LONGLEAT
Integrated TV and OOH creative production for Koala Creek launch
Longleat is the UK’s number one safari park and the only zoological collection in Europe to house southern koalas. Set within a 900-acre Wiltshire estate, it attracts visitors of all ages and backgrounds, making it one of Britain’s most popular family days out.
The Problem
Longleat’s newest attraction, Koala Creek, was set to open at the end of March. This left a six-week window from brief to broadcast. Tighter still, the campaign needed to be a total creative departure from the brand’s previous show-and-tell advertising. Longleat needed something emotionally engaging to earn shares and broad enough to speak to every age group.
The Approach
The insight was counterintuitive: don’t just show the koalas. Our concept was to also show how people react to seeing them for the first time. An intimate, visually striking filming style that put the focus on an awe-inspired cast. This built a playful sense of mystery through enigmatic close-ups of the animals before the final reveal. A funky finger-clicking track kept the energy infectious throughout.
Shot in a single day on location using a RED Weapon 8K cinema camera, the production captured the kind of spontaneous, joy-inducing reactions that make advertising feel genuinely real. The campaign ran across two phases: an Easter ad and a summer version with new cast, dancers and a didgeridoo player. Finally, deliverables spanned a 30-second TV ad with variations and cutdowns. In addition, three social cutdowns, and three bumper ads for Longleat’s new National Geographic sponsorship deal.
The results
The Easter campaign generated 7.5 million impressions and drove a 60% uplift in footfall – 6,500 additional guests, with double-digit percentage growth against budget.
The team have been consistently upbeat, optimistic, great problem solvers and easy to get along with. I’ve been so impressed by how quickly they’ve worked.
