Top leaders at SeaWorld
Orlando would do well to follow basic first-aid measures: stop the
bleeding. And do it quickly!
Almost every day another performer announces he or she won’t
participate in next year’s Bands, Brew
and BBQ concert series hosted by SeaWorld Orlando. Performers are dropping
out in response to Blackfish, a recent documentary that was extremely critical of
SeaWorld.
The response from the entertainment world reminds me Artists United Against Apartheid, a
group of popular 1980s performers who produced Ain’t Gonna Play Sun City, a widely circulated music video that
contributed to the end of white rule in South Africa.
If I was in charge at SeaWorld I would act quickly and
cancel Bands, Brew and BBQ. Finding
replacements for the performers who dropped out won’t be easy. How many entertainers
do you know want to piss off their fans?
And then, what do you think would happen when the concert
series started?
There would be massive daily negative coverage and huge
demonstrations outside the gates of SeaWorld. It would get pretty ugly.
There’s no way SeaWorld leaders didn’t know this day
would come.
When I moved to Orlando 30 years ago SeaWorld was all
about the live animal performances. If
you wanted rides, then you needed to go to Disney. But then I began to notice
that SeaWorld started adding rides – a lot of rides. No doubt some of that was
in response to the Universal Studios Orlando Resort, which is within 10 miles
of SeaWorld. Yet I bet some SeaWorld leaders realized that it wasn’t prudent to
leave their ages (financial future) resting on the back of a killer whale.
Killer whale … hmmm. I always wondered what would happen if Shamu
was in a bad mood one day and didn’t want to play. Now we’ve seen the tragic
consequences of frolicking with a killer whale.
I’ve seen the Blackfish documentary. It’s very compelling, but as an experienced
journalist and a former corporate public-affairs manager I know there is more
than one way to interpret and report facts. Yet what makes Blackfish so
compelling is that it isn’t based on the interviews of one or two disgruntled
former employees. The documentary contains interview from an array of people
ranging from those who helped capture killer whales to trainers who worked with
the animals every day. The stories they told are not for the squeamish.
Memo to SeaWorld leaders: This crisis will not fade away.
And you’re not going to “no comment” your way out of this mess.
SeaWorld needs to face the public, admit their mistakes
and misdeeds and tell their story.
And SeaWorld does have a powerful story to tell. SeaWorld
is important to this community as a major employer, supporter of community
causes and a steward of natural resources.
That’s right -- a steward of natural resources. The fact
is SeaWorld has spent a fortune rescuing sick and injured sea creatures and
conducting invaluable research. Sure some critics will say that work was just a
publicity stunt. But the point is SeaWorld performed valuable work.
Now is the time for SeaWorld leaders to tell the public
what it’s learned from this experience and how it will change the company’s
business practices.
For one thing, ditch the smiling killer whale logo.
Good luck SeaWorld!
This
blog post was written by David Porter, principal and owner of David Porter
Communications Inc., an Orlando communications firm that produces www.B2BFlorida.com
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