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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