SeaWorld to reinvent its core signature attraction. It’s not an easy
fix”.
Question 4:
One strategy that SeaWorld took was inviting HSUS to tour their facilities and see behind-
the-scenes activities for the mammals. This tactic was a good way for SeaWorld to attempt to
build a relationship with an organization that was strongly opposed to their business model.
However, the strategy did not work out just as SeaWorld would have liked. After the tour, Dr.
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Naomi Rose, head of HSUS campaign, was quoted saying “They tried to schmooze us, to see if
they could get us off this. We said, ‘Thanks for the tour, we’ll see you on the battlefield’”.
Ultimately, once SeaWorld announced that the theatrical shows would no longer take place,
HSUS became an ally for SeaWorld with a focus and drive to educate people about marine life
and to protect the world’s oceans.
As stated previously, Manby exclusively promotes the appeal of change. He is quoted
saying that the decision to remove the shows was made in an effort to save the whales, please the
park goers, and maintain relationships with its partners. This attitude is an attempt to smooth
over any discomfort people might have. Manby represented the company well by maintaining a
positive attitude and remaining well-spoken and passionate about the topic at hand.
Question 5:
SeaWorld faced a lot of controversy on their social media platforms following the decision.
Many people have lashed out with concerns about the animals well-being. SeaWorld hosted a
live Twitter session where people could “ask SeaWorld” about the animals and what they were
doing, going forward. This is another strategy that sounds good because it promotes
transparency, but when put into practice, causes more controversy than clarity.
SeaWorld approached social media with the direction that, if they maintained a positive
outlook and focused on the future of the parks, people would be happy. The reality is, they left
themselves open to speculation on a lot of sides. SeaWorld’s CEO, Manby, put out a PSA
describing the changes. Manby says “this was one of the hardest decisions” and “that the world
has changed, and we have to change with it”.
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The biggest issue for SeaWorld is that they face so much discrimination on all sides from
animal rights activists. Unfortunately for SeaWorld, it does appear that the company is drowning
in hate and speculation.
Question 6:
While SeaWorld’s decision to end the theatrical orca shows alleviated a lot of people’s fears
for the animals as well as bought them new partnerships with some organizations such as HSUS,
there are still many who are unhappy with the theme parks. Now, ten months after the
announcement, SeaWorld’s social media pages, news that comes out about them, and PETA are
all still questioning whether the orcas are actually any better off. The parks are still being asked
the same questions regarding the creatures: why are they kept in small concrete confinements,
are the animals healthy, is it humane to keep cetaceans in theme parks at all? These questions
will most likely be asked for the remainder of SeaWorld’s existence, however long that may be.
Question 7:
When faced with tremendous pressure, just as SeaWorld did, it is important to listen to the
audience. With so much criticism flowing in, SeaWorld should sift through to see what is
relevant. In some cases, people would ask SeaWorld why they did not have marine biologists
that were the trainers for the animals. These are some questions that SeaWorld needed to ask
itself; are we really providing the best we can for our whales?
In this matter, SeaWorld also needed to appoint opinion leaders. Instead of trying to stand on
their own, SeaWorld could introduce well known people or organizations with credibility to
stand with them. While they did stand with HSUS, and that was a big success after a 20-year
debacle, they needed more voices shouting with them.
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List your sources for the information you find (weblinks, etc.). (10 points)
https://awionline.org/awi-quarterly/2015-summer/study-shows-captivity-curtails-orca-
lifespan
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/03/17/seaworld-orcas-killer-whales/
81900498/
https://seaworldcares.com/2016/03/Breaking-News-The-Last-Generation-of-Orcas-at-
SeaWorld/
http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic/ ?
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/seaworld-end-orca-shows-san-diego-2017
Washington: Rep. Schiff Applauds SeaWorld Decision to Phase Out Orca Captive Breeding Program US Official News March 18, 2016 Friday
http://www.lexisnexis.com/lnacui2api/api/version1/getDocCui?
oc=00240&hnsd=f&hgn=t&lni=5JBT-PWG1-DXCW-
D1FR&hns=t&perma=true&hv=t&hl=t&csi=270944%2C270077%2C11059%2C8411&sec
ondRedirectIndicator=true
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/will-seaworld-survive-without-
orca-shows/2016/03/20/7717547a-eeb8-11e5-89c3-a647fcce95e0_story.html?
utm_term=.02b23d512ef4
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?
q=orca+shows&ref=eyJzaWQiOiIwLjY2NDk3NjcxNzM4MzU3NDEiLCJxcyI6IkpUVkNKVEl5
YjNKallTVXlNSE5vYjNkekpUSXlKVFZFIiwiZ3YiOiJiZWUwOWY5M2ZhNzMyY2ZhNTlhMWNi
NmQ5ZjQ1MGQzODkyNDI0ZTQ5In0&filters_rp_author=63617892564
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http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-scientists-bemoan-seaworld-decision-to-stop-
breeding-orcas-2016-4
http://www.humanesociety.org/news/magazines/2016/05-06/big-changes-at-
seaworld.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVv6BCltOyA