This is such a good commercial I can hardly believe that it is for my local zoo. CF needs to hire the agency that created this ad.

Rats, I hate it when my daughter doesn't sign out on my computer.

DaveStroem

I was just looking at the Columbus Zoo online - wow. That place looks amazing, as it is #1 in America (according to Time, I think that was the site). I mean, they have an amusement park, waterpark, golf course; plus the amazing theme for the countries.

Last time I went to there was in second grade, in 2005!

Simply delightful, brilliant, brings a smile to the face and a desire to go, NOW.

Everything the FUN & Only ads are not...

Then again:

* The Zoo probably gave the ad agency more than $11,000 for a production budget (an amount Mr. Kinzel thought was astounding back in the 1980's, and is still enamored with today...unless we are talking his salary and incentives...)

* The Zoo probably gave the advertising agency a great deal of creative freedom and didn't dictate exactly what the final product was to look like, right down to whose kid(s) would be featured in the ad unlike a certain partnership...

Simply delightful, brilliant, brings a smile to the face and a desire to go, NOW.

Everything the FUN & Only ads are not...

Then again:

* The Zoo probably gave the ad agency more than $11,000 for a production budget (an amount Mr. Kinzel thought was astounding back in the 1980's, and is still enamored with today...unless we are talking his salary and incentives...)

* The Zoo probably gave the advertising agency a great deal of creative freedom and didn't dictate exactly what the final product was to look like, right down to whose kid(s) would be featured in the ad unlike a certain partnership...

I agree... I saw this ad on their Facebook page today and some of the bigger attractions in the state should take notice. It's full of whimsy, wonder, and it really tells a story. Reminds me of the best WDW ads from the mid and late '80s.

The Zoo's ads are actually led by an in-house group within the marketing department and produced locally... I think the money they save on the front-end of the ads allows for higher production values in the ads themselves. Let's not forget their last major ad push (which was aired in several markets outside Columbus). The "No More #2" ad was conceptualized by Zoo marketing and all the performers in the spot are zoo employees.

The Zoo's awesome "No More #2" ad:

The Zoo is really shaping up to be a major, multi-day destination. Zoombezi Bay and JJL expansions are in the works, the new hotel is in it's final feasibility study, and the zoo's new African Savannah and Madagascar exhibits will be open in the next few years.

For those of you who haven't been to the zoo, it really is worth the trip. I'd plan to spend 1 whole day at the Zoo (there really is that much to see), 1 day between Zoombezi Bay and Jungle Jack's Landing, and 1 day at the Zoo's sister park, The Wilds near Zanesville. http://thewilds.org/