CASE STUDY: Mission-Driven | Non-Profit | Public Education
Lions Tigers and Bears Oh My
Integrated social media and media relations strategy to boost local exposure, fundraising, and national thought leadership in wild animal advocacy.
Challenge
As San Diego’s only accredited big cat and exotic animal sanctuary, Lions Tigers & Bears provides lifelong care for rescued lions, tigers, bears, and other animals on a expansive, natural-habitat facility. While excelling in rescue, rehabilitation, and education, the organization needed greater visibility to:
Increase local and regional awareness and visitation
Raise critical funds for ongoing animal care
Establish a stronger voice in national conversations around wild animal welfare and issues making headlines
The sanctuary faced a competitive nonprofit landscape where authentic stories often get overshadowed by sensationalism.
Strategy
Objectives:
- Build an engaged social media following to spread the sanctuary’s mission
- Drive local exposure and donor support
- Position the sanctuary director as a credible thought leader in wild animal advocacy
- Leverage timely national issues to elevate the organization’s profile and impact
Jon developed a disciplined, mission-aligned communications strategy that treated social media and earned media as interconnected tools for authority-building. Working closely alongside leadership, the approach focused on authentic storytelling, interactivity, and strategic timing—connecting daily sanctuary life to broader advocacy goals.
Key elements:
- Social-First Engagement: Designed an interactive strategy to humanize the animals and build community.
- Thought Leadership Amplification: Leveraged national headlines on exotic animal issues to insert the sanctuary’s expertise into timely conversations.
- Integrated Execution: Aligned owned social channels with earned media for maximum reach and credibility.
Execution
- Social Media Strategy: Launched a new Facebook page and created a dedicated Twitter (X) account for the sanctuary’s resident black bear, @LibertytheBear. Liberty “authored” engaging tweets about himself, fellow residents, daily life at the sanctuary, and facility news—creating a fun, personality-driven voice that built authentic follower growth and shares across the social sphere.
- Media Relations & Advocacy: Monitored national headlines on wild animal issues and proactively pitched stories. Collaborated with writers and producers to position the sanctuary director as a go-to expert and strong voice in wild animal advocacy. This secured consistent earned media placements at both local and national levels.
- Content & Storytelling: Focused on rescue stories, animal enrichment, sanctuary operations, and advocacy messages to drive emotional connection and calls-to-action for donations and visits.
Results
The campaign successfully elevated Lions Tigers & Bears’ profile:
- Built a growing, engaged social media following through interactive, animal-led content on platforms like the new Facebook page and @LibertytheBear.
- Increased local regional exposure and positioned the sanctuary as a trusted resource.
- Secured multiple earned media placements—locally and nationally—for the director, amplifying the organization’s voice in wild animal welfare debates.