Clearwater Marine Aquarium believed Winter the Dolphin’s new home, a multi-million-dollar expansion, should be seen by everybody. But the people that form the deepest connections with Winter’s story of overcoming obstacles—namely, children with severe underlying medical conditions—couldn’t make the trip to Tampa Bay to see the aquarium in person.
CMA partnered with PPK to bring the experience of the aquarium's newest facility and its celebrity dolphins Hope and Winter to hospitalized children across the nation.
We used 360° cameras and one-of-a-kind underwater rigs to create a totally immersive underwater experience. A select group of children across the nation received care packages from CMA. Each of these custom-designed boxes contained a collection of surprises, including a Virtual Reality headset, which gave the kids the opportunity to literally immerse themselves in the world of Winter the dolphin. In addition to our 360° experience, Clearwater Marine Aquarium also included an extra exciting present: a gift certificate, redeemable for a free trip to CMA, including free airfare and a free stay in CMA’s Winter the Dolphin Beach Club Hotel on Clearwater Beach.
The story picked up a following, garnering over 3 million views across a variety of news channels and social platforms. But the story gave us an even more exciting statistic: a handful of hospitalized children had their day made a little brighter.
