• by Larissa Faw , August 12, 2015

For the past 12 years, ad agency Chemistry Club has invented unique and eye-catching campaigns to entice visitors to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This year, they decided to play off of one of the aquarium's most popular exhibits involving sardines.

To ward off predators, sardines form a "bait ball," a tightly packed spherical formation that moves in perfect unison in a way that is both effective and beautiful. 

"Sardines are truly showstoppers at the Aquarium. During the 11 a.m. feeding in the Aquarium’s Open Sea exhibit, all 16,000 of them dart and dash in unison when they are fed," says Dayna Carroll, account director at Chemistry Club.

"Aquarium goers are absolutely amazed during this feeding the fish are dynamic and extremely entertaining. In this year’s campaign, we wanted to highlight an iconic Aquarium species and our creative team was hands down inspired by the sardine bait ball. We wanted to entertain people with our mobile touch-screen experience."    

Throughout the summer, Bay Area events and concerts are hosting the Bait Ball Ballet Interactive Experience that features a large, interactive mobile touchscreen, "one of the biggest ever created," says Carroll. "The Bait Ball Ballet utilizes a 75” Samsung mobile screen. We are the first advertiser to install an overlay on the screen to allow for touch interaction." 

Users interact with the Bait Ball in two ways. First, they are able to use the touchscreen to control the movement of the Bait Ball with their fingers—with a simple tap or drag they can make the giant Bait Ball scatter, re-form, or move dynamically around the screen. 

The second feature lets users create their own Bait Ball show by combining any one of four shapes with any of four music genres. The thousands of sardines then swim into the selected shape to the sound of the music track.

Users are then prompted to enter their email address to have their customized Bait Ball Show video sent to them, so they can share their experience on Facebook and Twitter. The exhibit is supported with roving Brand Ambassadors who help draw people in and guide them through the experience. 

For those unable to enjoy the touchscreen in person, Chemistry Club created The Mystic Bait Ball—an app inspired by the Magic Eight Ball—that features CGI sardines. The app prompts users to “Ask a Yes or No Question” about the future: the bait ball then dynamically disperses and returns to the screen, bringing back a marine-themed answer. 

These executions are supported with display banners of both programmatic and publisher direct buys, cross-device, video, paid social media with Facebook & Twitter, audio with Pandora/Spotify, video and connected TV.  Select radio stations from CBS, iHeartMedia and Entercom radio clusters are running ads, and TV spots appear across KTVU, KNTV, Comcast SportsNet, Comcast Spotlight, Dish & DirecTV.  

There are also Monterey Bay Aquarium-themed Happy Hours and Trivia Nights at Bay Area neighborhood bars.